Lead Packaging Engineer

Fresh Del Monte Produce Company•Pittsburgh, PA

About The Position

Del Monte Foods is the Foods Division of Fresh Del Monte, a global grower, producer and marketer of fresh, value-added, and shelf-stable produce. Del Monte Foods has a powerful portfolio of brands, including the iconic Del Monte®, Contadina® and S&W®. We are currently seeking a Lead Packaging Engineer. The Lead Packaging Engineer provides technical packaging expertise for new product development, cost optimization, quality improvements, brand renovation and packaging legislation/ sustainability projects. The Lead Packaging Engineer is a vocal thought leader that provides technical and business recommendations to influence cross-functional leaders in evaluating business opportunities, understanding available technologies, and assessing risks. The Lead Packaging Engineer plans, communicates, and initiates the roll-out of new technology platforms across or within a business unit. The Lead Packaging Engineer works independently with cross-functional leaders on key company initiatives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Engineering or comparable field of study.
5-10 years of experience in an analytical function required.
Strong understanding of packaging materials, processes, and equipment.
Solid understanding of manufacturing processes.
Proven ability to troubleshoot problems.
Sound knowledge and experience in SAP, specifications, and bill of materials.
Strong collaboration/ teamwork and communication skills.
Completes work accurately and completely with high attention to detail.
Experience in fast moving consumer products or businesses that require supporting high quality, short lead time, marketing / customer driven initiatives
Proficient in the use of MS Office software including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
Ability to work independently and in team environment
Ability to work on cross function team including sales, marketing, engineering, product R&D, Operations, & Co-Pack manufacturing
Solid understanding of palletizing programs (e.g., TOPS, CAPE)
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Able to manage priorities effectively
Team spirit, rigor, creativity and versatility
Equivalent combinations of education, training, and experience that provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities will be considered.

Nice To Haves

Previous Consumer Packaged Goods experience a plus
Adobe Illustrator and CAD software experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Manage daily packaging design and optimization projects for assigned product categories.
Oversee all aspects of package development and validation, managing the work plans for project assigned
Manages technically complex projects and multiple projects simultaneously.
Lead packaging development (primary, secondary, & shipment / transportation) and propose changes across existing product lines (improvements in quality, productivity, and cost optimization).
Minimize schedule and technical risk by foreseeing and addressing obstacles proactively and aggressively while effectively managing resources.
Communicate and collaborate with all stakeholders and other functions (R&D Teams, Quality, Operations, & Procurement) to ensure project objectives are clearly defined and achieved.
Investigates and champions new packaging technologies including materials, processes and equipment.
Recognized as subject matter expert and technical packaging leader.
Collaborates with material and equipment vendors to identify solutions for new package options.
Independently leads plant trials and Commissioning runs.
Leads root causes analysis with cross-functional resources and external resources and ensure corrective actions are implemented and documented.
Shares technical trends and developments in the packaging and food industry with Packaging Team.
Works with external resources to create solutions that help increase confidence and reduce risk in business decisions, such as SLAs, digitally printed labels, etc.
Identify potential intellectual property issues and ensure Legal assessment.
Provides packaging specifications and associated work procedures to maintain customer quality requirements.
Document PDM specifications and recipes, project updates and other critical project documents.
Travels independently to plant and vendor locations domestically & internationally, sometimes for extended periods.
Other duties in support of evolving business and functional needs.