Sr Engineer, R&D Plastic Rigid Packaging

Job Purpose

As theRigidPackaging Developer you will support the development and advancement ofrigid plastic packagingsolutions for the North American portfolio. The objective of the role is toidentifydevelop evaluate and validaterigid plastic packaging technologiesthat meet functional performance manufacturability cost and sustainability requirements while supporting innovation compliance and value engineering initiatives. You will partner with Innovation Process and Platform packaging teams and cross-functional stakeholders to translate technical and sustainability requirements into commercially manufacturable solutions supporting proof of concept scale-up activities and transition to business units.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Support and executerigid plastic packagingdevelopment work balancing technology exploration withproof-of-conceptactivities and documenting learnings to support business cases and application decisions.

• Support coordination of external partnerships across the value chain (e.g. resin processingpackagingsuppliers; universities; institutes; start-ups; open innovation networks; scouting partners) by managing technical communication sample/testing plans and data exchange under guidance.

• Ensure packaging material/design decisions align with enterprise standards manufacturability needs sustainability requirements and platform direction by applying standard methods and escalating risks/constraints.

• Contribute to technical problem solving forrigid plasticpackaging projects by running testing troubleshooting and root-cause investigations as needed.

• Apply Design of Experiments (DoE) statistics and structured technical problem-solving practices to research development and validation work.

• Support prototyping development for consumer testing pilot line setup and scale-up to industrial production as required to enable commercialization.

• Contribute to technical documentation and knowledge sharing (e.g. summaries test reports learnings) to support team capability-building and consistency.

• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders (e.g. Innovation Process Platform Packaging) to translate requirements into testable material/package options and to support handover to business units.

People Management Responsibilities

• IndividualContributor

Key Outputs & Deliverables

• Support execution ofrigid plasticpackaging technology/material workstreams aligned withsustainability innovation and value engineeringinitiatives.

• Deliver technical work products (e.g. test plans prototypes validation results recommendations) that supportrigid plasticpackaging projects fromconcept through proof of concept and handover meeting agreed timelines and technical performance targets.

• Support compliance with evolvingsustainability and regulatory requirements including:

• MinimizingExtended Producer Responsibility (EPR)fees (by providing material/package inputs and evaluations that inform design choices)

• Supporting designs that avoidmaterial bans and regulatory risks

• Advancingrecyclable reusable andcompostablepackaging formats aligned with enterprise sustainability goals and legislative requirements

• Contribute to packaging designs delivered toPerformance-Based Specifications (PBS)to meet defined functional quality shelf-life consumer experience and manufacturing performance outcomes.

Expected Experience & Required Skills

• BS/MS/PhD degree in Engineering Materials Chemical or Packaging Engineering preferred or related discipline.

• Minimum 4years of R&D technology development and commercialization experience in packaging and project leadership experience (consumer goods food & beverage pharma or similar preferred).

• Demonstrated experience supportingR&D technology development and commercializationwork with exposure torigid plasticpackaging.

• Demonstrated ability to support end-to-end development activities (planning tests executing experiments analyzing results documenting recommendations) and coordinatingwith cross-functional stakeholders.

• Technical knowledge ofrigid plasticmaterialsand technology(resinsbarriers coatingsadditives etc.) andmanufacturing constraints including converting molding PCRprocessing etc.

• Experience evaluatingrigid plasticpackaging on filling equipmentpreferred.

• Working knowledge ofproject execution practices(e.g. timelines risk identification stakeholder updates recommendations) and ability to manage assigned deliverables.

• Knowledge and practical application ofDesign of Experiments (DoE) statistics and technical problem solving.

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work with cross-functional partners and external suppliers.

• Knowledge ofsustainable packaging solutions material/package industry standards and regulations (as applicable torigid plasticpackaging development work).

• Experience supportingpilot line setups and scale-uptocommercialproduction (as required by project needs).

• Willingness and ability totravel up to 25%of the time.

Work Environment & Schedule

This position operates primarily in a hybrid work environment and is based at the Kraft Heinz R&D Innovation Center in Glenview IL. Our hybrid model provides flexibility based on business needs allowing employees to work virtually up to two days per week with an expectation to work on-site at least three days per week at the Glenview Innovation Center (Glenview IL).

Physical demandsinclude butnotlimited to

• Regular office work

• Physical presence at labs and manufacturing sites (internal and external) to perform experimental and validation testing