Manager - Packaging Design
About The Position
The Packaging Design Manager serves as a technical subject matter expert and bridge between regulatory packaging requirements, CAA’s materials strategy, and producer and industry design initiatives. The role supports alignment of packaging design approaches and best practices across jurisdictions while addressing the needs of CAA’s producer members. It translates technical and engineering concepts concerning packaging transition feasibility, producer operations, and packaging functionality into actionable guidance for regulatory, policy, legal, and program teams. The position contributes to CAA’s packaging design and design-driven eco-modulation strategies and supports broader materials strategies related to reduction, reuse, recyclability, and compostability. The manager develops practical resources for producers, prepares technical regulatory submissions, provides input to state-level program plans, evaluates packaging design standards and trends, and engages producers, designers, recyclers, converters, reclaimers, end markets, and other stakeholders. The role is part of the Circularity & Packaging Design team in the national Program Planning and Operations department.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, or equivalent experience.
- At least 5 years of experience in sustainable packaging, material design and engineering, material strategy, or circular economy roles.
- Strong understanding of how packaging design affects environmental outcomes and efficient recycling systems, including collection, sorting, reclamation, and conversion.
- Strong understanding of producer packaging performance requirements, including product protection and use, shelf life, branding, marketing, and merchandising.
- Experience developing and implementing packaging sustainability solutions, including recyclability, source reduction, reuse, material transitions, and circular economy initiatives.
- Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and external stakeholders, including packaging designers, producers, and recyclers.
- Robust knowledge of packaging materials, covered material categories, and chemicals of concern.
- Understanding of recycling systems and end-market considerations, and ability to translate technical requirements into practical design guidance.
- Familiarity with industry eco-design standards, including reusability, recyclability, and compostability standards, and emerging sustainability trends.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including evaluating design tradeoffs across environmental, operational, regulatory, and market considerations.
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, including developing, reviewing, and maintaining technically accurate guidance and program materials.
Responsibilities
- Contribute to overarching packaging design strategy and the development and evolution of CAA’s design-driven eco-modulation strategy.
- Develop tools, guidance, and other resources that translate regulatory and materials-management objectives into practical packaging design actions and support compliance, circular economy objectives, and alignment across EPR jurisdictions.
- Prepare technical regulatory submissions, including comments on regulatory or legislative proposals, exemption applications, and appeals for changes to existing program rules or regulations.
- Provide technical input into state-level program plans.
- Monitor and evaluate packaging design standards from a producer perspective, identifying trends, innovations, and best practices to inform program strategy and producer guidance.
- Support the development and implementation of material strategies for reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate packaging design into materials management, recycling, stewardship, end-market, and demand strategies.
- Contribute to the creation, review, and ongoing improvement of eco-design tools, including eco-modulated bonus and malus incentive mechanisms.
- Engage packaging designers, producers, industry stakeholders, recyclers, converters, reclaimers, and end markets to promote eco-design best practices, understand system needs, and inform design solutions.
- Socialize the impacts of EPR laws on packaging and motivate change, including through webinars.
- Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
