Director, Research and Development

Keurig Dr Pepper; Kildare; On-site; EUR 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical care

Pension contributions

Holiday entitlements

Global exposure & travel opportunities

Job summary

Keurig Dr Pepper in Ireland seeks a Director of Beverage Flavour & Concentrates Development to lead a senior R&D team responsible for strategic flavour, concentrate and kit development across Europe and the US. You will shape the technical agenda, drive innovation, scale‑up, and commercialization while partnering with Global R&D, Supply Chain and Quality.

You will build capability, navigate a matrix organization, manage priorities, and foster a culture of accountability and collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 12+ years of progressive beverage R&D experience, including leadership in flavour formulation, concentrate & kit development, scale‑up, and commercialization.
• Proven ability to set the technical agenda for complex beverage R&D portfolios, translating enterprise strategy into focused technical priorities and scalable innovation.
• Deep expertise in flavour technology, including flavour chemistry, ingredient functionality, sensory performance, formulation design, and commercialization within complex beverage systems.
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary R&D teams across multiple locations, with responsibility for capability development and succession planning.
• Senior leadership experience with contribution to business strategy, culture and capability development.
• Experience operating within a matrixed global function across regions and teams.
• Demonstrated project and portfolio management capability and delivering outcomes against timelines.

Responsibilities

• Set and drive the technical and operational agenda for beverage flavours, concentrates, and kit development, ensuring differentiation and commercialization readiness.
• Serve as the senior technical leader for flavour strategy and concentrate design, guiding risk, quality, and decision making.
• Own and govern a portfolio of flavour and concentrate innovation, prioritizing resources and ensuring execution through commercialization.
• Provide leadership to a multi‑disciplinary R&D organization, focusing on capability development and a culture of accountability and collaboration.
• Partner with senior R&D and cross‑functional leaders to identify growth opportunities and resolve complex technical challenges.
• Influence senior stakeholders on strategy, investment priorities, compliance, and capability development.
• Build Ireland’s innovation ecosystem through partnerships with flavour houses, suppliers, and research centres.
• Lead resolution of flavour, concentrate, and product quality issues with timely corrective actions.
• Manage budgets and organizational design to deliver short‑term commitments and long‑term priorities.

Skills

Flavour technology

Leadership

Strategy & portfolio

Cross‑functional collaboration

R&D leadership

Scale‑up & commercialization

Regulatory & quality

Stakeholder management

Global remit

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline

Job description

Job Overview:

The Director, Beverage Flavour & Concentrates Development is a senior R&D leadership role responsible for defining the strategic direction and technical agenda for beverage flavour, concentrate, and kit development across Concentrate Operations and the third‑party bottling network in the US and Europe. This leader oversees a high‑performing team, strengthens organizational capability and drives innovation, renovation, productivity, and sustainability initiatives in support of enterprise growth objectives, regulatory requirements, quality standards, and operational priorities. The Director works in close partnership with Global R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Global Procurement, and Quality to set portfolio priorities, and deliver differentiated solutions from concept through commercialization.

Key Responsibilities:

• Set and drive the technical and operational agenda for beverage flavours, concentrates, and kit development, ensuring differentiated formulation design, robust scale‑up, commercialization readiness, and strong support for concentrate & kit manufacturing priorities.

• Serve as the senior technical leader for flavour strategy, concentrate and kit design, and concentrate process development, providing guidance on risk, quality, and technical decision‑making.

• Own and govern a portfolio of flavour and concentrate innovation, renovation, productivity, and sustainability initiatives, ensuring clear prioritization, effective resource deployment, and strong execution through commercialization within the concentrate operations and bottling system.

• Provide leadership to a multi‑disciplinary R&D organization, including talent development, capability building, succession planning, and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

• Partner with senior R&D and cross‑functional leaders across Operations, Supply Chain, Commercial, Procurement, Quality, Manufacturing, and other key business functions to identify growth opportunities, resolve complex technical challenges, and deliver solutions that create enterprise value.

• Influence senior stakeholders across Global R&D and Concentrate Operations on Flavour & concentrate strategy, investment priorities, compliance matters, and capability development.

• Unlock Ireland’s food and beverage innovation ecosystem by building high‑impact partnerships with flavour houses, ingredient suppliers, research agencies, technology centres, and industry networks to accelerate science‑led, commercially scalable Beverage processing and Innovation solutions.

• Provide leadership in the resolution of flavour, concentrate & product quality, formulation, and manufacturing issues, ensuring timely decision‑making and sustainable corrective actions.

• Manage functional budget, lead organizational design, and resource planning to enable delivery of near‑term commitments and long‑term technical strategic priorities.

