R&D Manager - Beverages at Costa Coffee in Loudwater, England, GB

At Costa Coffee, we are what we craft. We’re reimagining coffee experiences in over 50 countries and counting, as a key part of the Coca-Cola System. Whether you get your coffee in a store, from a machine, at home, or on the go – we’ve got you covered.
The R&D Manager, Beverages plays a key role in bringing innovative, consumer led beverage concepts to life, leading the development and commercialisation of new drinks that drive growth, profitability and customer excitement. Working at the intersection of consumer insight, product development and category strategy, you'll collaborate with cross-functional teams, suppliers and global partners to create high-quality, on trend beverage solutions, while also identifying opportunities to improve existing products through reformulation, nutrition enhancement and cost optimisation. This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate product development professional to shape Costa's future beverage pipeline, delivering impactful innovation from concept through to successful launch.
Our teams make a difference. Whether that’s working on new tech for the perfect pour, helping our teams grow, creating award-winning campaigns, crunching the numbers, or developing the latest exciting menu item; together, we stir up success.
We may be a global brand, but we haven’t forgotten our roots. That’s where the Costa Foundation and our fantastic community agenda come in. Whatever your role, you can help us change lives in coffee growing communities and help your local community too.
We also want to help you grow in your career through amazing experiences, our apprenticeship scheme, and development programmes. At Costa, you can go beyond the day-to-day.
And as an R&D Manager, there’s never been a better time to join.
So, why Costa?
We didn’t become a global coffee brand by sitting back. When you work here, you join a community that values passion, progression and integrity, with some pretty brilliant perks to sweeten the deal:
• Own a piece of Costa’s success by becoming a share owner in Coca-Cola with our Share Investment Plan (SIP)
• An annual discretionary bonus scheme, based on business results and individual contribution.
• A smart pension that saves you money on tax and national insurance, and matches your contributions up to 10%
• The Costa Financial Support Fund, supporting team members who find themselves in unexpected financial pressure
• 50% discount in all Costa-owned stores, and 25% off in other participating stores
• Private medical cover thanks to our Private Healthcare scheme
• And that’s not all. Explore even more of our perks here: https://bit.ly/costaperks
We’re passionate about being a great place to work, where you can bring your unique self into our mix. We firmly support diversity, equity and inclusion, and continue to work with our teams to shape the future of our culture and values: Disciplined to Deliver, Passion for Progress, Win with Warmth, Courage to Challenge and Trusted Team Players.
What you’ll do:
Being an R&D Manager, Beverages is about so much more than bringing our coffee to the world. It’s your chance to stir up real success, which means you’ll be:
• Transforming consumer and category insights into innovative beverage products that excite customers and drive growth.
• Leading the end-to-end development and launch of new drinks, from concept creation through to commercialisation.
• Collaborating with cross functional teams, suppliers and global partners to deliver technically robust and operationally successful innovations.
• Shaping the future beverage pipeline by identifying emerging trends, ingredients and technologies.
• Enhancing existing products through reformulation, nutrition improvements and value driven innovation that supports quality, sales and margin growth.
Who you are:
It’s your unique ingredients we’re interested in:
• Proven experience in food and/or beverage product development, with a strong understanding of taking products from concept through to successful launch.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to translate consumer insights, trends and business needs into innovative product solutions.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience collaborating across cross-functional teams, suppliers and external partners.
• Strong analytical skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple complex projects in a fast paced environment.
• A degree in Food Science or a related discipline, alongside a passion for product quality, sensory excellence and emerging industry trends and technologies.
Where you’ll work:
Right now, our Support Centre teams work flexibly, blending home working with in-person time whenever it matters most – whether that’s a team moment, a creative session, or simply coming together to share ideas.
Based at our Loudwater Support Centre, you'll work in a hybrid way, spending three days a week in the office alongside colleagues to connect, collaborate and bring great ideas to life. It's an exciting environment where you'll partner with teams across the business to shape the future of our beverage innovation pipeline and help deliver the next generation of products our customers will love.
For any reasonable adjustments and general queries, please get in touch with the recruitment team.