Manager, Packaging Engineering

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, this role builds team capability through coaching, development, clear expectations, and meaningful feedback, and ensures packaging programs are appropriately prioritized and delivered from concept through commercialization. The position provides technical and organizational leadership and partners with Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Procurement, Commercial, Product Development, and external suppliers. It oversees portfolio priorities, technical standards, qualification, plant trials, troubleshooting, supplier development, and risk management. The role also represents Packaging Engineering across business functions and manufacturing locations, supports standardization and knowledge transfer, and performs other duties as assigned. The team typically includes 1–5 direct reports. 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.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex packaging programs from concept through commercialization and manage 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.

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree is preferred but not required.
Packaging development experience in food, beverage, consumer packaged goods, or a multi-site manufacturing environment is preferred.
Prior direct supervisory responsibility is strongly preferred.
Experience with CAPE, SAP, specification systems, and data-analysis tools is preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop Packaging Engineering team members by setting expectations, goals, priorities, and accountability.
Provide regular feedback, coaching, development opportunities, development plans, and stretch assignments.
Assess team capacity and capability, identify skill or resource gaps, and develop or acquire capabilities to support business priorities.
Build a team environment focused on technical rigor, collaboration, ownership, continuous learning, constructive challenge, and knowledge sharing.
Support 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 apply 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 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 deliver packaging solutions aligned with 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 external suppliers to improve execution, standardization, and knowledge transfer.
Perform other duties as assigned.