Scientist, Product Development, GDI

Coca-Cola HBC; India; On-site; INR 1,400,000 - 2,200,000; Full time

Job summary

The Coca-Cola Company, at the INSWA Innovation Center in Gurugram, India, seeks an experienced product development Scientist to lead lab-scale prototype work and pilot plans for beverage innovations. You will run analytical tests, plan experiments, and contribute to formula finalization with the technical and marketing teams.

The role requires a BSc in Food Science or Chemistry with 4–6 years in beverage development, plus knowledge of flavor compounds, distillation and blending.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or Chemistry required.
• 4–6 years in product development for beverages/food.
• Knowledge of essential oils and flavor compounds; distillation, extraction, blending.
• Knowledge of flavor ingredients and beverage bases.
• Proficient in MS Office; chromatography data systems knowledge required.

Responsibilities

• Develop lab-scale prototypes and pilot plans.
• Conduct experiments to evaluate ingredients and processes.
• Manage lab requests and coordinate with scientists.
• Perform chemical analyses and prepare sampling plans.
• Write detailed reports and support senior management decisions.
• Collaborate on product development and packaging initiatives.

Skills

Lab-scale development

Analytical testing

Experiment planning

Report writing

Cross-functional collaboration

Flavor chemistry basics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or Chemistry

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Chromatography data systems

MS Office Suite

Aroma profiling tools

Job description

Location: Gurgaon, India

Role Type: Individual Contributor

Please note: The selected candidate will need to be based in Gurgaon, India. This is an Individual Contributor position.

Our India & Southwest Asis (INSWA) Innovation Center sits at the heart of The Coca-Cola Company’s next chapter of growth. We are committed to transforming and evolving our organization and ambitions — bringing our people closer to the consumer, continuously raising the bar, and embracing digitalization to enable sustainable growth. We are looking for a highly driven individual contributor who thrives on ownership and impact, and who fuels the innovation pipeline with bold ideas that translate into real-world results. This role is not about maintaining the status quo; it is about challenging assumptions, unlocking opportunity, and personally driving valuable breakthrough innovation. You will apply deep product development expertise to lead ideas from concept to execution, contributing to a strong and diverse portfolio of meaningful innovation — accelerating growth and helping shape the future of the organization.

Our approach to business is to start with facts, based in science and our passion is to work towards a better shared future to make a difference in people’s lives, communities, and our planet. Our Scientist, Product Development help support that future and we’re looking for an individual that will support the execution of new product development initiatives designed to create the robust pipeline of innovations across categories to meet the short and the long-term priorities of the region. The ideal candidate will have prior experience in a similar role and be eager to be part of the largest beverage company in the world.

What You’ll Do for Us:

• Development of lab scale prototypes, producing pilot plans for both beverage-based parts and final products.Prepares beverages and conductsanalytical testsontasteand/or odor according to sensory guidelines, including qualifying taste panelists.Assist in setting ingredient and product specifications
• Conduct experiments (e.g. laboratory or process experiments) to deliver new products, evaluate ingredients, materials, products, and processes.
• Manage work requests from multiple scientists and schedule for maximum efficiency and priority. Communicate openly with scientists regarding timing and progress of requested work
• Performs chemical analyses using instrumental methods to determine the composition of samples and prepares samples and sampling plan for ingredients, intermediate or finished products, or other materials in order to perform analyses.
• Writes detailed & accurate reports for analyses, experiments, or projects.Gathers and organizes information under tight timelines to support senior management's decision-making.
• Participates in team projects, interdepartmental/divisional committees, or company-wide initiatives in order to share information, represent the department/division perspective or assist with product development, process modification, package development and marketing.
• Works on product development projects assigned by line manager from idea generation to formula finalization through close discussion and alignment with Technical and Marketing team and all other stakeholders.
• Leverages prior education, suppliers, and literature to innovate within scope of briefs provided by other technical experts or supervisor.
• Maintain laboratory equipment and instrumentation (e.g., troubleshooting, conducting preventative maintenance, calibrating and repairing). Maintain cleanliness of labs and storage areas.

What We’re Looking For:

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry or related field is required,Master’s degree ispreferred
• 4–6 years in product development for beverages/ food
• Basic knowledge of the organic chemistry of essential oils and other flavor compounds that is relevant to Company products along with the basic knowledge and ability to apply flavor manufacturing and the processes used such as distillation, extraction, and blending areneeded
• Must possess knowledge of key ingredients used in production of flavors, concentrates and beveragebases
• Musthavemoderate knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Knowledge of chromatography data systems isrequired
• Ability to apply technical knowledge and establish credibility through written reports and verbal presentations with highly technical audiences in order to build technical relationships that will benefit customers, or the Company isneeded
• Must possess the ability to recognize and protect proprietary information as it relates to formulas and ingredients.
• Knowledge of project management principles and the ability to apply the principles, tools and techniques to develop/plan, manage or execute projects or work plans to ensure successful completion isideal

What can help you to be successful in the role?

• Growth Mindset: Demonstrates Curiosity. Welcomes failure as a learning opportunity.
• Smart Risk: Makes bold decisions/recommendations.
• Commercially Focused: Understands the upstream and downstream implications of his/her work.
• Performance Driven & Accountable: Has high performance standards. Outperforms her/his peers.
• Fast/Agile: Removes barriers to move faster. Experiments and adapts. Thrives under pressure and fast pace.
• Empowered: Brings solutions instead of problems. Challenges the status quo. Has the courage to take an unpopular stance.

Leadership Behavior

• Act Like an Owner: Deliver results, creating value for our brands, our System, our customers and key stakeholders.
• Collaborate with the System, Customers and Key Stakeholders
• Develops Self and Others: Develop self and support others' development to achieve their full potential.
• Drive Innovation: Generate new or unique solutions and embrace new ideas that help sustain our business.

What We Can DoForYou

• Career growth and development: Leveraging our boundaryless network, we provide access to educational platforms and provide coaching, mentoring and feedback, as a part of our Leadership & Development process.
• Diverse and inclusive culture: You’ll be embraced for who you are and empowered to use your voice to help others find theirs. We want to make our culture inevitable.
• International Experience: Become part of international projects and work along multicultural teams, through our global network.

Chemistry, Communication, Continual Improvement Process, Data Compilation, Environmental Science, Food Safety and Sanitation (Inactive), Food Sciences, Food Technology, Green Solutions, Laboratory Testing, Leadership, Microbiological Test, Product Development, Quality Control (QC), Researching, Sensory Testing, Sustainability, Waterfall Model

Location(s): India

City/Cities: Gurugram

Travel Required: 00% - 25%

Relocation Provided: No

Job Posting End Date: September 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.