Location: Minneapolis, MN also Remote Eligible (U.S.)
Schedule: Full-Time (40 hours/week)
Travel: Up to 10%
Team: Pet R&D Packaging Team
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Senior Packaging Engineer to join our R&D Packaging team . In this role, you will work as part of a highly collaborative cross-functional team focused on supporting pet food packaging innovation, cost optimization, manufacturing support, and product quality initiatives.
You'll partner closely with teams across Research & Development, Sourcing, Quality, Engineering, Marketing, and Operations to deliver packaging solutions that support new product launches, drive continuous improvement, and ensure reliable manufacturing performance.
This is an excellent opportunity for a packaging professional who enjoys balancing technical problem-solving, project leadership, supplier collaboration, and innovation within a fast-paced consumer packaged goods environment.
What You'll Do
Packaging Development & Innovation
- Lead packaging development activities that support innovation, cost savings, and core business initiatives.
- Identify and advance technical packaging opportunities that improve performance, efficiency, and margins.
- Apply packaging and material expertise to solve technical challenges and support continuous improvement efforts.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders across R&D, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Marketing, and Sourcing.
- Collaborate with suppliers and external partners to evaluate new packaging technologies and solutions.
- Support packaging trials, product launches, and manufacturing initiatives.
Testing & Validation
- Plan, conduct, and manage packaging experiments, supplier trials, and technical evaluations.
- Analyze data and provide recommendations based on results.
- Ensure packaging solutions meet quality, performance, and manufacturing requirements.
Documentation & Communication
- Create and maintain technical packaging specifications and drawings.
- Document project plans, test results, financial analyses, and recommendations.
- Provide clear project updates and technical communication to stakeholders and leadership.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering or a related field.
- Minimum 5 years of packaging engineering experience.
- Strong understanding of the product commercialization process, from packaging design through manufacturing implementation.
- Experience applying engineering and process improvement solutions within consumer packaged goods (CPG) environments.
- Experience creating technical packaging drawings and specifications.
- Experience working with manufacturing facilities, engineering firms, vendors, and contractors.
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
- Self-motivated with excellent project and time management abilities.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Proficiency with:
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Microsoft 365
- SharePoint
- TOPS
- Ability to travel up to 10%.
Preferred
- 7+ years of packaging development experience.
- Experience in food manufacturing, pet food manufacturing, or a related industry.
- Experience working with Interspec or similar Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems.
- Knowledge of pet food manufacturing processes and packaging requirements.
What Success Looks Like
- Successfully supporting packaging innovation and product launch initiatives.
- Driving packaging improvements that enhance efficiency, quality, and cost performance.
- Building strong partnerships with internal teams and external suppliers.
- Delivering projects on time while maintaining high technical and quality standards.
- Contributing technical expertise that helps advance the business and strengthen packaging capabilities.