Senior Director Global Packaging Innovation
About The Position
The Senior Director Global Packaging is a critical senior leadership role within Mars Snacking R&D, responsible for defining and delivering the end-to-end global packaging strategy across all categories and regions. This role ensures that packaging is a competitive advantage for Mars, enabling growth, superior consumer experience, sustainability leadership, and operational excellence. This leader sits at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, regulation, and supply, providing enterprise-wide expertise to guide decision-making in an increasingly complex and fast-evolving packaging landscape. The role leads the development and deployment of scalable packaging solutions, supporting regions while identifying opportunities to accelerate global impact through standardization, replication, and capability building. The Senior Director Global Packaging possesses a strong drive for results, deep technical expertise, and a forward-looking, systems-level mindset. They operate with a high degree of independence to lead a global organization of ~33 associates (including 7 direct reports), with a center of gravity in Chicago and teams across Michigan, Europe, China, and India. This leader builds strong internal and external networks and is recognized as the enterprise subject matter expert and thought leader on packaging, guiding Mars through evolving regulatory frameworks, sustainability requirements, and innovation challenges. This role requires a combination of strategic foresight, technical depth, and strong executive influence to define and execute a portfolio of complex global initiatives. Acting as a key advisor to senior leadership, the role shapes decisions on packaging sustainability, regulatory compliance, material innovation, and design at scale. It operates at an advanced level of influence, actively shaping the global packaging agenda and long-term strategic direction for Mars Snacking. This role also leads the transformation of Packaging Innovation through the adoption of digital, AI-enabled, and data-driven capabilities, accelerating innovation speed, improving decision quality, and increasing overall organizational effectiveness. The leader will champion the shift from traditional, trial-based packaging development toward predictive, model-driven and digitally enabled approaches, enabling Mars to deliver innovation at scale with greater reliability, efficiency, and sustainability impact. They will ensure Packaging becomes a digitally enabled strategic capability, leveraging data, simulation, and automation to manage complexity, anticipate risk, and unlock new innovation opportunities.
Requirements
- 15+ years in packaging within CPG or relevant industries
- Proven leadership of global teams and complex programs
- Deep understanding of: Packaging materials and technologies, Manufacturing and commercialization, Global regulatory landscape
Nice To Haves
- Experience leading global packaging strategy in large multinational organizations
- Strong exposure to sustainability transformation and circular economy
- Experience influencing industry bodies or regulators
- Experience leading digital transformation, automation, or data-driven capability build within R&D or technical environments
- Demonstrated track record of implementing or scaling AI, simulation, or advanced analytics capabilities in product or packaging development
- Advanced degree (MS, PhD, MBA)
- Degree in Packaging Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related field
Responsibilities
- Define and lead the global packaging strategy
- Lead packaging sustainability agenda
- Enable innovation and Packaging Development
- Support regions and provide escalation expertise
- Drive scale, standardization and Global Value Creation
- Drive Digital Transformation & AI-Enabled Packaging Innovation
- Advance Simulation & Virtual Development
- Establish Packaging Data Strategy & Digital Foundations
- Build and lead a high-performing global organization
- External engagement and thought leadership
- Responsible for driving consistency in quality of our packs and the delivery of the efficiency programs.
- Connects with peers in the regions, other functions to harmonize Innovation projects, share best practices, and accelerate the global deployment of new innovations
- They are a key member of the Global R&D Innovation leadership team and are responsible for co-creating the strategy for the R&D team
Benefits
- variable pay
- medical and dental benefits
- participation in 401k plan
- paid time off benefits
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
