Head of Packaging Development

The Role

This is a high-impact executive leadership position within a Top-tier Domestic FMCG Powerhouse. Packaging at this organization is not merely a functional necessity; it is a critical commercial driver that sits at the intersection of brand premiumization supply chain efficiency and corporate sustainability. As the Head of Packaging you will architect the enterprise-wide packaging strategy across a massive multi-category portfolio (culinary convenience foods beverages and branded proteins). You will lead the transition from legacy formats to next-generation globally compliant packaging that enhances consumer experience ensures product integrity across complex distribution networks and aggressively drives our ESG mandates.

Why This Role Stands Out

• Billion-Unit Scale: Your work will literally be in the hands of almost every household in the country on a daily basis. You will command packaging strategies for billions of units annually where even macro-level value engineering translates to millions of dollars to the bottom line.
• The Premiumization Engine: Play a central role in our core commercial mandateelevating the domestic consumer experience. Your structural and material innovations will be the physical manifestation of moving our brands from mass-market staples to premium lifestyle choices.
• Pioneer the Circular Economy: You will not just follow sustainability trends; you will set the benchmark for the entire domestic industry. With the full backing of the management board you will lead massive initiatives in plastic reduction recyclability and compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations.
• Enable the Go Global Mandate: Directly support our aggressive export strategy by engineering packaging that meets the uncompromising regulatory and aesthetic standards of tier-1 international markets (FDA EFSA Japan/South Korea).

What Youll Do

• Strategic Roadmap & Vision: Blueprint and execute a 3-to-5-year packaging innovation roadmap. Align packaging initiatives directly with corporate revenue targets market share ambitions and global sustainability commitments.
• Value Engineering at Scale: Partner intimately with Procurement Manufacturing and Supply Chain to drive aggressive cost-optimization. Leverage advanced material science to downgrade material weight and reduce waste without compromising structural integrity or shelf-appeal.
• Cross-Category Innovation: Lead a center of excellence for packaging technology. Drive breakthrough structural innovations across rigid plastics flexible films glass and corrugated formats tailored for both complex traditional trade logistics and pristine modern retail displays.
• Sustainability & ESG Leadership: Champion the enterprise transition toward a circular economy. Pilot and scale the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials bio-plastics and mono-materials ensuring all new product development strictly adheres to our green corporate mandates.
• Agile Commercialization: Navigate our hyper-fast entrepreneurial environment to drastically reduce time-to-market. Seamlessly bridge the gap between Marketings visual design concepts and the factory floors technical manufacturing realities.

What Were Looking For

• Executive & Technical Pedigree: 15 years of progressive leadership in Packaging Engineering R&D or Commercial Packaging within the global or large-scale domestic FMCG/F&B sector. Advanced degree in Packaging Science Material Engineering or a related field is highly preferred.
• Masters of Material Science: Deep technical mastery across diverse packaging substrates (especially flexible films thermoforming and injection molding) and a profound understanding of food-safe barrier technologies and shelf-life extension.
• Proven Value Driver: A definitive track record of executing multi-million-dollar value engineering projects and orchestrating large-scale transitions to sustainable/recyclable packaging formats across complex supply chains.
• Entrepreneurial Grit: The ability to thrive in an aggressive high-velocity environment. You must be comfortable with rapid prototyping quick pivots and executing at an immense scale without waiting for perfect bureaucratic conditions.
• Strategic Influencer: Exceptional stakeholder management skills. You can translate highly technical packaging science into compelling commercial value propositions for the C-suite Marketing leaders and external strategic partners.

Client Overview:

Our client is a behemoth of the Vietnamese private sector. Unlike multinational corporations operating in the country this is a homegrown giant that has scaled aggressively through rapid organic growth and massive high-profile mergers and acquisitions. They touch the lives of nearly every Vietnamese consumer daily possessing deep granular knowledge of local tastes and shopping habits. They are currently transitioning from a traditional FMCG manufacturer into an integrated tech-enabled consumer ecosystem.