At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the transformation of the Away From Home business with innovative strategies and data-driven insights.
- Company: Join a global leader in refreshment, committed to making a difference.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, annual incentives, and a culture of continuous learning.
- Other info: Dynamic work environment with opportunities for growth and travel.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of commercial execution excellence and drive impactful change.
- Qualifications: Strong leadership skills and expertise in data-driven decision-making.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 50000 £ per year.
The Director Operations AFH is the enterprise leader responsible for transforming and accelerating the Away From Home business in the market through a unified, insight-driven, and execution-focused system approach. This role owns the end-to-end AFH strategic agenda and ensures the Company and the bottler operate against a single, fully aligned 360 Integrated Activation (360IA) plan that drives availability, incidence, outlet penetration, equipment productivity, and profitable growth across all AFH segments.
A core part of the mandate is leading commercial execution excellence, accelerating the AFH system capabilities to predictive, insight-led, and value-driven models that materially improve availability, incidence, and cooler performance. This role also leads the development of a customer segmented equipment strategy for AFH and partners with bottlers to ensure disciplined system-wide implementation. The Director is fully accountable for owning AFH channel performance, jointly setting and governing system KBIs, and leading mitigation and acceleration actions to meet BP volume, revenue, and share targets.
As the senior orchestrator of the AFH system, the Director integrates data, analytics, and AI across planning, execution, and performance routines, driving a modern, consistent, and future-ready operating model that unlocks sustainable growth across the AFH ecosystem.
What You’ll Do for Us
- Lead the creation of ABP and long-range AFH strategies, translating them into integrated roadmaps that connect portfolio, RGM, media, equipment, RTM, and in-outlet activation across all AFH segments.
- Lead high impact strategic initiatives, including RTM design, recruitment channel expansion, category development, omnichannel execution, and data-driven customer planning tailored for the AFH ecosystem.
- Act as the senior system integrator and influencer, aligning GM, Marketing, RGM, Finance, Digital, bottler, and key customers behind a unified AFH growth agenda.
Drive AFH Commercial Execution Excellence
- Lead commercial execution excellence for the AFH business in the market, accelerating system capabilities to predictive, insight-led, and value-driven models to grow availability, incidence, and Coolers/10k performance.
- Lead the development of a segmented equipment (cooler, vending, fountain and others) strategy, ensuring system-wide implementation with bottlers to maximize coverage, productivity, and outlet penetration.
- Embed RGM, financial modelling, and scenario planning into AFH decisions to optimize price pack architecture, customer profitability, and margin delivery.
Own AFH Channel Performance & System KPIs
- Own system AFH channel performance, jointly setting and monitoring system performance KBIs and leading mitigation and acceleration actions to deliver BP volume, revenue, and share targets.
- Govern AFH performance routines, ensuring they are insight-driven, action-oriented, and forward-looking rather than reporting led.
- Maintain a predictive view of the competitive, channel, and regulatory environment using data and insights to proactively shape system responses.
Lead Data, Digital & AI Enabled Transformation
- Embed data, analytics, and AI across the AFH operating model, improving forecasting, outlet segmentation, equipment deployment, activation effectiveness, and execution quality.
- Leverage advanced analytics and AI to identify incremental revenue, margin, and execution opportunities across brands, packs, consumption occasions, and customer types.
- Champion a test-learn-scale culture, accelerating adoption of digital tools and analytics across the Company-bottler AFH system.
Experience & Capabilities
- Strong AFH and channel expertise, with deep understanding of customer needs, RTM models, and execution levers across the AFH landscape.
- Robust commercial, RGM, and financial skills, with experience using modelling and scenario planning to drive profitable, insight-led decisions.
- Proven leadership in data-, digital- and AI-enabled transformation, embedding predictive analytics and digital tools into AFH planning, execution, and performance management.
- Demonstrated system leadership, influencing senior stakeholders across Company, bottler, and customer organizations to drive integrated end-to-end execution.
- Strategic and execution-focused leader, able to translate strategy into predictable, high-quality in-market delivery.
