Principal Packaging Engineer

About the role

Join Ingredion, where innovation impacts lives worldwide! Without even realizing it, you’ve experienced our work in your favorite chocolate, your pet’s food, the paper you write on, and your everyday snacks. As a global powerhouse across more than 60 industries, we harness the potential of natural ingredients to transform lives. Whether you’re just starting your career or bringing years of experience, there's a place for you here to make a real difference. Be part of our team that values a wide range of perspectives and is committed to shaping a better world with every product we create.

Responsibilities

• Partner with customers, both internal and external, to deliver packaging solutions that enhance customer experience both in the packaging materials used and the packaging equipment.
• Primary focus on packaging of bulk powders.
• Support a team environment that delivers innovative process improvements and provides process troubleshooting to resolve complex business issues.
• Maintain a high level of awareness of current and emerging technologies in dry powder packaging regarding materials, equipment, engineering, design, regulatory requirements and make recommendations on their application to improve profitability of operations worldwide.
• Develop innovative ideas, concepts or techniques that may be useful to our business and operations.
• Develop technical specifications and best practices for bulk packaging equipment and materials and share with the plants in the Ingredion network.
• Provide technical consulting assistance to Ingredion and outside engineering personnel in engineering, design, equipment specifications, project reviews, installation, checkout, start-up, testing, troubleshooting and optimization to support project and plant objectives.
• Review and recommend appropriate equipment and systems for new capital projects and existing installations to ensure that they comply with known safety best practices, applicable codes, and standards.
• Provide technical support and leadership to cross functional teams with members involving operations management, maintenance, engineering, quality, supply chain, and procurement to achieve manufacturing excellence.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering with significant experience in industrial packaging engineering. Mechanical Engineering is preferred, but Chemical, Industrial, Packaging, and Electrical Engineering are also considered.
• Experience with packaging equipment (robots, metal detection, force flow packers, screeners, magnets, etc.) of bulk powders (primary focus) and liquids (minor focus).
• Demonstrated knowledge of sizing, design, fabrication, troubleshooting, failure analysis, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), production measurements and safety requirements of packaging equipment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of optimizing packaging materials to prevent damage while handling and in transit.
• Knowledge of general mechanical technology such as strength of materials, machine design, fluid mechanics and materials of construction.
• Experience or familiarity with control systems and troubleshooting.
• Substantial experience in engineering, design, and maintenance of mechanical systems and equipment in the food and ingredient manufacturing industry.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and solve complex technical problems as applied to facilities design, operations consulting, equipment and packaging material failures and troubleshooting.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to prepare effective presentations, present tests and results, and write concise reports, document process and operational procedures, and complete the required engineering documentation including P&ID development for new and/or modified equipment and processes.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to train and work effectively with all experience levels.
• Proven ability of influencing others towards positive change both inside and outside the direct chain of command.
• Travel may constitute up to 30% of the time on the job and may consist of consecutive weeks in any of the Company facilities worldwide.

Qualifications

• Anticipate customer needs and proactively create new solutions that exceed customer expectations.
• Able to work effectively with people from different cultures to accomplish business objectives.
• Act as a mentor, offering advice and guidance to colleagues.
• Respect and value others’ differences, seeking opportunities to learn from those with different perspectives.
• Self-starter, decisive, goals-oriented individual, capable of independent decision making with the ability to successfully meet targeted goals, on time and within budgetary constraints.
• Strong interpersonal skills suited to task force and consulting assignments and to directing or influencing others with the ability to interface effectively with team members, management, customers and vendors.
• Demonstrated application of sound judgment, resourcefulness, initiative, and innovation in handling complex technical assignments and integrating those solutions with business needs into decision making with minimal supervision.
• Proven ability to lead and facilitate in a team environment and build consensus in a positive manner with team members and customers.

Skills

• Technical leadership through mentoring, leading task forces and teams and answering technical requests.
• High level of technical knowledge in packaging equipment and materials.
• Ability to maintain awareness of current and emerging technologies in dry powder packaging.
• Knowledge of general mechanical technology such as strength of materials, machine design, fluid mechanics and materials of construction.
• Experience or familiarity with control systems and troubleshooting.
• Ability to analyze and solve complex technical problems as applied to facilities design, operations consulting, equipment and packaging material failures and troubleshooting.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to prepare effective presentations, present tests and results, and write concise reports, document process and operational procedures, and complete the required engineering documentation including P&ID development for new and/or modified equipment and processes.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to train and work effectively with all experience levels.
• Proven ability of influencing others towards positive change both inside and outside the direct chain of command.
• Ability to anticipate customer needs and proactively create new solutions that exceed customer expectations.
• Ability to work effectively with people from different cultures to accomplish business objectives.
• Ability to act as a mentor, offering advice and guidance to colleagues.
• Ability to respect and value others’ differences, seeking opportunities to learn from those with different perspectives.
• Ability to be self-starter, decisive, goals-oriented individual, capable of independent decision making with the ability to successfully meet targeted goals, on time and within budgetary constraints.
• Ability to have strong interpersonal skills suited to task force and consulting assignments and to directing or influencing others with the ability to interface effectively with team members, management, customers and vendors.
• Ability to demonstrate application of sound judgment, resourcefulness, initiative, and innovation in handling complex technical assignments and integrating those solutions with business needs into decision making with minimal supervision.
• Ability to lead and facilitate in a team environment and build consensus in a positive manner with team members and customers.

Benefits

Full-time roles are eligible for our comprehensive benefits package which includes medical, dental and vision coverage as well as a 401(k) plan with an competitive company match.

Pay

$123,500.00 - $164,700.00 Annual This pay range is not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Final base salary will be determined based on several factors which may include but are not limited to responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data and applicable bargaining agreement (if any).

Incentive Compensation

As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Ingredion Annual Incentive Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus.