Contract Packaging Engineer

Exploding Kittens, Inc.; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 21,000 - 28,000; Part time

Job summary

Exploding Kittens, Inc. in Los Angeles seeks a Packaging Engineer for a part-time, temporary contract to develop packaging for our games. You will create dielines, size boxes, and optimize packouts, ensuring durability, cost-effectiveness, and manufacturability.

Collaborate with Art, PMO, and Production to align with product goals and customer experience. The role is ~15–20 hours per week for about three months, with potential extension based on business needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering, Structural Packaging Design, Product Design, or related field.
• Strong proficiency in Illustrator and InDesign; CAD or 3D modeling experience is a plus.
• Experience in toy, game, consumer product, or retail packaging.
• Strong understanding of packaging manufacturing processes, materials, construction methods, dielines, and production requirements.
• Ability to review BOMs and component lists, understand product packout needs, and recommend appropriate box sizes, insert structures, instruction formats, and packaging component dimensions.
• Excellent organization and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple SKUs and deadlines simultaneously.
• Clear visual, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to present structural recommendations, risks, tradeoffs, problems, and solutions to different audiences.
• Comfort working under tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy, quality, and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Execute packaging engineering and die line creation for new games, including boxes, inserts, trays, instructions, packout, and other packaging components.
• Review the Bills of Materials (BOMs) and other supporting documentation to understand game contents in order to provide appropriate sizing for the game box and all internal components based on component count, product goals, shelf considerations, cost targets, and customer experience.
• Recommend insert tray structures and packout solutions that organize and protect components while supporting ease of setup, intuitive unboxing and repacking, cost efficiency, and production feasibility.
• Work cross-functionally with Art, PMO, and Production to ensure packaging supports product goals, creative direction, player experience, manufacturing requirements, and quality standards.
• Review factory adjusted die lines and provide clear feedback on structural changes, including whether to move forward with vendor recommendations. Identify and resolve structural, material, sizing, packout, or production issues before files move into final production.
• Identify opportunities for cost savings, material efficiency, production efficiency, and structural improvements without compromising quality, durability, or customer experience.
• Maintain clean, organized files with properly marked layers, specification, and naming conventions according to company standards.

Skills

Packaging design

BOM review

CAD/3D modeling

Illustrator/InDesign

Cross-functional collaboration

Packaging materials

Education

Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering or related

Tools

Illustrator

InDesign

CAD

Job description

The Packaging Engineer plays a critical role in bringing our games to life by developing structural packaging solutions from initial component review through production-ready files. In this role, you'll be responsible for creating and refining dielines, recommending box sizing and packout solutions, and ensuring every package is functional, durable, cost-effective, and ready for manufacturing.

The ideal candidate has experience designing packaging for consumer products, toys, games, or similar products, along with a strong understanding of packaging materials, manufacturing processes, and structural design. We're looking for someone who enjoys solving complex packaging challenges, has an exceptional eye for detail, and thrives in a collaborative, fast-paced environment. You'll partner closely with our Art, Project Management, and Production teams while supporting multiple products at various stages of development.

If you're someone who loves figuring out how everything fits together, gets excited about creating packaging that's both beautiful and functional, and enjoys finding smart, efficient solutions without compromising the customer experience, you'll fit right in.

This is a part-time, temporary contract position for the role of Packaging Engineer, requiring approximately 15-20 hours per week. The contract is anticipated to run for approximately three months, with the possibility of extension based on business needs.

What You'll Do

• Execute packaging engineering and custom die line creation for new games, including boxes, inserts, trays, instructions, packout, and other packaging components.


• Review the Bills of Materials (BOMs) and other supporting documentation to understand game contents in order to provide appropriate sizing for the game box and all internal components based on component count, product goals, shelf considerations, cost targets, and customer experience.


• Recommend insert tray structures and packout solutions that organize and protect components while supporting ease of setup, intuitive unboxing and repacking, cost efficiency, and production feasibility.


• Work cross-functionally with Art, PMO, and Production to ensure packaging supports product goals, creative direction, player experience, manufacturing requirements, and quality standards.


• Review factory adjusted die lines and provide clear feedback on structural changes, including whether to move forward with vendor recommendations. Identify and resolve structural, material, sizing, packout, or production issues before files move into final production.


• Identify opportunities for cost savings, material efficiency, production efficiency, and structural improvements without compromising quality, durability, or customer experience.


• Maintain clean, organized files with properly marked layers, specification, and naming conventions according to company standards.

What We Need

• Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering, Structural Packaging Design, Product Design, or a related field preferred.


• Strong proficiency in Illustrator and InDesign. Experience in CAD or 3D modeling software is a plus.


• Experience in toy, game, consumer product, or retail packaging experience preferred.


• Strong understanding of packaging manufacturing processes, materials, construction methods, dielines, and production requirements.


• Ability to review BOMs and component lists, understand product packout needs, and recommend appropriate box sizes, insert structures, instruction formats, and packaging component dimensions.


• Excellent organization and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple SKUs and deadlines simultaneously.


• Clear visual, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to present structural recommendations, risks, tradeoffs, problems, and solutions to different audiences.


• Comfort working under tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy, quality, and attention to detail.

$40 - $46 an hour

This salary represents a range for the position and will ultimately depend on the individual's qualifications and years of experience, location, and is subject to change.