Senior Manager, Packaging Development & Engineering
About The Position
The Senior Manager, Packaging Development & Engineering is responsible for leading amika's packaging development engineering team and providing the technical expertise required to successfully develop and commercialize packaging across the product portfolio. The Senior Manager will directly manage, mentor, and develop packaging development engineers while serving as the team's senior technical resource and first point of escalation for complex packaging development, engineering, manufacturing, and quality challenges. The ideal candidate is an experienced packaging engineer who enjoys developing people, solving complex technical problems, and remaining close to the work. This individual will ensure the team has the direction, technical support, and resources needed to independently execute successful packaging from concept through commercialization.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in packaging engineering, packaging science, mechanical engineering, or a related technical discipline strongly preferred.
- 6+ years of progressive packaging development and engineering experience, preferably within beauty, personal care, CPG, or a related consumer products industry.
- Strong hands-on packaging engineering background with demonstrated ability to independently solve complex technical and manufacturing challenges.
- Experience leading, mentoring, and/or managing packaging engineers or other technical professionals.
- Strong knowledge of packaging materials, component design, tooling, manufacturing processes, specifications, tolerances, compatibility, testing, qualification, and commercialization.
- Experience developing primary and secondary packaging from concept through production and working directly with packaging suppliers and contract manufacturers.
- Strong problem-solving, root-cause analysis, organizational, and project management skills.
- Strong communication and cross-functional leadership skills with the confidence to challenge assumptions and advocate for technically sound solutions.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and operate effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Responsibilities
- Manage, mentor, and develop packaging engineers, providing day-to-day leadership, technical guidance, prioritization, and support.
- Personally lead packaging development projects from concept through commercialization, while overseeing execution across the broader team portfolio.
- Serve as the team's senior technical resource and escalation point for complex packaging development, engineering, manufacturing, and quality challenges.
- Drive day-to-day development activities including supplier engagement, sampling, prototype evaluation, tooling, testing, qualification, trials, specifications, and production approval.
- Develop packaging solutions that balance design intent, functionality, quality, manufacturability, cost, sustainability, and timing.
- Provide hands-on engineering expertise across component design, materials, tooling, manufacturing processes, compatibility, testing, and qualification.
- Develop, review, and approve packaging specifications, technical drawings, BOMS, dimensions, tolerances, and component standards.
- Lead technical troubleshooting and root-cause investigations, identifying risks and driving solutions and corrective actions.
- Oversee packaging testing and qualification requirements, including compatibility, functionality, transit, line trials, and component performance.
- Partner directly with packaging suppliers and contract manufacturers on capability assessments, development, trials, production start-ups, technical issues, and continuous improvement.
- Partner cross-functionally with creative, marketing, R&D, project management, procurement, quality, operations, supply chain, and regulatory to execute packaging programs.
- Partner with procurement on supplier performance, cost optimization, technical capability, and innovation opportunities.
- Drive continuous improvement of packaging development and engineering practices while contributing technical expertise to broader packaging strategy.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
