Location(s):

United States of America:

City/Cities:

Atlanta

Travel Required:

00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

March 10, 2026

Shift:

Job Description Summary:

Our brands are among our most valuable enterprise assets. We are seeking a Manager, IP Operations & Governance to lead the operational backbone of our global intellectual property practice.
This role owns the end-to-end delivery of IP operations and systems globally, ensuring world-class execution across patents, trademarks, design patents and related IP assets.

Reporting to the VP, Head of Patents & Design, this position manages a team of IP paralegals and administrators based in Atlanta and partners closely with regional IP teams, external counsels, vendors, and our technology and platform partners worldwide.

This role requires a digitally forward operational leader who actively embraces legal technology, AI-enabled tools, automation, and data analytics to drive efficiency, accuracy, portfolio visibility, and scalability across global IP operations.

LOCATION: Atlanta, Georgia

**REPORTING TO ;**VP, Head of Patents & Design

KEY ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Operational Excellence, Digital Enablement & Global Capability Building

• Own budget optimization across global IP operations, including spend forecasting, vendor cost management, and efficiency initiatives.

• Manage strategic vendors supporting global IP platforms (including Anaqua, Clarivate, Mark Monitor), including performance management, service standards, and continuous improvement.

• Embed digitally forward practices across competitive monitoring, searches, research, counterfeit support, billing, and portfolio analytics.

• Partner with Digital Technology Services (DTS), IT, trademark counsels, finance and regional legal teams to modernize workflows and strengthen end-to-end IP delivery.

• Build scalable operating models that enable agile execution and speed-to-market at local Operating Unit level while maintaining strong global governance.

• Lead continuous training and development programs for paralegals and IP administrators to uplift digital fluency, operational excellence, and portfolio management capabilities.

• Define and implement capability frameworks required to build a world-class, gold-standard IP operations backbone supporting trademarks, patents, design patents, domains and portfolio governance.

• Champion a digitally forward mindset across global IP operations, proactively embracing legal technology, AI-enabled tools, automation, and data analytics to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.

2.

Global IP Operations & Portfolio Governance:

• Own end-to-end global IP operational delivery across patents, trademarks, design patents and related assets.

• Ensure accurate docketing, deadline management and lifecycle tracking across global portfolios.

• Maintain high data integrity standards and serve as escalation point for operational issues.

3. IP Systems, Technology & Reporting

• Serve as business owner and administrator for IP life cycle, asset management and docketing systems, search platforms and related tools.

• Drive workflow automation, reporting dashboards and system integrations in partnership with IT.

• Develop portfolio health, spend and workload metrics for leadership visibility.

4. Trademark, Design, Brand & Domain Operations

• Provide direct operational management and support for designated global brand categories, including trademark searches, docketing, filings and prosecution.

• Oversee trademark application lifecycle management in partnership with trademark counsels.

• Work directly with a designated trademark counsel to co-manage the Company’s global domain name portfolio strategy in collaboration with DTS.

• Establish optimized processes for trademark watch notices, clearance workflows and global renewal programs.

• Design and operationalize global processes to monitor competitive and third-party trademark filings, manage watch notices, and enable timely escalation and action.

• Establish evidence-of-use, renewal readiness, and non-use cancellation support frameworks in partnership with trademark counsels and regional teams.

• Identify and implement automation opportunities to reduce manual processing, minimize errors, and improve cycle times across trademark and design patent filings.

• Leverage technology to strengthen counterfeit detection, trademark search accuracy, watch notice optimization, and renewal governance processes.

• Design and implement streamlined U.S. trademark filing and prosecution workflows.

• Provide operational oversight of the Design Patent portfolio, including responsibility for coordinating and filing U.S. and foreign design patent applications.

• Serve as escalation point for brand-related docketing, prosecution, domain management and watch services.

5. Vendors, External Counsel & Standardization

• Lead onboarding and training of global external counsel and vendors on IP systems and processes.

• Design and implement global SOPs, templates, playbooks and standardized workflows.

• Benchmark IP operations against peer companies and drive continuous improvement.

6.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership:

• Lead and develop Atlanta-based IP paralegals and administrators; coordinate offshore networks.

• Embed data-driven performance management across global IP operations.

• Partner cross-functionally with Patents, Design, Trademarks, Legal Operations, Finance, IT, Innovation and DTS teams.

• Foster a culture of accountability, operational excellence and continuous improvement.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree required; legal, technical or business background preferred.

• 10+ years of progressive IP operations experience, including people leadership.

• Strong knowledge of patent, trademark and design patent lifecycles.

• Hands-on experience with IP management systems (Anaqua, Clarivate, Mark Monitor).

• Demonstrated experience building SOPs, training programs and scalable operational models.

• Experience managing external counsel, vendors and global stakeholders.

• Strong analytical, organizational and project management skills.

• Collaborative leadership style with strong executive presence.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Opportunity to steward and protect some of the world’s most iconic global brands.

• High-impact role supporting enterprise innovation and brand strategy.

• Collaborative, purpose-driven culture.

• Professional development and global exposure.

• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits.

• Platform to build future-ready IP operational capabilities at scale.

SUCCESS PROFILE – FIRST 12 MONTHS

• Optimize global docketing accuracy with measurable improvements in deadline compliance and data integrity.

• Successfully onboard priority vendors and external counsel onto standardized IP systems and workflows.

• Implement global SOPs across patents, trademarks, design patents, renewals and watch services.

• Deliver operational dashboards providing visibility into portfolio health, and spend.

• Establish streamlined U.S. trademark filing and prosecution workflows.

• Operationalize optimized trademark watch and renewal processes globally.

• Build a high-performing Atlanta-based IP paralegal and administrator team with clear development plans.

• Embed consistent domain name governance in partnership with trademark counsel and DTS.

• Drive at least two measurable automation or process efficiency initiatives.

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.

Skills:

Intellectual Property, Intellectual Property Development, Intellectual Property Law, Intellectual Property Strategy, IP Management, Patent Acquisitions, Patent Applications, Patent Databases, Trademark Applications, Trademark Clearance, Trademarks, Trademark Searches

Pay Range:

$113,900 - $135,000

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:

15

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.

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.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class. When we collect your personal information as part of a job application or offer of employment, we do so in accordance with industry standards and best practices and in compliance with applicable privacy laws.