Senior Engineer, R&D - Design & Innovation
$89,800–$112,200 year
On-siteGlenview, Illinois, United States
Job Summary
Execute design and innovation initiatives for the Kraft Heinz North America portfolio, translating consumer insights and sustainability requirements into commercially viable, manufacturable packaging solutions. Manage cross-functional projects from concept through pilot line setup and scale-up to industrial production, while developing detailed project plans, schedules, and budgets. Partner with legal to build robust IP strategies and collaborate with Marketing, Procurement, and Operations to drive speed to market and competitive advantage. Address technical hurdles, support prototyping for consumer testing, and ensure designs comply with sustainability goals and regulatory requirements.
Required Qualifications
- BS/MS/PhD degree in Design, Engineering, Packaging Engineering preferred or related discipline
- Minimum 4+ years of relevant experience (with BS) or 3+ years of experience (with MS) or 2+ years of experience (with PhD)
- Experience in R&D packaging development and commercialization
- Innovation and packaging design experience
- Project leadership experience
- Working design knowledge of materials (flexibles, rigids, fiber, etc), formats, converting processes (e.g., cartoning, filling, web handling, labeling, molding), printing, bottle closure and dispensing systems and manufacturing constraints
- Working knowledge of project execution practices (e.g., timelines, risk identification, stakeholder updates) and ability to manage assigned deliverables
- Demonstrated ability to support end-to-end development and launch activities, including planning/ performing experiments, documenting results, and coordinating with cross-functional partners
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to work with cross-functional partners and external suppliers
- Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% of the time
- Ability to work virtually up to two days per week
- Expectation to work on-site at least three days per week at the Glenview Innovation Center (Glenview, IL)
Desired Qualifications
- Experience managing packaging projects
- Consumer goods, food & beverage, pharma or similar preferred
- Knowledge of packaging design and innovation, DVF (Desirability, Viability, Feasibility)
- Industrial design experience for packaging materials, shapes, formats, with proven examples of commercialized innovations across different packaging formats
- Knowledge of translating consumer insights, consumer Jobs-to-be-done, and market trends into packaging design strategies
- Knowledge of sustainable packaging solutions, material/package industry standards, and regulations (as applicable to rigid plastic packaging development work)
- Ability to support pilot line activities and scale-up to industrial production as required
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