Staff Research Scientist - Packaging Innovation

Niagara Bottling•Diamond Bar, CA

65d

About The Position

The Staff Scientist of Innovation will lead cross-disciplinary Innovation initiatives that advance Niagara's products and packaging systems through design science, digital simulation, and consumer-centered innovation. This role will focus on understanding and optimizing product-process-performance relationships at the system level - across bottles, closures, packaging configurations, and manufacturing conditions - to drive sustainability, performance, and user experience improvements. The Staff Scientist will advance product portfolio by translating scientific insights into holistic product solutions that can be scaled through Niagara's global manufacturing network.

Requirements

6 Years - Experience in Engineering, R&D, mechanical or industrial design, instrumentation etc.
6 Years - Experience in Position, Research laboratory assistant, post -doctoral scholar
4 Years - Experience working with graduate researchers, interns or lab assistants
Advanced data analysis and simulation capabilities
Publication quality communication skills (documents and presentations)
Proven experience with analytical laboratory equipment
Skills with lab data management or automation software such as LabVIEW, Matlab, Python.
Microsoft Office Products.
Problem Solving - identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully.
Detail oriented and accurate - minimizes mistakes, follows every step in a process and follows through with all tasks
Oral Communication - speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; demonstrates presentation skills.
Written Communication - writes clearly and informatively; presents numerical data effectively; able to read and interpret written information.
Ph.D in Chemical/ Materials/ Mechanical engineering and other related fields or equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

10+ Years- Experience in Engineering, R&D, mechanical or industrial design, instrumentation etc.
10+ Years - Experience in Position, Research laboratory assistant, post -doctoral scholar
6 Years - Experience working with graduate researchers, interns or lab assistants
Injection molding or blow molding experience.
Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent experience. Materials Science and Engineering exposure. Polymer processing or science and Packaging training.
Minimum Professional Proficiency, Spanish

Responsibilities

Formulates strategy for Innovation growth. Drive system-level optimization that balance performance, sustainability, and manufacturability.
Apply inventive principles, TRIZ theory or Innovation by association approach to brainstorm ideas, solve problems with out of the box thinking.
Explore and develop emerging technologies and trends to integrate with Innovation initiatives.
Lead R&D projects focused on the interaction of design, structure, and performance across packaging systems.
Advance the use of AI, machine learning, or DOE-based analytics in R&D decision-making.
Conduct human factors research to quantify usability, ergonomics, and consumer interaction with packaging systems.
Partner with design, insights, and marketing teams to translate consumer needs into products, engineering and performance requirements.
Quantify environmental trade-offs and support company-wide carbon reduction initiatives through design improvements
Ensures project documentation and communication between all stakeholders.
Initiates, develops, and maintains relationships with suppliers and other external collaborators.
Present and communicate research results internally and externally and help develop intellectual property.