Director, Packaging Innovation

Kinder's Premium Quality Seasonings & Sauces; Walnut Creek (CA); On-site; USD 215,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k

Bonus eligibility

Equity grants

Parental leave

Job summary

Kinder's Premium Quality Seasonings & Sauces in Walnut Creek seeks a Director of Packaging Innovation to lead early exploration, design, and supplier partnerships as we expand into new categories and packaging formats. You will shape sustainability, material choices, and a future packaging strategy across our portfolio.

You will partner with the Innovation team and report to the VP of Innovation, building a high-impact, hands-on team while collaborating with Packaging Engineering and Packaging

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in packaging innovation, packaging development, packaging engineering, or related role.
• Experience in CPG/food/beverage packaging formats and sustainability focus.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional packaging programs from exploration to launch.

Responsibilities

• Lead packaging exploration from early ideation for the Innovation team.
• Drive design and prototyping of new formats for primary and secondary packaging.
• Collaborate with Packaging Engineering and Packaging Sourcing through scale-up and launch.
• Shape sustainability and future packaging vision across Kinder's portfolio.
• Build and manage a packaging innovation roadmap with cross-functional partners.

Skills

Packaging Innovation

CPG / Food & Beverage

Packaging Design

Project Management

Cross-functional Leadership

Excel & PowerPoint

3D CAD basics

Education

Bachelor's degree in Packaging, Engineering, Materials Science, or related field

Tools

Wrike

SolidWorks

Esko ArtiosCAD

Cape Pack / TOPS Pro

PLM systems

Job description

BUILT ON FLAVOR. FUELED BY PEOPLE.

What's it like to work at Kinder's? Well, there's a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we all cooked over the weekend. Beyond that, there's also plenty of hard work. Because we don't just like flavor, we're obsessed with it.

With over 100 products sold nationwide, we're now a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We're not your typical CPG company. Privately held and founder-led, we like to think of ourselves as a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless. We chart our own course and chase big ideas to make food unforgettable.

As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we need more smart-and-scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you're looking for a place where you can see the real impact of your work... this is it! Every day, you'll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.

About The Role

The Director of Packaging Innovation at Kinder's will play a pivotal role in bringing new products to life as we move beyond our dry seasonings, packets, and sauce bottles into new categories, and in rethinking packaging materials, formats, and the overall packaging experience across our existing portfolio. You will partner with the Innovation team to think about packaging early, starting as soon as we begin exploring a new category, and lead packaging from exploration and design through partner research and supplier selection before handing over to Packaging Engineering and Packaging Sourcing to take it through launch. You will also help shape our vision for the future of packaging at Kinder's, including sustainability and alternative materials.

This role requires a hands-on leader with deep packaging design and development expertise, an established network of packaging partners, and the ability to work closely with a multifunctional group of partners, especially Packaging Engineering and Packaging Sourcing. In this role, you will report to the VP of Innovation, starting as a player-coach with the expectation of building and leading a team over time.

Key Responsibilities Include

Packaging Innovation Strategy & Early Exploration

• Lead packaging exploration for the Innovation team from the earliest stages of category and product ideation
• Explore packaging formats, shapes, and forms to unlock new categories and innovative product formats
• Shift from exploration into design, using human centered principles as the guide for delivering winning propositions for our consumers
• Screen packaging concepts early for cost and executability, and frame the feasibility questions Packaging Engineering will answer, helping the team make informed decisions about which opportunities to pursue
• Bring a point of view on how packaging can create consumer value, differentiate on shelf, and support brand permission in new spaces
• Collaborate with Finance, Co-manufacturing, and other cross-functional partners to frame packaging investment needs (tooling, materials, equipment, partner capabilities) and trade-offs as part of fit-for-purpose business cases, ensuring packaging execution is considered at the start
• Lead the renovation and reframing of packaging materials and formats across our existing portfolio, from consumer-facing format changes to new material systems

