Director, Channel & Customer Strategy

The Coca-Cola Company
Chicago, IL
The Director, Channel & Customer Strategy is a key leadership role responsible for developing and executing channel strategies and multi-year plans for strategic retailers. This role translates The Coca-Cola Company’s brand and commercial priorities into growth strategies for both the business and retail partners, balancing strategic vision with precise in-market execution aligned with the brand’s look of success, AMPS (Availability, Merchandising, Pricing, Space), and long-term value creation.

The Director will collaborate with top-tier customers, Coca-Cola North America, and cross-functional teams to create world-class partnerships and joint business plans. The ideal candidate excels at turning analytics into actionable insights, fostering customer relationships, and delivering executional excellence.

Strategic Leadership

What You’ll Do for Us

  • Lead channel strategy development, aligning brand priorities with customer opportunities to drive growth.
  • Co-create and execute multi-year business plans incorporating shopper insights, channel dynamics, and market trends.
  • Develop distinctive value propositions delivering profitable growth for Coca-Cola and retail partners.
  • Use advanced analytics to craft selling stories and actionable strategies aligned with company and customer goals.

Customer Partnership & Value Creation

  • Build strong partnerships with NAOU Retail teams and key customers; develop Joint Business Plans balancing short- and long-term growth.
  • Champion a consumer-centric approach, providing category solutions rooted in insights and portfolio strengths.
  • Serve as primary liaison between the North America Juice business, retailers, and partners, aligning priorities.
  • Embed category/brand strategies into plans, integrating pricing, promotion, and merchandising to meet agreed KPIs.

Executional Excellence

  • Ensure flawless execution of brand, commercial, and sales priorities in line with look-of-success standards.
  • Collaborate with internal teams and retailers to optimize product performance, merchandising, pricing, and assortment.
  • Monitor execution scorecards and KPIs (e.g., SOVI, TDPs, share) to identify opportunities and address gaps.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Partner with RGM, Commercial Strategy, Pricing Execution, and others to align execution with business strategy.
  • Lead business reviews to maintain alignment with customers and internal stakeholders.
  • Act as subject matter expert on channel and customer strategy, guiding Brand, Commercial, and Sales Operations teams.

Innovation & Business Process Leadership

  • Lead innovation launches within the channel, ensuring successful commercialization of new products and packaging.
  • Drive process improvements in tools, systems, and RTM operations for greater efficiency.
  • Promote best-in-class routines, communications, and reporting to enable seamless collaboration.

Qualifications & Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field required; MBA preferred.
  • 7–10 years in Channel & Customer Strategy, Sales, Category Management, or related CPG roles.
  • Proven customer management and planning experience across multiple segments.
  • Ability to balance strategic growth with operational priorities and translate strategies into execution.
  • Strong relationship builder with experience collaborating with senior retail leaders.
  • Analytical expertise leveraging tools such as Nielsen, Numerator, TPM, Power BI, and syndicated data.
  • Deep knowledge of category management, pricing/promotion, and AMPS principles.
  • Skilled in managing ambiguity, problem-solving, and using industry-standard sales/financial systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle).

What We Can Do For You

  • Iconic Brand: Work on the world’s most recognized brand and shape its next chapter.
  • Exposure to Leaders: Access global marketing leaders and emerging digital platforms.
  • Creative Culture: Join a team that embraces bold ideas, risk-taking, and innovation.

Skills

Leadership; Communication; Promotional Strategies; Price Management; Key Performance Indicators (KPI); Marketing Campaigns; Category Management; Digital Marketing; Sales Analysis; Brand Management; Competitor Analysis; Teamwork; Product Roadmapping

The Coca-Cola Company will not offer sponsorship for employment status (including, but not limited to, H1-B visa status and other employment-based nonimmigrant visas) for this position. Accordingly, all applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and must not require The Coca-Cola Company's sponsorship to continue to work legally in the United States.

Pay Range:$141,000 - $165,200

Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position, is offered.

Annual Incentive Reference Value Percentage:30

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.
Posted 2026-01-31

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