Senior Packaging Engineer

Smithfield Foods•Smithfield, VA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Smithfield is seeking a Senior Packaging Engineer to join their team. This role is crucial for optimizing production processes, eliminating waste, and reducing operating costs. The engineer will be involved in the manufacturing of well-known brands and will collaborate with facilities and suppliers to implement best practices for packaging equipment and materials. The position emphasizes innovation, maintaining high standards, and contributing to the company's mission of sustainably feeding people.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Engineering or related field.
5+ years related experience in process and packaging equipment required.
Equivalent combination of education and experience.
Ability to travel to other locations depending on the initiative being executed.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the food industry.
General knowledge of food science, processing and manufacturing.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
Strong time management, project management, organizational skills and the ability to work independently.
Good research and development capabilities, including experimental design, familiarity with packaging testing methodology and experience in commercialization.
Ability to work well with others in fast paced, dynamic environment.
Ability to be respectful, approachable and team oriented while building strong working relationships and a positive work environment.
Ability to understand and manipulate both packaging and pallet specifications.

Responsibilities

Designing and executing packaging technology strategies from concept to commercialization, including growth initiatives, quality improvements, productivity/cost-reduction activities, troubleshooting activities, and general packaging support.
Conducting trials to ensure efficient and effective execution.
Building and maintaining relationships with internal and external resources to cost-effectively implement engineering and equipment initiatives.
Communicating with Operations, Sales, Marketing, Sourcing, Engineering, and Quality Assurance to report project progress and gather feedback.
Leveraging best practices and capitalizing on technologies with cross-functional, cross-site business applications.
Promoting innovative thinking to generate unique and value-added ideas for existing or new products.
Developing and maintaining equipment specifications to determine overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) on packaging equipment.
Acting as a lead by training, mentoring, and providing guidance to less experienced packaging engineers.