Principal Engineer, Thermoform Plastic Packaging

Role Overview

• As the Rigid Thermoform Packaging Engineer, you will contribute technical expertise to help develop and advance rigid packaging material and format solutions for the North American portfolio.
• Support execution of rigid packaging technical initiatives by completing assigned research, development, and validation workstreams that balance technology exploration with proof of concept needs.
• Contribute to technical assessments and business case inputs for packaging technologies/applications by gathering data, summarizing learnings, and documenting technical risks and opportunities.
• Support external collaboration activities across the value chain by coordinating samples/trials, tracking actions, and documenting outcomes.
• Apply enterprise standards and manufacturability considerations by following established guidance to ensure design decisions align with enterprise standards, manufacturability needs, sustainability needs, and platform direction.
• Provide technical problem solving on rigid packaging projects by using structured troubleshooting, data analysis, and experimentation to resolve technical hurdles.
• Apply Design of Experiments (DoE), statistics, and technical problem-solving practices to research, development, and validation work.
• Support prototyping development for consumer testing and assist with pilot line setup and scale-up to industrial production as required to enable commercialization.
• Contribute to knowledge sharing and capability building by documenting learnings, creating technical summaries, and supporting training content or informal coaching as needed.

Requirements

• BS/MS/PhD degree in Engineering, Materials, Chemical or Packaging Engineering preferred, or related discipline.
• 6 + years of R&D packaging technology development, commercialization experience, with exposure to rigid plastic thermoform packaging and project leadership experience (consumer goods, food & beverage, pharma or similar preferred).
• Working technical knowledge of materials (polymers, barriers and additives, etc.) and thermoforming plastics, understanding manufacturing constraints, including converting processes (e.g., lidding, molding, extrusion, form-fill-seal).
• Demonstrated ability to support end-to-end development activities, including planning/performing experiments, documenting results, and coordinating with cross-functional partners.
• Demonstrated capability of design of experiments and statistics and technical problem solving.
• Working knowledge of project execution disciplines (e.g., task planning, risk identification, stakeholder updates) and comfort operating within PMO expectations/templates.
• Exposure to sustainable packaging solutions, material/package industry standards and regulations.
• Ability to support pilot line activities and scale-up to industrial production as required.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% of the time.

Benefits

• Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare
• Protection and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs.
• Wellbeing events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.
• Paid Time Off
• Company Holidays
• Leave of Absence
• Flexible Work Arrangements
• Recognition
• Training
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellbeing Programs
• Family Support Programs
• 401k
• Life
• Accidental Death & Dismemberment
• Disability