Senior Engineer, R&D - Design & Innovation

Job Description Job Purpose    ​ ​ As the   Design & Innovation   Packaging Engineer , ​   you will   support   innovative and disruptive packaging design initiatives that will be instrumental in delivering novel, competitively advantaged solutions across the Kraft Heinz North America portfolio. The team’s   objective   is to deliver packaging design strategies, translating brand strategies and consumer Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) into   viable   design solutions to meet growth,   innovation   and sustainability objectives .    The   objective   of the role is to support development of   platformable   pkg innovation solutions, across brands and categories to fuel sustainable BU innovation pipelines .    You will partner with the Innovation, Process and Platform packaging teams as well as cross functional stakeholders to translate consumer insights and sustainability requirements into commercially   viable , manufacturable solutions .    The role includes   identifying   packaging design solutions,   leveraging   external design   partners   and internal consumer experience teams to translate insights into   viable   designs that resonate with consumers .    The ideal candidate combines technical packaging commercialization   expertise   with design and innovation knowledge and experience managing   packaging   projects   Essential Functions & Responsibilities    ​ ​ ​ Support   execution of Design & Innovation initiatives, addressing technical and design hurdles, driving speed to   market   and enabling competitive advantage.   ​ Manage initiatives with   different   scopes and/or cross enterprise platforms concurrently     ​ Partner with legal to build robust IP strategies to drive competitive advantage   ​ Develop and   maintain   detailed project plans, schedules and budgets and build business cases for project execution.   ​ Work directly, interface and influence cross-functional team (Marketing, Procurement, Operations and Supply Chain) and vendors.   ​ Support prototyping development for consumer testing and   assist   with pilot line setup and scale-up to industrial production as   required   to enable commercialization.   ​ Contribute to knowledge sharing and capability building by documenting learnings, creating technical summaries, and supporting training content.     ​ 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   Individual   Contributor   Key Outputs & Deliverables    Support   execution of the design strategy and support   pipeline build for North America portfolio   Support   design initiatives t hat   address innovation,   sustainability   and value engineering, from concept through proof of concept and handover support, meeting committed timelines and performance targets for assigned responsibilities.   Support compliance with sustainability and regulatory requirements by incorporating requirements into design recommendations, including:   Minimizing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fee impacts (as applicable to design choices)   Supporting designs that help avoid material bans and regulatory risks   Supporting recyclable, reusable, and compliant packaging formats aligned with enterprise sustainability goals and   legislative requirements   Contribute to packaging designs delivered to  Performance-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 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 experience, with innovation and packaging design experience and project leadership experience (consumer goods, food & beverage, pharma or similar preferred).   ​ 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.   ​ K nowledge of packaging design and innovation, DVF (Desirability, Viability, Feasibility) a plus   ​ Effective communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work with cross-functional partners and external suppliers.   ​ Industrial design experience for packaging materials, shapes, formats, with proven examples of commercialized innovations across   different   packaging formats   a plus   ​ 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 .   ​ Willingness and ability to travel 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 expectat