Total Rewards:

At KDP Ireland, you will find that:

• We aspire to have the top talent within the industry and are committed to maintaining an extraordinarily brilliant, remarkably diverse, and decidedly engaged team.

• We invest in the development and growth of our employees and promote continuous learning to enable progressive career tracks.

• We offer a competitive salary and bonus structure, and excellent employee benefits including private medical care, pension contributions, and holiday entitlements.

• We provide Global exposure – As a multi‑national CPG with HQ offices in the USA and peers operating in five countries, there are opportunities travel to different countries and share international perspectives and experiences.

• We have an active interest in the community - We run events throughout the year to support local charities, people & communities.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline; advanced degree preferred.

• Minimum 12+ years of progressive beverage R&D experience, including significant leadership in flavour formulation, concentrate & kit development, scale‑up, and commercialization.

• Proven ability to set the technical agenda for complex beverage R&D portfolios, translating enterprise strategy into focused technical priorities, capability plans and scalable innovation outcomes.

• Deep expertise in flavour technology, including flavour key chemistry, ingredient functionality, sensory performance, formulation design, flavour concentrate processing, and commercialization within complex beverage systems.

• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary R&D teams across multiple technical disciplines, including managers and technical experts, with responsibility for capability development, succession planning, and a culture of accountability.

• Senior leadership experience with demonstrated contribution to business strategy, culture and capability development.

• Experience operating successfully within a matrixed global function across multiple locations, aligning priorities, ways of working, decision‑making, and stakeholder expectations across regions and teams.

• Demonstrated project and portfolio management capability, including leading multiple complex initiatives concurrently, managing priorities, aligning cross‑functional stakeholders, and delivering outcomes against timelines and business objectives.

• Exceptional leadership, communication, and senior stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across functions, regions, and leadership levels.

• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required

Preferred Qualifications:

• Established operational and technical mindset, with experience strengthening internal R&D capabilities, development rigor, technical decision‑making, and scalable execution.

• Experience leading productivity initiatives with a holistic cost management mindset, balancing formulation, ingredient, process, supply, and operational considerations to deliver sustainable value.

• Knowledge of the sustainability agenda, with the ability to integrate sustainability considerations into formulation, ingredient selection, packaging, process choices, and capability development.

• Experience in technical brand stewardship, including renovation of flavours and concentrates to meet compliance requirements, quality expectations, productivity targets, sustainability goals, and other key success KPIs.

• Knowledge of beverage concentrate manufacturing technologies, quality systems, and scale‑up processes.

• Familiarity with relevant data analysis, formulation, or R&D digital tools.

• Strong understanding of regulatory requirements, quality expectations, and risk management relevant to beverage flavours, ingredients, concentrates, manufacturing, and commercialization

• Deep technical expertise in concentrate processing and kit development technologies, including process design, scale‑up, manufacturing readiness, and commercialization within complex beverage systems.

Company Overview:

Keurig Dr Pepper (Nasdaq: KDP) is a leading beverage company with more than 150 owned, licensed and partner brands that meet a wide range of needs and occasions. Our North American refreshment beverage business holds leadership positions across carbonated soft drinks, water, juice and mixers with a portfolio of iconic brands such as Dr Pepper®, Canada Dry®, Mott’s®, A&W®, Peñafiel®, GHOST®, 7UP®, Snapple®, Clamato® and Core Hydration®. Our global coffee business spans more than 100 markets and includes the leading Keurig® single‑serve brewing system in the U.S. and Canada, along with powerhouse brands such as Peet’s, L’OR and Jacobs, and other regional coffee leaders. Our more than 50,000 employees aim to enhance the experience of every beverage and coffee occasion while making a positive impact for people, communities and the planet.

We strive to be anemployer of choice, providing a culture and opportunities that empower our team to grow and develop. We offer robust benefits to support your health and wellness as well as your personal and financial well‑being. We also provide employee programs designed to enhance your professional growth and development, while ensuring you feel valued, inspired and appreciated at work.

Whatever your area of expertise, at KDP you can be a part of a team that’s proud of its brands, partnerships, innovation and growth. Will you join us?

Keurig Dr Pepper is an equal opportunity employer and recruits qualified applicants and advances in employment its employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability or association with a person with a disability, medical condition, genetic information, ethnic or national origin, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Keurig Dr Pepper is an equal opportunity employer and affirmatively seeks diversity in its workforce. Keurig Dr Pepper recruits qualified applicants and advances in employment its employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability or association with a person with a disability, medical condition, genetic information, ethnic or national origin, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.