Mechanical Packaging Engineer, Life Sciences

Stress Engineering Services•Mason, OH

13d•Onsite

About The Position

Stress Engineering Services (SES) is seeking a Mechanical Packaging Engineer to work in its Life Sciences practice. Based in the Mason, Ohio office, this role requires onsite work five days per week. The engineer will primarily address complex medical device and life sciences packaging challenges, while also contributing to industrial and consumer packaging projects. The work spans packaging development, validation, and production, applying mechanical engineering, hands-on testing, and analytical methods to improve performance, usability, durability, manufacturability, and cost efficiency. The role evaluates packaging systems and investigates failures to provide data-driven recommendations. Medical and life sciences work supports product integrity, sterility assurance, and patient safety; industrial and consumer work focuses on durability, cost optimization, and supply chain performance. Projects may involve regulated and non-regulated packaging, a broad range of materials, and modeling or simulation to assess performance and reduce risk. The engineer works with clients, internal teams, suppliers, vendors, and manufacturing teams in a collaborative, client-driven consulting environment. SES is an engineering consulting firm serving industries including energy, consumer products, aerospace, and medical. It describes itself as employee-owned through an ESOP and highlights technical expertise, practical engineering judgment, autonomy, ownership, and an entrepreneurial culture. The company offers healthcare, dental and vision coverage, paid time off, holidays, and other benefits. Compensation is described as competitive and reflective of experience, expertise, and contributions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Packaging, or Plastics Engineering, or a related field.
Approximately five or more years of experience in medical device, life sciences, or regulated packaging environments, or strong adjacent experience.
Experience supporting packaging from development through validation and production.
Strong foundation in engineering fundamentals, including mechanics, materials, and data analysis.
Experience with packaging materials and performance testing methodologies.
Exposure to regulated environments such as FDA or similar.
Experience with manufacturing processes such as injection molding and thermoforming.
Demonstrated troubleshooting and failure analysis ability.
Proficiency with CAD and general engineering tools.
Strong communication skills in a client-facing environment.
Ability to manage multiple priorities.
Authorization to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in Mechanical, Packaging, or Plastics Engineering, or a related field.
Experience with medical device packaging validation, regulatory submissions, or standards.
Hands-on experience with distribution testing, material testing, and package integrity.
Familiarity with sterile barrier systems and healthcare packaging requirements.
Experience with modeling, simulation, or predictive analysis.
Programming or data analysis experience, such as Python.
Cross-industry experience in life sciences and industrial or consumer packaging.
Consulting or client-facing engineering experience.
Demonstrated project ownership or leadership experience.
PE license or progress toward licensure.

Responsibilities

Serve as a technical partner to clients, primarily on medical device and life sciences packaging and as needed on industrial and consumer packaging.
Plan, execute, and interpret packaging validation and performance testing, including distribution, integrity, and functional testing.
Evaluate packaging performance across manufacturing, sterilization when applicable, distribution, and end-use environments.
Investigate and resolve packaging failures using structured root cause analysis.
Apply engineering principles in materials, mechanics, data analysis, and system behavior.
Ensure alignment with regulated product requirements, including FDA and ISO requirements, while applying best practices to industrial packaging challenges.
Identify opportunities to optimize packaging designs for cost, manufacturability, and supply chain performance.
Communicate technical findings and recommendations clearly to clients and cross-functional teams.
Collaborate with suppliers, vendors, and internal stakeholders on packaging development and improvement.
Manage multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced, client-driven consulting environment.