Packaging Specifications Specialist

Unilever; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual bonus

Subsidised gym membership

Discounted staff shop

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Job summary

A leading consumer goods company in Leeds is seeking a Packaging Specifications Specialist to create and maintain packaging specification data critical for ensuring safe and compliant deodorant products. The ideal candidate will have a degree in a scientific or engineering discipline, experience with specifications, and strong problem-solving skills. This full-time role offers a competitive salary, an annual bonus, and various employee benefits in a hybrid working environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience with specifications through their lifecycle.
• Basic awareness of packaging legislation and regulatory frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Create, amend, approve, and release packaging specifications.
• Drive best in class data quality standards for packaging specifications.
• Act as key contact for troubleshooting issues across business units.

Skills

Data driven mindset

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Cross functional collaboration

Education

Degree in scientific or engineering discipline

Tools

PLM / AWS

Excel

Power BI

Job description

Job Title

Packaging Specifications Specialist

Business Function

R&D

Location

Leeds

Job Purpose

Great products don’t happen by accident. They are built on robust data, clear specifications and technical rigour. Packaging specifications are the backbone that enables safe manufacture, regulatory compliance, consistent quality and outstanding consumer experience. When specification data is right first time, innovation can move faster, risks are reduced and brands are protected. This role exists to create, maintain and future proof packaging specification data, ensuring it actively enables the delivery of safe, compliant and desirable deodorant products across a global portfolio.

You will be accountable for ensuring that packaging specification data is:

• Complete, accurate and compliant
• Fit for purpose across the full product lifecycle
• Trusted as a single source of truth
• Actively enabling better decisions, faster execution and stronger products

Operating at the intersection of R&D, Quality, Regulatory, Digital, Supply Chain and suppliers, you will translate complex technical and regulatory requirements into clear, usable specifications that underpin world class product delivery.

Responsibilities

• Packaging specifications development
• Create, amend, approve and release fit for purpose packaging specifications using strong technical judgement and rigour
• Ensure specifications enable safe manufacture, consistent quality and regulatory compliance throughout the product lifecycle
• Provides guidance to improve efficiency and accuracy of Deo packaging specifications, sharing best practice across Category and Business units
• Data quality, compliance & risk management
• Drive best in class data quality standards for packaging specifications
• Ensure full compliance with Unilever internal standards and global regulatory requirements
• Identify data gaps or inconsistencies, recommend actions required and implement solutions to close gaps.
• Protect brands and consumers by reducing the risk of non compliance, penalties or reputational impact
• Digital systems & continuous improvement
• Act as Packaging Specification SME and PLM / AWS Superuser
• Partner with Digital R&D to with inputs to improve system functionality, and carry out testing to ensure fit for purpose deployment.
• Drive continuous improvement of specification processes and ways of working across the category
• Cross Functional collaboration
• Work closely with Packaging R&D, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Supply Chain, Procurement and suppliers
• Lead alignment across global and BU teams, balancing speed with technical rigour
• Advisor and key contact for troubleshooting issues across Category and Business Units
• Capability & knowledge building
• Maintain the Deo Packaging Specification Portal
• Act as a key member of the Packaging Specification Community of Practice
• Train and support non-expert team members

All About You

Experience & background

• Degree level education in a scientific or engineering discipline
• R&D experience, with understanding of specifications and data quality
• Proven experience working with specifications through their lifecycle
• Basic awareness of packaging legislation and regulatory frameworks

Technical & professional strengths

• A data driven mindset with relentless attention to detail
• Solid understanding of packaging materials, test methods and quality evaluation
• Ability to translate complex information into clear, actionable outputs
• Confident problem solver who thrives in cross functional, global environments

Digital & analytical capability

• Expert user of PLM / AWS for specification management
• Strong affinity for digital tools, analytics and continuous optimisation
• Confident working with Excel, Power BI and harnessing data driven insights

What We Offer

Not only do we offer a competitive salary and pension scheme, we also offer an annual bonus, subsidised gym membership, a discounted staff shop and shares. You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We are a key advocate of wellbeing and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all.

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Unilever | Unilever.

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