Associate Packaging Engineer

About Lamb Weston

You’ve probably enjoyed our fries without even knowing it! As a leading manufacturer in our industry, we inspire and bring people together with foods they love and trust. Our customer base includes international food service providers, restaurants, and households in over 100 countries around the world. A highly innovative global corporation with a start-up mindset, we empower every individual to make a genuine difference. You’ll gain access to hands-on training to fuel your growth and success, explore opportunities for new solutions, and you’ll join a winning team of 10,000+ people all dedicated to raising the bar—together.

About the role

An Associate Packaging Engineer at Lamb Weston helps support identification, development, and commercialization of new, improved, and innovative packaging while supporting cross-functional project tasks. This position leads simple to complex projects and supports technical initiatives as needed. It also acts as a key packaging resource for the stage gate process and works both independently and as part of a team. The ideal candidate will have a passion for working directly with packaging suppliers, material, and technology to help drive innovation and new business. This candidate will also drive projects focused on the interface between the packages we design and operational efficiency in our manufacturing plants and throughout our distribution networks.

Responsibilities

• Support the innovation stage-gate process on assigned packaging projects from ideation through commercialization.
• Simultaneously support and lead high-complexity technical projects.
• Develop ideas for savings, innovation, plant efficiency, and quality improvements that are relevant to the business.
• Independently plan, execute, and analyze plant/pilot plant/lab trials.
• Develop and manage technical packaging specifications.
• Establish strong working relationships with key suppliers.
• Utilize Dynamics Lab to qualify material and perform prototyping.

Key Functional Competencies

• Value Chain, Financial & Business Acumen: Ability to strategically seek out, analyze, and take action on business opportunities across the entire value chain (product, packaging, and process) to optimize Lamb Weston’s growth. Foundation—understands basic company financial concepts and applies knowledge of adjacent functional areas to produce positive outcomes.
• Innovative and Strategic Thinking: Proactively generates and evaluates ideas, concepts, and opportunities in creative ways (even with imperfect information) to deliver enterprise-level thinking and vision. Foundation—builds on the ideas of others.
• Product & Manufacturing Knowledge: Leverages knowledge of product, packaging, supply chain, market, and customer to influence decisions and drive a competitive advantage. Foundation—understands the basics of products and associated production processes.
• Concept Creation & Development: Translates diverse insights to build and scale innovative packages and products to meet the needs of consumers and customers. Foundation—builds ideas.
• Project Management: Develops, implements, facilitates, and manages comprehensive project plans that deliver objectives. Foundation—organizes work and develops plans within functional area to meet business needs.
• Work Process Discipline and Execution: Develops, documents, implements, and maintains standardized processes, procedures, and programs. Foundation—knows and follows basic work processes.
• Food Science: Knowledge of food science principles (including chemistry, engineering, microbiology, and sensory) to design, develop, and enhance products from ideation to commercialization. Foundation—understands and applies food science.
• Packaging Engineering: Understands and uses knowledge of material sciences, manufacturing, and equipment capabilities to design, develop, and enhance packaging from ideation to commercialization of Lamb Weston products. Advanced—applies packaging principles, uses, and technology to develop innovative solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required, Packaging or Engineering preferred.
• Minimum of 1 co-op or internship, CPG preferred, OR 1+ years’ work experience in the packaging industry, CPG preferred.
• Strong understanding of packaging materials, capabilities, and equipment.
• Thorough understanding of physical and structural package testing procedures.
• Exposure to 2-D/3-D design programs (AutoCAD, ArtiosCad, and/or SolidWorks) preferred.
• Ensures technical and performance needs are met for all projects.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams to implement deliverables.
• Ability to identify packaging needs and drive continuous improvement.
• Understands packaging processes and technology.
• Applies knowledge of polymer science and engineering.
• Understands basic packaging equipment and performance principles.
• Understands the functionality of packaging and its intention for the marketplace.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.
• Valid US Driver’s license and ability to meet Company driving standards.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift 25 to 50 lbs.
• Ability to stand for 75% of a day.
• Ability to sit for 4 hours at a time.

Benefits

• Health Insurance Benefits—Medical, Dental, Vision.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for Health and Dependent Care, and Health Reimbursement Accounts.
• Well-being programs including companywide events and a wellness incentive program.
• Paid Time Off.
• Financial Wellness—Industry-leading 401(k) plan with generous company contributions, Financial Planning Services, Employee Stock purchase program, and Health Savings Accounts, Life and Accident insurance.
• Family-Friendly Employee events.
• Employee Assistance Program services—mental health and other concierge-type services.

Benefits may vary based on location, job role/level, job status, and/or the terms of any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Pay

A reasonable annual estimate of the range for this role is $64,900.00 - $97,360.00. Actual compensation may be higher or lower in the range posted based on various factors, including, but not limited to, job duties, experience, and expertise. A candidate's work location could also impact the actual compensation to reflect the local cost of labor.