Senior Director, General Manager, Tea Company

Job description

Job Description Summary: The Coca-Cola Company, a global beverage leader with a rich history of 140 years and a portfolio of over 200 brands worldwide and TeaCo is a dedicated 'hothouse' tasked with step-change growth and disruptive innovation in the ready-to-drink tea category. Operating within a 'sandbox' (primarily Guangdong province, with initial focus on the Greater Guangzhou area), TeaCo is expected to: • Test creative ideas and new business models at startup speed. • Leverage the global scale of Coca-Cola and local execution strength of Swire • Deliver validated concepts that can scale back into the core ATH system or launch as independent brands. • Achieve +150M incremental unit cases over a 3-year horizon. This is not a traditional internal functional leadership role. It requires entrepreneurial capability, commercial ownership, stakeholder management, and the ability to operate in ambiguity with pace. The position is legally hosted under Coca-Cola, reporting to the Synthetic Board, within a virtual entity structure where costs are shared proportionally between KO and Swire. What You'll Do for Us: Own the Innovation Agenda and Product Roadmap • Define the innovation strategy, prioritize concepts, and manage the pipeline from ideation to pilot launch • Lead consumer insight integration, concept development, and rapid prototyping • Ensure innovation efforts protect and enhance the ATH master brand equity • Build and test digitally enabled commercialization models, including digital consumer acquisition, O2O activation, DTC experimentation, social commerce, and platform partnerships. Own Commercial and Financial Outcomes • Full P&L ownership for TeaCo — accountable for revenue, cost, margin, and investment returns • Build and refine the business model across incubation, early commercialization, and potential scale phases • Deliver against +150M unit cases 3-year target Build and Lead a High-Performance, Lean Team • Recruit, develop, and retain a world-class, entrepreneurial team (1+4 structure). • Foster a culture of speed, experimentation, accountability, and psychological safety. • Attract talent willing to embrace a 60%+ failure rate on individual experiments (as a portfolio, the goal is success). Manage Complex Stakeholder Ecosystem • Internal: Navigate Coca-Cola (Shanghai HQ, GDI (Global Development and Innovation), Consumer Insights, KO Legal), Swire (TAC, S&M, Supply Chain), and XNode (external facilitator). • External: Co-packers, ingredient suppliers, research agencies, advisory network. • Governance: Manage Board engagement, prepare for Gate Reviews, and ensure transparent progress reporting Drive Speed-to-Market and Consumer Validation • Move from concept to consumer test in 90-day cycles where possible. • Build rapid feedback loops with target consumers in the Guangzhou test market. • Make "accelerate/ pivot/ pause/ stop" decisions with confidence and data. • Use digital channels and consumer data to test propositions, acquire target consumers, and accelerate product-market fit validation. • Run rapid experiments across digital targeting, product concepts, pricing, promotions, conversion pathways, and repeat purchase behavior. Protect Brand Integrity and Ensure Governance Discipline • Maintain a connection point with the BAU ATH brand team to monitor brand risks. • Operate within KO compliance framework while pushing for speed. • Ensure all innovation experiments do not inadvertently damage global brand equity. Qualifications & Requirements: Industry: 10+ years in consumer goods; F&B strongly preferred. P&L Management: At least 2+ years independently managing a business unit P&L (scale flexible). Channel & Sales: Experience working with frontline sales teams and using digital channels to test and scale commercial models; understanding of convenience stores, traditional trade, e-commerce, O2O, DTC, social commerce, and platform-based consumer acquisition. Product Development: Led or participated in full-cycle product development from consumer insight to market launch. Innovation & Incubation: Track record of building or scaling something new within an established organization — or as a founder/early team member. Education: Bachelor's degree or above; MBA or management master's preferred. Language: Fluent Chinese; English as working language. Differentiators: Direct RTD tea or premium beverage experience in China. Founder/ early-stage operator or corporate incubation background. Board, Steering Committee, JV, or partnership governance exposure. Small-batch manufacturing, co-packing, agile production, or F&B regulatory familiarity. Strong China F&B ecosystem relationships. Demonstrated resilience through previous failure experience/ setbacks. What We Can Do For You: Exposure to World Class Leaders : Availability to global technology leaders that will expand your network and exposure you to emerging technologies and techniques. Iconic Brand : Work on the most recognized brand in the world and be part of developing the brands next chapter. Learning Culture : Access to resources such as LinkedIn Learning and management programs that give you the resources to continually develop your skills and knowledge. Skills: Business Integrations, Business Planning, Channel Management, Communication, Execution Excellence, Market Dynamics, Negotiation, Revenue Growth Management, Value Chain Economics Location(s): China City/Cities: Guangzhou Travel Required: 00% - 25% Relocation Provided: Yes Job Posting End Date: June 18, 2026 Our Purpose and Growth Culture: We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.