Director, Packaging

About the role

The Farmer's Dog is seeking a Director, Packaging Engineering to lead the design, development, and commercialization of packaging across the company's product portfolio. This role requires up to 30–50% domestic travel for supplier visits, plant trials, and co-manufacturer support.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction for packaging across the full product portfolio
• Own the packaging roadmap: prioritize initiatives, align stakeholders, and ensure the team is focused on the highest-impact work at every stage of growth
• Define and build scalable packaging engineering standards
• Drive design recommendations backed by competitive benchmarking, consumer insight, and technical rigor
• Proactively identify and resolve risks across the packaging portfolio
• Lead packaging trials and validation runs at co-manufacturers and suppliers
• Build and manage strong relationships with external packaging suppliers, print vendors, and contract manufacturers
• Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to align on production windows, material lead times, and inventory requirements
• Ensure all packaging meets food safety, regulatory, and retailer requirements for every format and channel
• Build and lead a high-performing packaging engineering team
• Translate complex technical constraints into clear, confident recommendations for non-technical stakeholders and executive leadership
• Maintain thorough documentation of designs, test results, and project milestones to support traceability, knowledge sharing, and regulatory compliance
• Apply Lean Six Sigma principles and continuous improvement tools to drive efficiency and consistency in packaging operations
• Identify opportunities to improve materials, processes, and supplier performance

Requirements

10+ years of packaging engineering experience

Fluent in both structural and graphic packaging execution

Able to navigate ambiguity without losing momentum

Naturally curious and proactive self-starter

Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to prioritize tasks effectively

Strong attention to detail

Skilled communicator with the ability to absorb and distill complexity into simple terms

Loves dogs

Qualifications

Experience in a leadership role within packaging engineering

Strong understanding of food safety regulations and packaging standards

Ability to work in a fast-paced and ambiguous environment

Experience with Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement tools

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with external partners