Application Engineering Manager, Food Service Packaging

Sealed Air Corporation; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 103,000 - 177,000; Full time

Job summary

Sealed Air Corporation is seeking an Application Engineering Manager, Food Service Packaging in Charlotte, NC. This hybrid role combines in-office leadership (Mon-Thu) with remote work on Fridays to develop innovative, cost-effective packaging solutions aligned with our strategy.

You will lead an engineering team, collaborate with Commercial, Supply Chain and R&D, and drive technology opportunities while ensuring safety and timely delivery of projects. Travel up to 10% is expected.

Qualifications

• BSc/MSc/PhD in Packaging Engineering or Food Science required.
• Experience in packaging material and systems.
• 5–10 years in food packaging evaluation/design/development.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach ADS engineers to deliver projects.
• Plan resources and forecast talent needs.
• Integrate voice-of-customer into roadmaps.
• Collaborate with Business, Supply Chain and R&D.
• Communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Act as technical reference for engineering solutions.
• Support cross-functional teams for growth.
• Travel domestically and internationally up to 10%.

Skills

Team management

Presentation skills

Project management

Communication skills

Travel flexibility

Food packaging knowledge

Education

Packaging Engineering or Food Science degree

Interdisciplinary engineering exposure

Job description

Sealed Air designs and delivers packaging solutions that protect essential goods transported worldwide, preserve food, enable e-commerce and digital connectivity, and help create a global supply chain that is touchless, safer, less wasteful, and more resilient. We strive to foster a caring, high-performance growth culture that will deliver consistent, sustainable profitable growth and accelerate our performance – a culture where accountability is clear and aligned, and where we reward business outcomes and impact. That culture guides everything we do, including how we partner with our customers and suppliers, how we attract and retain top talent, and how we create and deliver value to our stakeholders. In 2025, Sealed Air generated $5.4 billion in sales and has approximately 16,100 employees who serve customers in 119 countries/territories. To learn more, visit www.sealedair.com.

Job Description

Sealed Air is looking to hire an Application Engineering Manager, Food Service Packaging who will be reporting to the Director of Food Service R&D, this role is responsible for advancing the R&D mission by developing and delivering innovative, sustainable, robust, and cost-effective product solutions aligned with corporate strategy.

The Application Development Engineering team evaluates new products and adapts existing solutions for new applications. It partners with the Commercial, Supply Chain and R&D organizations to grow and defend our vertical packaging systems (material and equipment).

Externally, ADS team collaborates closely with customers to ensure smooth transition of new products or applications into scaled commercial solutions. Moreover, ADS team gathers valuable insight into future innovation via collaboration and discussion and purposeful observation at our customer sites.

The ADS Manager plays a pivotal role in leading and coaching Food Service ADS engineers while collaborating closely with internal and external customers.

This role is located in Charlotte, NC and will be hybrid in office Monday - Thursday and flexible to be remote on Fridays.

Key Responsibilities

• Safety: Ensure adherence to safety protocol and promote safety culture.
• Execution: Allocate team resources for timely delivery of project with various delivery horizons and impact.
• Planning: Maintain a data-driven forecast of resources and talent needs.
• People leadership: Coach team members, follow through on development plans, training and knowledge sharing in the community of practice.
• Strategic leadership: Discover and explore new business, unmet market needs, and technology opportunities in partnership with Business teams, technical experts, and leadership. Integrate coherently the voice-of-customer and competitive landscape into future projects and product roadmap.
• Cross-functional support: Support Business, Supply chain, and Quality teams to support business maintenance and growth
• Communication: Collaborate and communicate effectively in a cross functional organization. Use strong presentation skills to present to audiences with diverse backgrounds and connect technical concepts to business outcomes.
• Act as a technical reference: Serve as the team's technical expert, guiding engineers on the best technical approach, problem-solving methods, and execution strategies to ensure successful project delivery.

Qualifications

• BSc, MSc or PhD in Packaging Engineering or Food Science
• With suitable exposure to packaging material and systems: Chemical, Mechanical or Materials Engineering,
• 5 to 10 years of industrial and/or research and development experience in food packaging evaluation, design, or development.

Additional Qualifications

• Experience managing teams.
• Strong presentation and communication skills, including the ability to break down projects into actionable work blocks.
• Strong project management skills
• Creative and resourceful, pulls together the necessary tools, equipment, and people, to get the job done.
• Flexible to travel domestically and internationally, at least 10%.
• Understanding of food service and liquid packaging, vertical form-fill-seal application and equipment

Pay Transparency

Base Compensation Range: $102,600 - $176,755

The range disclosed complies with applicable state and local pay transparency laws. Offers within this range will be determined by considering relevant factors including education, experience, and internal alignment. This position may also be eligible for annual performance bonuses and other incentive programs. Sealed Air offers a competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, 401(k), paid time off, and other benefits designed to promote well-being.

Requisition id: 56710

Relocation: Yes

Sealed Air is committed to attracting, selecting, and developing talent that reflects the diversity of the communities and customers we serve. We take pride in our selection process to identify, infuse, and grow talent to align with our culture, values, and norms. Sealed Air prioritizes talent development, fostering a culture of continuous growth and career progression. The company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and to all employees, without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, protected disability, veteran status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.