Packaging Development Specialist

Jackson Family Wines•Santa Rosa, CA

8d•$75,000 - $95,000

About The Position

The Packaging Development Specialist serves as the technical lead for packaging development, qualification, specification management, and implementation across all brands and production sites. This role bridges Creative, Marketing, Procurement, Suppliers, Quality, and Bottling Operations to ensure packaging concepts are successfully translated into manufacturable, scalable, and production-ready solutions. Reporting directly to the Packaging Engineering Manager, the Packaging Development Specialist is responsible for serving as the packaging quality and qualification lead within the New Product Development (NPD) packaging initiatives, coordinating material qualifications, managing packaging specifications within company systems, and developing quality standards that ensure packaging materials consistently meet brand, supplier, and operational requirements. This position serves as the primary technical authority for packaging feasibility and maintains responsibility for balancing creative objectives with manufacturing realities. The Packaging Development Specialist has the authority to challenge, modify, or reject packaging requests that cannot be reliably supported by supplier capabilities, bottling equipment, quality requirements, regulatory standards, or operational constraints.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering, Engineering, Food Science, Manufacturing, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline preferred
Must have 1-3 years of experience in packaging engineering IF lacking Packaging Engineering or equivalent degree to qualify.
Experience supporting packaging development, material qualifications, or new product launches.
Experience working with suppliers, quality systems, and cross-functional project teams.

Nice To Haves

Specright/Salesforce, SharePoint, JDE or related specification management system experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead packaging development projects from concept through commercial implementation.
Support new product launches, brand redesigns, and innovation initiatives.
Coordinate packaging timelines with Creative, Marketing, Procurement, Suppliers, Quality, and Operations.
Evaluate packaging concepts for manufacturability, scalability, and operational compatibility.
Collaborate with Brand and Creative stakeholders to translate packaging concepts into production-ready solutions.
Review proposed packaging designs for equipment compatibility, supplier capabilities, quality risks, regulatory compliance and production efficiency
Communicate technical limitations and manufacturing constraints during package development.
Recommend alternative materials, designs, or specifications when creative concepts cannot be reliably executed.
Maintain authority to delay, reject, or require modification of packaging concepts that do not meet operational, supplier, quality, or production requirements.
Coordinate and execute qualification activities for new packaging materials and packaging changes.
Develop structured testing protocols and acceptance criteria.
Lead ALL bottling line packaging trials
Analyze trial data and provide technical recommendations for approval or rejection.
Investigate packaging failures and implement corrective actions.
Maintain documentation supporting package approvals and qualifications.
Support bottling operations during package launches, material changes, and troubleshooting activities.
Validate that packaging materials perform consistently on production equipment.
Partner with operations teams to reduce packaging-related downtime and quality losses.
Support continuous improvement initiatives that improve efficiency, consistency, and package quality.
Maintain, and control comprehensive packaging specifications and associated documentation.
Serve as the primary specialist for packaging specifications, master data and documentation workflows within Specright ecosystem and related business systems.
Establish measurable quality standards, testing protocols, and clear acceptance criteria for all packaging components to ensure materials meet operational requirements.