As a group manager, Beverage Category & Innovation , you will play a critical role in shaping the future of the Starbucks beverage portfolio. This role leads beverage innovation development while guiding seasonal product strategies that bring new concepts to life. You will partner across Marketing, Product Development, Operations, Research & Insights, Finance, and Digital to identify emerging opportunities, build innovation platforms, and deliver differentiated customer experiences that drive growth. We are seeking someone who is customer obsessed, sweats every detail, and leads with optimism to deliver a world class beverage experience.
As a group manager, Beverage Category & Innovation, you will:
• Lead Beverage Innovation Strategy & Pipeline Development
Develop and steward a multi-year beverage innovation pipeline informed by consumer insights, business performance, global trends, and emerging customer needs. Identify whitespace opportunities and translate them into actionable innovation territories, product platforms, and growth strategies. Partner with Research & Development and Insights teams to establish design principles, learning agendas, and innovation roadmaps. Shape future beverage experiences by bringing customer-centered concepts from idea through testing and validation.
• Drive Seasonal Product Strategy & Commercialization
Lead seasonal beverage strategy for products within your portfolio, ensuring alignment with enterprise priorities, customer demand, and operational realities. Translate innovation concepts into scalable, market-ready opportunities across the 0-24 month planning horizon. Guide the development, refinement, and commercialization of products that unlock new occasions and drive customer relevance. Leverage analytics, consumer insights, competitive intelligence, and business performance data to inform portfolio decisions and seasonal priorities.
• Deliver End-to-End Cross-Functional Leadership
Lead cross-functional teams through concept development, testing, validation, and launch planning. Partner closely with Marketing, Operations, Product Development, Supply Chain, and Digital teams to ensure successful execution and customer adoption. Influence senior leaders through clear recommendations, strategic storytelling, and data-driven business cases. Ensure continuity and alignment between future innovation investments and near-term seasonal plans.
• Develop Talent and Foster Innovation Culture
Lead and develop a high-performing team through coaching, mentorship, and growth opportunities. Foster a culture of curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and disciplined innovation. Champion future-forward thinking while balancing innovation ambition with business impact and execution excellence.
We'd love to hear from people with:
• 6-10+ years of progressive experience in product management, brand management, innovation strategy, or category management.
• Demonstrated experience developing and commercializing new products, concepts, or customer experiences.
• Strong understanding of consumer insights, market trends, and innovation pipeline development.
• Creative thinking skills with a bias for action and a passion for beverage and food trends.
• Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives from concept through launch.
• Proven ability to translate insights into growth strategies and product innovation opportunities.
• Strong financial acumen, including forecasting, business case development, and performance analytics.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience, with demonstrated success developing talent and building high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication and strategic storytelling skills with experience influencing senior leaders.
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred.
As a Starbucks partner, you (and your family) will have access to medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, and other voluntary insurance benefits. Partners have access to short-term and long-term disability, paid parental leave, family expansion reimbursement, paid vacation from date of hire*, sick time (accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked), eight paid holidays, and two personal days per year. Starbucks also offers eligible partners participation in a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, a discounted company stock program (S.I.P.), Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock), incentivized emergency savings, and financial well-being tools. Additionally, Starbucks offers 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor's degree through Arizona State University's online program via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, student loan management resources, and access to other educational opportunities. You will also have access to backup care and DACA reimbursement. Starbucks will comply with any applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, and in accordance with its plans and policies. This list is subject to change depending on collective bargaining in locations where partners have a certified bargaining representative. For additional information regarding partner perks and more detailed information about benefits, go to starbucksbenefits.com .
*If you are working in CA, CO, IL, LA, ME, MA, NE, ND or RI, you will accrue vacation up to a maximum of 120 hours (190 in CA) for roles below director and 200 hours (316 in CA) for roles at director or above. For roles in other states, you will be granted vacation time starting at 120 hours annually for roles below director and 200 hours annually for roles director and above.
The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate will be based on multiple factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge/skills, experience, geographical location, and internal equity. At Starbucks, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.
We believe we do our best work when we're together, which is why we're onsite four days a week.
Join us and inspire with every cup. Apply today!
