What is this role? 

As the Packaging Engineering Manager for Cirkul, you will help further the quality organization’s ability to support manufacturing operations throughout the business. Key initiatives include performing product improvement across a variety of assembly and manufacturing processes while working in conjunction with other departments, suppliers, documenting change management, and establishing best practices to ensure a safe, compliant, and reliable product. 

What does an average day look like?

• Driving Results: 
• Manage the development of packaging conception, driving final format approval based on pre-spec creation, packaging qualification, and compatibility.
• Manage and cultivate all Packaging Engineers
• Drives commercialization of new products through functional packaging engineering of technical drawings, formula to packaging compatibility, and line trial qualifications.
• Owns creation, documentation, and communication of packaging specifications, and testing required for validation of specifications
• Drives packaging artwork technical validations, and packaging samples from conception to final standard production. Ensuring standard adheres to defined specifications and requirements
• Owns and drives the development of packaging products, and partners with New Product Development, Design, Marketing, and Engineering.
• Support supplier selection from a technical validation and overall business position with understanding of timing and financial impacts.
• Taking Ownership: 
• Lead the characterization of multi-layer flexible packaging films.
• Helps establish incoming inspections SOPs for packaging materials.
• Identify new film structures that will enable future sustainability targets.
• Making Decisions: 
• Source and qualify new packaging materials ensuring both FDA compliance and product performance. 
• Cultivating Relationships: 
• Ensure a positive and effective relationship with key suppliers of materials, technology, and manufacturing resources. 
• Partner closely with Procurement, Operations, Supplier Quality, and Engineering to define shipping carton requirements (quantity, weight, dimensions, etc.), ensuring compliance with all customer requirements.
• Instilling Trust: 
• Identify and implement cost saving initiatives related to packaging materials. 
• Maintain a professional knowledge of new or emerging trends, inclusive but not limited to packaging technology.
• Customer Focus: 
• Identify new film structures that will lead to better product performance, along with lower defect rates.
• Support and drive solutions to packaging consumer complaints and retailer non-conformities. Troubleshoot technical issues across entire supply chain within the formulation categories

What background should you have? 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field 
• 7+ years of Packaging Engineering experience preferably with a high-volume consumer product. 2+ years of Engineering leadership experience. 
• Familiarity with consumer products, preferably in an FDA regulated setting. 
• Strong understanding of statistical methods for collecting and analyzing data.
• Strong understanding of test methods to determine product performance. 
• Understanding of injection molded plastic parts (Metrology, Food Safety Compliance, assembly methods). 
• Able to communicate complex ideas to non-technical staff and be a champion of best practices.
• Strong root cause analysis skills.
• Demonstrated leadership and mentorship skills