Senior Director, Engineering

Reynolds Consumer Products LLC • Lake Forest, IL

4d • $182,300 - $271,150 • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director, Engineering provides strategic and technical leadership for engineering, product development, cost reduction, product improvement, and commercialization. The role establishes engineering priorities, directs technical resources and investments, and leads complex programs that strengthen the existing business and enable future growth. The position is accountable for engineering talent, departmental budgets, project governance, manufacturing support, and external technical partnerships.

The Senior Director leads engineering strategy and next-generation product development supporting the 3–5 year innovation pipeline. This includes integrating consumer, marketplace, technical, operational, and business insights into strategies and roadmaps; identifying emerging technologies and materials; defining the scope, cost, timing, resources, and expected value of opportunities; and advancing open innovation and external technology scouting.

The position leads the engineering portfolio across product development, product improvement, cost reduction, and operational initiatives. It implements project governance and stage-gate processes, communicates project plans and status to leadership, and establishes engineering standards for project management, estimating, capital planning, prototyping, documentation, and commercialization.

The role partners with Manufacturing and Operations to improve process capability, quality, productivity, cost, reliability, and safety. It owns departmental capital and expense budgets, manages program economics, and allocates engineering resources. It also leads and develops engineering and technical professionals, manages workforce planning and succession, and builds external partnerships with vendors, suppliers, technical experts, research partners, and industry innovators. The position partners with Legal on intellectual property strategy and protection of confidential technical information.

The position is based at the Corporate Headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois, and requires 30%–40% travel.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or another relevant technical field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience to successfully perform the essential functions of the position.
• 12+ years of progressive engineering, product development, manufacturing, operations, or technical leadership experience, including project management and leadership of technical professionals or cross-functional teams.
• Experience leading complex programs from concept through commercialization in a consumer products, packaging, plastics, manufacturing, or similarly technical environment.
• Broad technical knowledge of product development, engineering, manufacturing processes, prototyping, testing, commercialization, and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to establish technical strategy and translate business priorities into executable engineering plans.
• Strong project and portfolio management capabilities, including stage-gate governance, resource planning, and risk management.
• Ability to diagnose complex technical and business challenges and implement practical solutions.
• Knowledge of statistical and analytical methods, including design of experiments and statistical process control, and Lean manufacturing principles.
• Familiarity with intellectual property strategy, processes, and terminology.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and influencing skills, with the ability to communicate at all organizational levels.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and relevant project management, engineering, statistical, or design software.
• Ability to travel 30%–40%.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Product Development, Operations, or Business Administration.
• PMP, Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean, or Continuous Improvement certification.
• Experience with plastics processing, film converting, thermoforming, packaging, polymer materials, or related manufacturing technologies.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead engineering and next-generation product development opportunities that support the 3–5 year innovation pipeline and business growth priorities.
• Integrate consumer, marketplace, technical, operational, and business insights into engineering strategies, technology roadmaps, and project plans.
• Identify emerging technologies, concepts, materials, processes, and product features for existing operations and future products.
• Establish scope, cost, timing, resource requirements, development paths, and expected business value for engineering and innovation opportunities.
• Advance open innovation and external technology scouting to improve products, processes, speed to market, and business performance.
• Lead the engineering portfolio, including product development, product improvement, cost reduction, and operational initiatives.
• Implement stage-gate and project governance processes that prioritize opportunities based on strategic fit, technical feasibility, business potential, financial return, risk, and speed to market.
• Develop and communicate project schedules, milestones, resource plans, risks, decisions, and departmental priorities.
• Report project status, timelines, financial performance, and resource needs to business and senior leadership.
• Establish engineering standards and procedures for project management, cost estimating, capital planning, prototyping, technical documentation, and commercialization.
• Partner with Manufacturing and Operations to improve process capability, product quality, productivity, cost, reliability, and safe operations.
• Confirm project assumptions and production variables, including run rates, scrap levels, material performance, quality parameters, and capital requirements.
• Apply engineering, statistical, Lean, and continuous improvement methods to resolve technical challenges and improve business performance.
• Own departmental capital and expense budgets and ensure performance within approved financial targets and procedures.
• Develop and manage program economics, including product and prototyping costs, project capital, timing, and expected financial returns.
• Allocate engineering resources across priorities and recommend investments based on business need, technical risk, capacity, and expected value.
• Lead, develop, and engage engineering and technical professionals responsible for product development, commercialization, and operational support.
• Set aligned objectives, provide ongoing coaching and feedback, and complete performance and development reviews.
• Drive workforce planning, selection, onboarding, succession planning, and retention while building a collaborative, accountable, results-oriented engineering culture.
• Build and manage relationships with vendors, suppliers, technical experts, research partners, and industry innovators.
• Partner with Legal to develop intellectual property landscapes and strategies and protect confidential technical information.

Benefits

• Role is eligible for a 35% annual incentive, provided the business meets financial goals and the individual meets performance goals, subject to plan administration guidelines.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior