VP - Circularity & Packaging Design

Circular Action Alliance• Remote, US,

18h•$200,000 - $232,000•Remote

About The Position

This role will oversee the organization’s reuse, and refill initiatives, while developing and managing material strategies that promote the design of recyclable and compostable packaging and food serviceware across producer portfolios. The VP, Circularity and Packaging Design will be responsible for advancing the development of design guidelines, performance standards, and incentive structures aligned with regulatory requirements (e.g., design for recyclability, design for compostability, post-consumer recycled (“PCR”) targets, and source reduction mandates). The VP will lead cross-functional initiatives that integrate packaging design with recyclability and compostability requirements, ensuring alignment with collection, processing, and end market strategies. This role will also engage with producers and key industry representatives to drive adoption of circular design principles and scalable reuse and refill models across material categories. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in sustainable packaging design, material innovation, and circular economy strategy, combined with strong leadership and interest holder management capabilities. They should have a demonstrated ability in developing and implementing actionable industry-facing strategies, as well as experience working with producers, packaging engineers, and technical experts to influence packaging decisions at scale. This individual must be highly collaborative, able to work closely with internal leaders across collection, processing, and end market teams to ensure alignment across the value chain.

Requirements

Thorough knowledge of packaging materials and formats, packaging design, and material strategy
Experience advancing circular economy solutions, including reuse/refill systems
Understanding of system requirements such as logistics, infrastructure development, and infrastructure limitations
Strong understanding of Extended Producer Responsibility.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and identify actionable insights.
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with interest holders at all levels of the organization.
Detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy and compliance.
Ability to build, develop, lead and engage strong teams, with direct or indirect reporting lines including remote employees.
Ability to work in a dynamic environment for rapid pace and with flexibility. Ideally understand and adapt to the startup nature of CAA.
Advanced degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Circular Economy, or equivalent.
10+ years of experience in sustainable packaging, material design and engineering, material strategy, or circular economy initiatives.

Responsibilities

Oversee CAA’s reuse and refill strategy, including identification of priority sectors and existing collection and logistics infrastructure, packaging formats, and system models to meet source reduction and reuse targets
Define scalable approaches across residential, commercial, and B2B applications
Convene and collaborate with producers and key industry interest holders to design, pilot, and adopt reuse/refill solutions
Drive behavioral, operational, and market adoption of reuse and refill models through targeted engagement and incentive structures
Develop and implement incentive mechanisms for source reduction that encourage desired outcomes such as recyclability, reduced material use, and increased PCR
Establish clear targets, success metrics, and reporting frameworks for source reduction, reuse, and refill initiatives
Collaborate with the Compliance & Regulatory Affairs team to align reuse and source reduction strategies with current and emerging legislation
Develop and own the organization’s circular packaging design strategy, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements and system capabilities
Consult with producers and key industry interest holders to better understand and promote the adoption of recyclable and compostable packaging solutions
Identify priority materials and packaging formats for circular innovation and intervention
Evaluate impacts between material design choices, cost, performance, and environmental impact to inform strategy and guidance
Ensure packaging design strategies are aligned with collection, sortation, and end market capabilities by adapting and designing responsive design requirements to documented system constraints (e.g., MRF limitations, contamination risks)
Lead cross-functional collaboration across program planning and operations teams
Serve as a key external interface with producers, industry groups, and other interest holders to drive adoption of circular solutions at scale
Partner with policy and regulatory teams to interpret evolving requirements and translate them into actionable strategies
Establish governance, prioritization frameworks, and roadmaps to drive execution across initiatives
Perform other job duties as assigned.