- Exceptional communication and stakeholder management, with strong executive presence.
- In-market experience preferred; franchise system or matrix leadership experience is beneficial.
Travel
Up to 25%.
Location(s)
United Kingdom, London.
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 behaviours - 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.
Director, Operations & Commercial Execution, AFH employer: The Coca-Cola Company
Coca-Cola is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and inclusive work culture, particularly for the Director of Operations & Commercial Execution role in London. With a strong emphasis on employee growth and continuous learning, the company encourages innovation and collaboration, allowing you to lead transformative initiatives in the Away From Home business while enjoying competitive benefits and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Director, Operations & Commercial Execution, AFH
✨Dive Into Corporate Strategy Communities
Get yourself involved in online communities or forums focused on corporate strategy. Places like LinkedIn groups or specific Slack channels can hook you up with industry insights, trends, and many potential job leads. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts or ask questions; it’ll boost your visibility!
✨Attend Industry Conferences and Events
Keep an eye out for corporate strategy conferences or networking events in your area (or online!). These gatherings are gold mines for meeting hiring managers and making impactful connections. Plus, having a few good conversations can lead to job referrals at companies like The Coca-Cola Company!
✨Showcase Your Strategy Skills
Create content that showcases your knowledge of corporate strategy—think reports, blogs, or even video discussions. Sharing these on platforms like LinkedIn or Medium can demonstrate your expertise and make you stand out to employers looking for fresh talent.
✨Apply Directly Through Our Website
Don’t forget to apply for the Director, Operations & Commercial Execution, AFH position at The Coca-Cola Company via our website! This shows your genuine interest, and who knows, you might just land that interview in a matter of days. Keep your application focused on how you can add value to their strategy team.
We think you need these skills to ace Director, Operations & Commercial Execution, AFH
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Us Your Strategic Thinking:When crafting your CV and cover letter, highlight your strategic analysis skills. Focus on past experiences where you've effectively assessed market trends or made impactful recommendations. Evidence-based achievements, like improving processes or contributing to significant projects, will help us see your potential for driving corporate strategy at The Coca-Cola Company.
Tailor Your Narrative:Don’t just send us a generic application! Personalise your cover letter by connecting your experiences and aspirations to The Coca-Cola Company’s mission and goals. We love seeing candidates who genuinely understand what we do; share how your vision aligns with ours and what you can bring to the table.
Highlight Relevant Academic Credentials:In your CV, make sure to showcase your academic background, especially if you have qualifications in business, economics, or analytics. We appreciate candidates who can back up their skills with relevant degrees or certifications, so don’t be shy about flaunting those achievements!
Utilise Professional Language:While we want you to be yourself, remember that corporate strategy roles demand a level of professionalism in communication. Use clear and concise language in your application materials, ensuring that your ideas come across as well-structured and sophisticated. It’s all about making a great impression right from the written application stage!
How to prepare for a job interview at The Coca-Cola Company
✨Master the Numbers
Corporate strategy often involves data analysis and financial forecasting. Brush up on your quantitative skills, and be prepared to handle case studies or numerical problems during the interview. We might get questions about how to approach market trends or assess the performance of a hypothetical company — so practice these scenarios!
✨Know Your Frameworks
Familiarity with strategic frameworks like SWOT, PESTLE, or Porter’s Five Forces can set you apart. We should be ready to discuss how we’d apply these tools to real-world business situations — maybe even relating them to The Coca-Cola Company. This shows we’re not just theory-happy but can articulate our practical application.
✨Engage in Strategic Conversations
In a full-time role like this, it’s crucial to show that we're engaged and informed about current trends in the industry. Keep up with major news and prepare to discuss how recent developments could impact strategic decisions at The Coca-Cola Company. This will demonstrate our passion and proactive approach to the field.
✨Showcase Relevant Experience
Whether through internships or projects, we should highlight any experience that relates to corporate strategy. Have specific examples ready to talk about how we’ve contributed to strategic growth or improvements. It's about showcasing our unique journey and how it will bring value to The Coca-Cola Company.
