Manager, Packaging Engineering

Florida Crystals / ASR Group•Boca Raton, FL

About The Position

The Manager, Packaging Engineering leads the Packaging Engineering team responsible for packaging innovation, renovation, cost optimization, sustainability, and technical support across the business. Reporting to the VP, Product Development and Innovation, the role builds team capability through coaching, development, clear expectations, and feedback, and ensures packaging programs are appropriately prioritized and delivered from concept through commercialization. The position provides technical and organizational leadership and partners closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Procurement, Commercial, Product Development, and external suppliers. The manager translates business priorities into departmental goals and an executable packaging portfolio, prioritizing work according to business impact, technical risk, timing, strategic fit, and capacity. The role ensures programs follow the stage-gate process and balances package performance, manufacturability, food safety and quality, cost, sustainability, supply continuity, and speed to market. The position provides direction on complex packaging development, qualification, commercialization, and troubleshooting; improves specifications, test methods, qualification standards, documentation, and ways of working; and guides test plans, plant trials, root-cause investigations, supplier development, and risk mitigation. It also represents Packaging Engineering across business functions, facilitates cross-functional decisions, and builds relationships across manufacturing locations and with suppliers. The role leads a small team, typically 1–5 direct reports, and provides indirect project leadership to cross-functional team members, suppliers, and external partners. Travel is approximately 25–30% domestically or internationally, based on business needs.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering, Packaging Science, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering field.
Seven or more years of packaging development experience.
Demonstrated experience leading, coaching, and developing engineers or other technical professionals.
Ability to lead complex packaging programs from concept through commercialization and manage a portfolio of competing priorities.
Broad working knowledge of packaging materials, converting processes, package testing, distribution requirements, and packaging equipment.
Experience with packaging qualification, plant trials, root-cause analysis, supplier development, specification management, and technical risk assessment.
Strong project management, organizational change, communication, and stakeholder influence skills across multiple organizational levels.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
Ability to build trust, set expectations, delegate, provide useful feedback, and develop others.
Business judgment connecting technical decisions to customer value, operational performance, cost, risk, and long-term capability.
Ability to prioritize high-value work and address resource constraints early.
Technical credibility, including providing sound direction, challenging assumptions, and raising the quality of technical decision-making.
Ability to communicate complex issues clearly and align technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Comfort creating structure and forward progress when information or requirements are incomplete.
Ability to travel approximately 25–30% domestically or internationally based on business needs.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in Packaging Engineering, Packaging Science, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering field.
Packaging development experience in food, beverage, consumer packaged goods, or a multi-site manufacturing environment.
Prior direct supervisory responsibility.
Experience with CAPE, SAP, specification systems, and data-analysis tools.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop Packaging Engineering team members by setting clear expectations, goals, priorities, and accountability.
Provide feedback, coaching, and development opportunities, and create development plans and stretch assignments for team members.
Assess team capacity and capability, identify skill or resource gaps, and develop or acquire capabilities needed for business priorities.
Support team talent selection, onboarding, performance management, succession planning, and recognition.
Translate business priorities into departmental goals and an executable packaging portfolio.
Prioritize packaging resources and projects based on business impact, technical risk, timing, strategic fit, and organizational capacity.
Ensure packaging programs follow the stage-gate process and use appropriate technical rigor, risk management, and stakeholder alignment.
Communicate portfolio status, decisions, risks, resource constraints, and recommendations to functional and business leadership.
Balance package performance, manufacturability, food safety and quality, cost, sustainability, supply continuity, and speed to market.
Provide technical direction and coaching on complex packaging development, qualification, commercialization, and troubleshooting.
Establish and improve packaging specifications, test methods, qualification standards, technical documentation, and ways of working.
Guide packaging test plans, plant trials, root-cause investigations, supplier development, and risk mitigation.
Monitor emerging packaging materials, converting technologies, equipment, sustainability requirements, and industry practices, and translate relevant developments into business opportunities.
Partner with suppliers and external technical resources to develop capabilities and deliver packaging solutions that meet quality, cost, performance, and service requirements.
Represent Packaging Engineering across Product Development, Operations, Quality, Procurement, Supply Chain, Commercial, and other business functions.
Clarify technical decision rights, resolve cross-functional issues, and facilitate timely decisions when requirements or priorities conflict.
Build relationships across manufacturing locations and with suppliers to improve execution, standardization, and knowledge transfer.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Provide indirect project leadership to cross-functional team members, suppliers, and external partners.