Principal Engineer - Dairy & Protein Packaging Innovation
Principal Engineer - Dairy & Protein Packaging Innovation
An exciting opportunity for a seasoned engineering leader to drive technical excellence and innovation in food packaging-specializing in dairy and protein applications such as meat and cheese. This role combines strategic vision with hands-on technical expertise to deliver cutting-edge solutions across materials, equipment, and processes.
Key Responsibilities
Innovation Leadership
- Leads projects from concept through commercialization, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
- Maintains transparent communication and progress reporting across technical and leadership teams.
- Builds strong cross-functional partnerships to optimize resources and execution.
Continuous Improvement & Mentorship
- Champions a culture of innovation and collaboration.
- Facilitates ideation workshops and technical brainstorming sessions.
- Mentors engineering talent to foster growth and leadership.
Food Packaging Expertise
- Oversees technical trials and sample runs on production lines, focusing on meat and cheese packaging.
- Investigates raw material alternatives and implements substitutions for performance optimization.
- Provides technical support for commissioning and startup of new food-grade production lines.
- Applies deep knowledge of resin and additive properties to ensure compliance and quality.
Customer-Centric Innovation
- Identifies unmet market needs in dairy and protein packaging and develops tailored solutions.
- Builds expertise in film grades specific to meat and cheese applications for market alignment.
- Cultivates strong customer relationships to exceed expectations and drive growth.
Technical Collaboration
- Partners with Quality, Operations, Marketing, and Technical Services to deliver integrated solutions.
- Actively participates in technical strategy meetings and long-term innovation planning.
Innovation Culture & IP Awareness
- Promotes creative problem-solving and responsible risk-taking.
- Encourages best practices in intellectual property protection and innovation management.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Technology, or related field.
- Minimum of 8-10 years of technical engineering experience, preferably in food packaging (meat and/or cheese).
- Strong decision-making, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Additional Details
- Mix of office and production floor work; occasional lifting up to 40 lbs.
- Travel required to customer and internal locations.
FAQs
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