Packaging Engineer II

Learning Resources•Vernon Hills, IL

2d•$80,000 - $90,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We are Learning Resources®, and learning is where we play. Voted one of the Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces, we’re a growing, family-owned company known for our award-winning educational toys, including top sellers Pretend & Play® Calculator Cash Register, Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set and multiple Toy of the Year winners! We even help pets learn and grow through our pet brand Brightkins®. If you’re curious, collaborative, and a kid at heart, you’ll feel right at home here. Join us in shaping the future of learning with our award-winning team!

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Engineering, Packaging Design, Industrial Design (with packaging focus), or a related field
Demonstrated experience designing open toy or game packaging that meets retailer requirements, safety standards, and in‑store execution constraints
3–5 years of experience in packaging engineering or structural packaging design
Experience with open packaging, retail POP, and dual‑route (retail + e‑commerce) solutions
Demonstrated experience designing with cost, manufacturability, and logistics in mind
Experience collaborating directly with overseas manufacturing vendors
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects in parallel

Responsibilities

Create open packaging structures required by major brick‑and‑mortar retailers
Design and develop POP and on‑shelf solutions including PDQs, sidekicks, side caps, FDSUs, and clip strips
Revamp existing product packaging to improve margin, execution, speed to market, or retail performance
Create structural mockups and samples for retailer sell‑ins, line reviews, and customer presentations
Identify opportunities to reduce packaging material usage through efficient structural design
Optimize unit cartons and master cartons for freight, container utilization, and warehouse efficiency
Partner with Sourcing and Supply Chain during resourcing to adjust packaging dimensions and specifications
Create structural dielines for retail and e‑commerce packaging, including dual‑route solutions
Produce vendor‑ready spec packets and manufacturable files
Maintain expertise in retailer packaging requirements, constraints, and best practices
Support tradeshow layouts and provide early packaging feasibility input during product concept development