Packaging Engineering Technical Manager

About the role

Drive packaging innovation and technical excellence across the enterprise. As the Packaging Engineering Technical Manager, you will serve as the organization's senior Packaging Subject Matter Expert (SME), leading complex packaging initiatives that support commercialization, manufacturing performance, and business growth. You will partner closely with Operations, Research and Development, Quality, Supply Chain, Procurement, and supplier partners to develop robust packaging solutions, solve critical technical challenges, and establish engineering standards that improve reliability, reduce risk, and enable first-time-right commercialization. This role is ideal for a strategic and hands-on engineering leader who thrives on solving complex problems, driving continuous improvement, mentoring technical talent, and delivering innovative packaging solutions that enhance product quality, operational performance, and customer satisfaction.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the company's technical authority for packaging systems, materials, equipment, package performance, and packaging engineering.
• Establish enterprise packaging engineering standards, qualification methodologies, design guidelines, and technical governance to improve engineering rigor and commercialization success.
• Lead DFMEA, PFMEA, design reviews, risk assessments, and engineering evaluations for new packaging systems and significant packaging changes.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and maintain packaging specifications, validation strategies, qualification plans, engineering test protocols, technical acceptance criteria, and engineering best practices.
• Evaluate and qualify new materials, technologies, manufacturing processes, and suppliers to improve packaging performance, sustainability, manufacturability, and business resilience.
• Lead commercialization of high-risk packaging initiatives through design verification, qualification, plant trials, manufacturing validation, and production startup.
• Lead enterprise-level root cause investigations for complex packaging failures using structured problem-solving methodologies, statistical analysis, and engineering principles.
• Partner with manufacturing facilities to resolve chronic packaging issues and improve operational reliability and packaging performance.
• Lead cross-functional technical response teams during significant quality, manufacturing, customer, or supply chain events requiring rapid technical resolution.
• Develop innovative packaging solutions that improve product protection, manufacturability, sustainability, cost, consumer experience, and manufacturing capability.
• Drive continuous improvement through engineering analysis, lessons learned, and application of engineering best practices.
• Raise the technical bench strength of Packaging Engineering and cross-functional teams through mentoring, technical coaching, design reviews, and competency development.
• Develop engineering playbooks, technical standards, best practices, and knowledge management systems