Director, Packaging

The Farmer's Dog•New York, NY

12h•$182,000 - $220,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Farmer's Dog is seeking a Director, Packaging Engineering to lead the design, development, and commercialization of packaging across its product portfolio. This is a high-ownership role for a technically skilled engineer who can also build strategy and work hands-on. The role involves partnering with various departments including Product Development, Design, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain to drive packaging from concept to launch. The company values a collaborative, one-team approach, skepticism, customer-centricity, impact-driven execution, and focused work without assumption. The Farmer's Dog is a fast-growing company in the pet health industry, aiming to revolutionize pet food with a personalized subscription service.

Requirements

5+ years of packaging engineering experience.
Fluency in both structural and graphic packaging execution.
Ability to navigate ambiguity without losing momentum.
Experience building strong supplier relationships and driving accountability across complex, cross-functional environments.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and ambiguous environment.
Naturally curious and proactive self-starter, constantly on the lookout for new opportunities and solutions.
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to prioritize tasks effectively.
Strong attention to detail.
Skilled communicator with the ability to absorb and distill complexity into simple terms to drive decision making.
Love dogs.

Responsibilities

Set the strategic direction for packaging across TFD's full product portfolio, including current and new formats.
Own the packaging roadmap, prioritizing initiatives, aligning stakeholders, and ensuring focus on high-impact work.
Define and build scalable packaging engineering standards, including qualification protocols, print approval processes, retained sample programs, shelf-life testing frameworks, and supplier quality requirements.
Drive design recommendations based on competitive benchmarking, consumer insight, and technical rigor, making decisions on tradeoffs.
Proactively identify and resolve risks in the packaging portfolio, such as material performance, print quality, regulatory compliance, and retailer requirements.
Lead packaging trials and validation runs at co-manufacturers and suppliers, owning technical outcomes and documenting findings.
Build and manage strong relationships with external packaging suppliers, print vendors, and contract manufacturers, ensuring accountability for quality, cost, and timeline.
Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to align on production windows, material lead times, and inventory requirements.
Ensure all packaging meets food safety, regulatory, and retailer requirements for all formats and channels.
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing packaging engineering team, setting goals, providing feedback, and fostering technical excellence.
Determine team structure, talent needs, and capability gaps as the portfolio grows, recruiting talent and advocating for resources.
Mentor engineers on technical skills, project ownership, and cross-functional communication.
Partner at a senior level with Product Development, Brand, Creative, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain, acting as the packaging function's voice.
Translate complex technical constraints into clear recommendations for non-technical stakeholders and executive leadership.
Represent the packaging function in stage gate reviews, executive updates, and cross-functional forums.
Maintain thorough documentation of designs, test results, and project milestones.
Apply Lean Six Sigma principles and continuous improvement tools to drive efficiency and consistency in packaging operations.
Identify opportunities to improve materials, processes, and supplier performance for better cost, sustainability, and production efficiency.
Champion sustainable packaging solutions that reduce environmental impact and support TFD's long-term goals.