Packaging Engineer - Woodland Foods
Waukegan, IL 60087
About the Job
FLSA Status: Exempt
Reports to: Director R&D
Supervises: N/A
Travel: Up to 5%
Department: R&D
JOB PURPOSE: The onsite Packaging Engineer is the internal technical expert responsible for designing, testing, and implementing packaging solutions to ensure the safety, cost-effectiveness, and environmental sustainability of packaging materials and processes. By leveraging expertise in materials science, engineering principles, and regulatory compliance, this role contributes to the creation of packaging systems that protect our products, delight consumers, scale effectively, and drive overall business growth in dynamic and competitive markets.
Working closely with cross-functional partners, customers and our suppliers, the candidate should have a proven record of carrying out work plans and driving results in a variety of settings. The individual should be passionate about growth, comfortable working alongside manufacturing, and autonomous in completing packaging commercialization tasks with a technical and solution-oriented mindset.
Key Responsibilities
Qualifications & Requirements
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Regularly required to sit, stand, walk and frequently bend and move about the facility.
Personal Protective Equipment
The performance of this position requires exposure to the manufacturing and warehouse areas that under certain conditions may require the use of personal protective equipment.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
This document in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position.
E-Verification: In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.
Reports to: Director R&D
Supervises: N/A
Travel: Up to 5%
Department: R&D
JOB PURPOSE: The onsite Packaging Engineer is the internal technical expert responsible for designing, testing, and implementing packaging solutions to ensure the safety, cost-effectiveness, and environmental sustainability of packaging materials and processes. By leveraging expertise in materials science, engineering principles, and regulatory compliance, this role contributes to the creation of packaging systems that protect our products, delight consumers, scale effectively, and drive overall business growth in dynamic and competitive markets.
Working closely with cross-functional partners, customers and our suppliers, the candidate should have a proven record of carrying out work plans and driving results in a variety of settings. The individual should be passionate about growth, comfortable working alongside manufacturing, and autonomous in completing packaging commercialization tasks with a technical and solution-oriented mindset.
Key Responsibilities
- Material Selection: Choose appropriate packaging materials based on product needs, customer / marketing requirements, cost considerations, environmental impact, performance and regulatory compliance. Establishes Standard Operating Procedures for packaging equipment and processes, working closely with Operation to ensure compliance with established industry safety and design standards and guidelines.
- Testing and Validation: Conduct tests to evaluate the durability, functionality, and performance of packaging under various conditions. Ensure that packaging meets industry standards and can protect the product during shipping, handling, and storage. Support R&D trials as well as first production to ensure successful handover to Operations.
- Cost Analysis: Analyze the cost of packaging materials and processes to ensure that packaging solutions are economically viable. Identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising on quality or compliance. Study existing processes across the plant to identify opportunities to drive out waste and improve profitability and process efficiency.
- Supplier and Vendor Management: Collaborate with suppliers and vendors to source materials, develop/establish/implement/maintain production packaging material specifications, negotiate pricing, and ensure the timely delivery of packaging components to meet internal and external customer requirements.
- Compliance and Regulatory: Ensure that packaging complies with local, national, and international regulations related to safety, labeling, and environmental impact.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with product development, procurement, marketing, manufacturing, and supply chain teams to ensure that packaging designs are feasible, cost-effective, and aligned with brand objectives, driving projects to conclusion.
- Innovation and Research: Stay abreast of industry trends, new materials, and technologies in packaging. Lead initiatives to innovate and improve packaging designs, processes, and sustainability efforts. Create prototypes and conduct benchtop experiments to come up with promising solutions progressing through pilot plant and factory scale-up.
- Quality Assurance: Implement quality control measures to ensure packaging meets required standards and specifications. Address and resolve any issues related to packaging quality or performance.
- Sustainability Initiatives: Work towards reducing the environmental impact of packaging through the use of eco-friendly materials, designing for recyclability, and minimizing waste in the packaging process.
Qualifications & Requirements
- Bachelor of Science in Package Engineering (Food, Chemical or Mechanical) or related technical field
- 3-5 years of packaging and commercialization experience in related consumer goods field with scale-up experience; Food & Beverage preferred.
- Experience working in manufacturing factories, R&D labs, & pilot plants
- Experience in products with a wide variety of packaging materials, particularly bottles, closures, paperboards, flexible films, corrugate.
- Experience in ASTM (American Society for Testing Materials,) ISTA (Institute of Safe Transits Association) for use in evaluating packaging performance.
- Familiarity with TOPS Software a plus
- Strong understanding of key subject matter in areas such as packaging materials, packaging equipment and materials interaction, and packaging laboratory test methods
- Skilled execution of all aspects of package development (BOM setup, die line creation, primary, secondary, tertiary packaging formats, etc)
- Strong science and engineering foundation.
- Excellent communication, influencing, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong leadership and managerial skills.
- Established analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to present information and respond to questions from groups of management and communicate with all levels of employees.
- Must be able to manage multiple assignments & research projects concurrently and prioritize between a variety of business initiatives while demonstrating the ability to work autonomously.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Regularly required to sit, stand, walk and frequently bend and move about the facility.
Personal Protective Equipment
The performance of this position requires exposure to the manufacturing and warehouse areas that under certain conditions may require the use of personal protective equipment.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Works in an office and manufacturing environment
- Exposure to dust, odors, and noise
This document in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position.
E-Verification: In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.
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Source : Woodland Foods
