Packaging Development Manager - FMCG Innovation Lead

Job Title: Food Packaging Development Manager

This position has now been filled, but has been left on our website as we have other similar vacancies to this on an ongoing basis that might interest you. More importantly, we have vacancies that are not advertised due to their confidential nature therefore it would certainly be in your interest to email your CV, as a word document, depending on which sector you are in, to :

Board level, account management and all levels of sales vacancies -

Our divisional heads will then email your CV internally to the consultant who specialises in your exact sector, for example a category of packaging is cartons, a category of print is print management, in fact we have over 30 specialist categories. Our specialist consultant will contact you if we have a live vacancy that matches, or contact you in the near future as soon a good match to skill set and experience becomes available.

A multinational food manufacturer, which is home to some of the most loved brands, has a key opening within its in-house packaging division. This is the chance to join an ambitious and fast growing company investing heavily in iconic global brands, infrastructure and people

Innovation through product and packaging development, continuous value improvement and consumer perceived Quality superiority vs. competition are critical and key to delivering the business targets. As a member of the Packaging team, the Packaging Development Manager role is key in developing and delivering the Category growth plan with a specific focus on incremental growth through Packaging. This can be in the form of asset driven innovation and/ or new technology.

This is an exciting role where you will be expected to provide direct input to relevant packaging development projects and working with the technical operations team members to deliver the program. You will work closely with extended team members to deliver projects, and you will have the opportunity to develop new packaging formats, innovation in packaging and potential value improvement programmes.

What will be your key results?

• Delivery of the agreed Packaging programme, working closely with Marketing, Product Development and Operations to introduce new/improved packaging into production and to drive continuous improvement in costs of existing packaging operations.
• Owner of packaging specifications and implementation processes.
• Provide support to sites to ensure delivery of solutions, work with the other Packaging team members and build on their combined expertise in the creation of new Packaging solutions, as required.
• Provide project management documentation and communication for packaging including time-plans and risk assessments.
• Provide packaging expertise to support technical aspects of the Procurement strategic packaging agenda
• Create packaging specifications in line with project requirements; ensuring legislative and regulatory compliance, fitness for purpose including functional performance related attributes and compliance aspects.
• Lead the creation and delivery of other relevant packaging documentation e.g. cutter guides, pallet patterns, component drawings, general specifications, technical standards, travel tests and results, line trial protocols and reports.
• Ensure all quality testing is carried out for new packaging formats, e.g. shelf-life, taint and odour, travel tests.
• Attend relevant Factory Development Meetings and ensure clear communication of issues and opportunities.
• Develop success criteria and trial protocol improvements with factories for new machinery and materials including acceptance testing for major manufacturing initiatives.
• Hold regular meetings with suppliers and other external groups to ensure packaging knowledge is continually updated.

What do you need for this role?

• Qualified by: Degree or equivalent in food or related science, HND or higher qualification in Packaging, Engineering, Design or equivalent. (Degree or equivalent in food or related science will make you really stand out from the crowd).
• Demonstrable experience in an FMCG environment in a Packaging Technical role with a proficiency across a broad range of packaging materials and their respective machinery interfaces (Exceptional understanding of performance characteristics of flexible plastics, rigid plastics, carton board, corrugated and tins would be preferred).
• Sound understanding of: business terminology; product to market and technical systems; common business tools and databases; Microsoft Office; SAP
• Strong technical background, a proven communicator and team building/motivating experience
• Experience of planning, managing and reviewing factory trials
• A proven knowledge of Basic Food Hygiene

We ask that you only apply for any of our vacancies if you are resident in the UK and you work / have recently worked in the print, packaging or paper sectors .

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Attach CV

We prefer MS Word format (.doc or .docx)

Being the largest recruitment company in print, packaging and paper we receive new vacancies on a daily basis. The software we use to "skill match" can "read" a word document but not a PDF. You will be considered for many more positions if your CV is in word format.

The following section is OPTIONAL however if you have the time it would help tremendously in us matching you to over 300 positions (the average number we have at any one time).