Packaging Engineer

Manpower UK; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Manpower is seeking an interim Packaging Engineer in Liverpool to lead packaging development across primary and secondary components for Elida Beauty brands. Hybrid role with in-office presence and UK supplier travel as required, for a 6-month period.

The role involves collaboration with R&D, Marketing, Supply Management, and suppliers to advance packaging concepts, testing, and specifications while considering environmental impact and regulatory needs.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years developing and delivering packaging solutions to market.
• Experience with primary and secondary packaging formats.
• Understanding of regulatory and safety considerations in packaging.
• Ability to manage supplier relationships and project timelines.

Responsibilities

• Lead packaging development activities for primary and secondary components.
• Coordinate testing with suppliers and internal teams across packaging formats.
• Ensure packaging concepts meet supply chain, formulation, consumer and brand requirements.
• Assess environmental impact and drive cost and innovation opportunities.
• Maintain packaging specifications and manage cross-functional project delivery.

Skills

Packaging engineering

Packaging development

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory compliance

Supplier management

Project coordination

Education

Formal packaging qualification

Job description

Manpower are currently seeking an interim Packaging Engineer to work with our global FMCG client, Elida Beauty, renowned for brands such as TIGI, VO5, Toni & Guy, and Brylcreem, and become an integral part of their fast-paced FMCG environment.
The position is based in Liverpool. This is a full-time temporary role for 6 months, requiring 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday. Compensation for this role is competitive, paying between £32,000 - 38,000 per annum, pro rata, depending upon experience.
The role currently offers a mix of remote and onsite working, subject to adjustment based on business requirements.

Position Summary

The Packaging Engineer will work closely with all internal experts (R&D, Marketing, Supply Management, Supply Chain) and external suppliers to cover all aspects of the development and testing of new packaging to support the portfolio of Elida Beauty brands. This is a Hybrid role with the expectation to be in the office 3 Days a week and where required travel to suppliers both in the UK and occasionally abroad.

Main Purpose of the job

• Lead packaging development for projects across primary and secondary pack components.
• A diverse packaging portfolio led by rigid plastics and aerosols, complemented by glass EDT and flexible formats, offering broad exposure to packaging innovation and technologies.
• Work as part of the project team to coordinate and manage the testing of all elements of packaging through 3Ps and suppliers
• Input broader packaging thinking to x-functional team, such as claims opportunities, cost opportunities and new trend space identification

Role Accountabilities

• Lead the packaging development activities. including providing technical guidance to design agencies, suppliers and marketing. Responsibility for all packaging elements throughout complete supply chain - including primary and secondary development.
• Develop new, or modify existing, packaging which is compatible with supply chain, formulation, consumer and brand requirements and safety and regulatory needs. Ensure the pack will function as expected and has been demonstrated as such via relevant testing and interpretation of results, and creation of relevant specifications.
• Understand environmental footprint and impact of packaging options.
• Lead delivery of packaging related project elements through proactive input into x-functional teams - ensuring risks are identified, understood and mitigated. Ensure timings, risks and expectations of packaging related activities are both ambitious and correctly recognised within project plans.
• Manage and lead technical relationships with suppliers to deliver new hardware designs, component qualifications, colour developments and artwork approaches. Maintain necessary intellectual property rights of all parties.

Critical Competencies

• Minimum 3 years' experience in developing and delivering packaging solutions to market as part of savings and/or innovation programmes.
• Formal packaging qualification is preferred
• Experience of beyond rigid plastic development is ideal
• Experience on aerosol format is a plus given the importance of this category within our portfolio.
• Experience and knowledge of key processes in both primary and secondary pack development, selection and qualification
• Include creation and validation of specifications
• A creative, logical and analytical mind to generate innovative design solutions to technical design problems.
• Ability to apply business leadership skills understanding and prioritise the impact of design decisions on cost, consumer and environment.
• You will need to be enthusiastic and self-motivated with good verbal and written communication skills. Able to communicate design and engineering principles to people at all levels of the business, across different functions.
• Experience of working in partnership with x-functional partners beneficial, especially Supply Chain and quality

We are looking for someone who can combine the technical knowledge of a Packaging Engineer, with an entrepreneurial mindset and considerations of a complete product developer - to constantly keep one-step ahead with competitive and game-changing innovations.
You are a change maker:
You are constantly looking to improve the world and consumer experiences through package development, and create new ways to deliver more value to Elida Beauty's business growth.
You are a born leader:
By combining technical knowledge with a passion for creative problem-solving, you never hesitate to act when faced project obstacles.
You love to win, and have fun doing it:
An infectious passion for success is a must. You are detail-orientated with an ability to manage multiple fast-track projects in a collaborative team environment.
You are a story teller:
You communicate technical packaging successes by translating into a business impact message. You adapt to an audience and influence direction across project functions and categories.
On going packaging development projects and cross-functional collaboration.
The role supports daily packaging projects, supplier engagement, packaging specification development, and collaboration with marketing, technical, and project teams.
Prior experience with the internal packaging specification system is not required, as training will be provided

Key Responsibilities

• Attend and contribute to project meetings.
• Support packaging development initiatives.
• Engage with suppliers to assess capabilities and development opportunities.
• Work across marketing, technical, and project leadership teams.
• Create and maintain packaging specifications.
• Provide technical direction relating to packaging solutions.
• Support project delivery and stakeholder alignment.

Required Skills & Experience

Must-Haves

• Packaging engineering experience.
• Exposure to packaging development projects.
• Strong stakeholder management capability.
• Ability to work cross-functionally.
• Project coordination/project management awareness.
• Experience creating packaging specifications

Preferred

• Experience with rigid packaging ("rigidity" mentioned within the discussion/job description context).
• Understanding of packaging systems and technical documentation workflows