Packaging and Sustainability Manager
Remote · United States or Johnson City, Tennessee, United States
Job Summary
Packaging & Sustainability Manager leads day-to-day packaging engineering activities while owning packaging sustainability and ESG initiative tracking. The role develops and maintains packaging specifications, drawings, BOMs, and technical documentation for primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging (including e-comm, retail-ready, and club channel formats); supports commercialization activities (qualification planning, line trials, scale-up, first production runs); designs and executes packaging test plans with external labs; troubleshoots packaging issues during development and production; partners with Supply Chain and suppliers to optimize components and costs; maintains centralized trackers for material specifications and sustainability data; ensures data accuracy for regulatory labeling and recyclability claims; supports sustainability initiatives (recyclability improvements, PCR adoption, material reduction, supplier engagement) and ESG reporting; contributes to targets and progress tracking; collaborates cross-functionally with PM, R&D, Regulatory, Quality, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, and external partners; ensures packaging solutions meet regulatory, quality, and safety requirements for applicable categories (cosmetics, OTC, etc.); requires travel up to 30% and offers remote work with optional Johnson City, TN office presence.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Engineering or a related technical field
- 3–5+ years of packaging engineering experience in a CPG, consumer health, beauty, OTC, or regulated products environment
- Hands-on experience with primary and secondary packaging development and commercialization
- Experience supporting retail-ready, shelf-ready, or club channel packaging designs a plus
- Experience working with contract manufacturers, packaging suppliers, and external testing labs
- Experience owning packaging material specifications, trackers, or sustainability datasets preferred
- Experience supporting packaging sustainability initiatives, GHG calculations, or ESG/CDP reporting preferred
- Strong technical problem-solving and organizational skills
- Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively across technical and commercial teams
- Detail-oriented, proactive, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment
- Ability to travel up to 30% to Johnson City TN, Nashville TN, or to CMOs
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