Our approach to business starts with facts grounded in science, driven by a passion to build a better shared future for people, communities, and our planet. Within the Fruit Juice category, our scientists play a critical role in delivering authentic, safe, and high‑quality juice products that meet evolving consumer expectations and regulatory requirements.
We are seeking a Product Development Scientist with strong fruit juice expertise to support the execution of new product development and renovation initiatives across juice, nectar, and juice drink portfolios. This role will contribute to building a robust innovation pipeline by translating fruit‑based concepts into scalable, commercially viable products. The ideal candidate has a deep understanding of fruit systems, juice processing, sensory, and ingredient functionality, and the ability to lead and mentor lab‑based developers from ideation through commercialization.
What You’ll Do for Us
Develop lab‑scale juice, nectar, and juice drink prototypes, including fruit juice blends, reduced‑sugar and functional juice concepts, and beverages with varying juice content levels; support pilot plans for beverage bases and finished products.
Prepare juice beverages and conduct sensory and analytical evaluations (taste, aroma, color, mouthfeel), following established sensory guidelines; support taste panel qualification and calibration with emphasis on fruit flavor profiling.
Design, produce, and evaluate product prototypes against concept briefs, nutritional targets, regulatory juice standards, and performance specifications.
Provide subject‑matter expertise for fruit juice processing and scale‑up, including support during production trials with plants and bottling partners (e.g., juice handling, blending, thermal processing, aseptic/HPP where applicable).
Perform chemical and physical analyses using instrumental methods to assess juice composition (e.g., Brix, acidity, pulp, color, cloud stability, vitamin retention); prepare samples and sampling plans for ingredients, intermediates, and finished products.
Design, execute, and review experiments to deliver new juice products or renovations; evaluate ingredient performance, product safety, shelf‑life, stability, and nutritional or functional claims relevant to fruit‑based beverages.
Write clear, detailed, and accurate technical reports and summaries to support data‑based decision‑making under tight timelines for senior management.
Collaborate cross‑functionally with Marketing, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, Operations, and Commercialization teams to ensure alignment from idea generation through formula finalization.
Leverage scientific knowledge, supplier partnerships, and external literature to innovate in fruit juice systems, including sweetener optimization, flavor masking, clouding systems, and clean‑label solutions.
Apply food science principles related to fruit ingredients, juice concentrates, puree, packaging interactions, and processing to ensure safe, high‑quality, and compliant products.
Participate in commercialization and scale testing at manufacturing or bottling lines, partnering closely with QA and commercialization teams.
Lead project and technical review meetings within the Juice Category, working cross‑functionally with marketing, customer teams, and technical stakeholders.
Coach, mentor, and develop technicians, students, and junior product developers, strengthening juice category technical capability within R&D.
Qualifications & Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, or related field required; Master’s degree or PhD preferred.
8+ years of successful product development experience in the beverage industry, with strong preference for fruit juice, nectar, or juice drink categories.
Project Management: Demonstrated ability to plan, manage, and execute R&D projects from concept to commercialization, delivering results on time and within scope.
Regulatory & Quality Awareness:
Technical Communication: Ability to build credibility with technical audiences through clear written reports and effective verbal presentations.
Computer Proficient in Microsoft Office tools and formulation/database systems.
Endurance & Flexibility: Willingness to work across multiple projects and adjust priorities based on business needs; occasional extended work periods may be required.
What We Can Do for You
Purpose‑Driven Work: Contribute to meaningful innovation in fruit‑based beverages that support health, sustainability, and community well‑being.
Global Connections: Opportunities to collaborate across regions and learn from global juice and beverage experts.
Community of Belonging: An inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued, and you are empowered to bring your best self to work.
Chemistry, Communication, Continual Improvement Process, Data Compilation, Environmental Science, Food Safety Management, Food Sciences, Food Technology, Green Solutions, Laboratory Testing, Leadership, Microbiology, Product Development, Quality Control (QC), Researching, Sensory Testing, Waterfall Model
Location(s):
Mexico
City/Cities:
Ciudad de Mexico
Travel Required:
00% - 25%
Relocation Provided:
No
Job Posting End Date:
June 15, 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.
Annual Incentive Reference Value Percentage:15
Annual Incentive reference value is a market-based competitive value for your role. It falls in the middle of the range for your role, indicating performance at target.