Design, Prototyping, and Internal & External Partnerships

• Lead partner research: get out and meet new packaging partners (suppliers, converters, co-manufacturers, design agencies, and technology partners), push our standards, and bring new options into our process. Select suppliers for new formats once Packaging Engineering (tooling and manufacturing partners) and Packaging Sourcing (material inputs) have confirmed partners can deliver.
• Drive packaging design and development for new formats across primary and secondary packaging through prototyping and consumer testing, and define the requirements Packaging Engineering needs for feasibility and scale-up
• Work with a multifunctional group of partners, including Product Development, Operations, Sourcing, Supply Chain, Commercialization, Creative, Sales, Regulatory, and Finance to ensure relevant development considerations, retailer requirements, and execution trade-offs are built into the overall structural design, materials restrictions (e.g., due to product formulation requirements), space for branding, packaging claims, and more
• Hand selected designs and partners to Packaging Engineering for qualification, technical validation, and trials, staying consulted on design requirements through scale-up

Sustainability & Future of Packaging

• Help define the vision for the future of packaging, and build a multi-year packaging innovation roadmap, connected to our innovation pipeline, that feeds into Kinder's overall packaging strategy
• Maintain line of sight into sustainability, exploring next-generation and alternative materials and evaluating their executability for new product lines, designing sustainability into new formats from the start where it makes sense
• Identify where Kinder's should invest in new packaging capabilities, materials, or partners, and build the case for those investments with leadership
• Stay ahead of packaging trends, technologies, and regulations, bringing that outside-in perspective back into the organization

Packaging Innovation Tools & Ways of Working

• Build practical tools that help the Innovation team evaluate and advance packaging opportunities (e.g., early feasibility screens, partner evaluations, format libraries, cost and timing guides)
• Define what a successful handoff to Packaging Engineering looks like (e.g., drawings, prototypes, selected partners, test results, partner contacts, open risks), aligned with Kinder's packaging specifications and balanced with our entrepreneurial pace
• Grow into building and leading a packaging innovation team as the function scales

Skills + Experience:

• 15+ years of experience in packaging innovation, packaging development, packaging engineering, or a related role
• CPG, food, or beverage experience preferred; we welcome experience from other categories (e.g., beauty, personal care) where format innovation moves fast
• Demonstrated experience thinking about packaging formats in many ways, shapes, and forms, with a track record of taking new formats from concept to launch
• A network of packaging partners you have worked with in the past to help bring new ideas to reality
• Experience with both primary and secondary packaging
• Experience with sustainable packaging and alternative materials, including trade-offs and what it takes to execute them
• Working knowledge of food packaging regulations, food-contact requirements, and labeling and claims considerations
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional stakeholders, communicate complex issues clearly, and build alignment around decisions
• Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint; experience in project management tools a plus (we currently use Wrike)
• Familiarity with packaging design and development tools a plus, such as 3D CAD (e.g., SolidWorks), structural design (e.g., Esko ArtiosCAD), pallet and case optimization (e.g., Cape Pack, TOPS Pro), and specification/PLM systems
• Hands-on experience with rapid prototyping methods (e.g., 3D printing, sample cutting tables) to bring early concepts to life
• Bachelor's degree in Packaging, Engineering, Materials Science, Food Science, or a related field (advanced degree a plus)

Pay Transparency

The expected starting salary range for this role is $215,000- $240,000 per year. The salary range posted for this role reflects the good-faith base pay range Kinder's reasonably expects to offer at the time of posting and may vary based on the location of the role. Individual compensation within the posted range will be determined based on factors such as relevant education, experience, qualifications, skills, and business needs.

Seasoned For Success

• No two days here are the same.
• We try to be good team members and good communicators, but we don't live by hierarchy and structure - everyone is a difference maker here.
• We make a lot of decisions in the face of incomplete information - our team embraces ambiguity and tries to make good decisions fast rather than great decisions slow.
• We believe our job is to take smart risk, not to eliminate risk.
• We believe in growing our skills and becoming a better company with more managerial expertise, but we are an entrepreneurial company at heart.
• We aren't trying to be average - we want to do exceptional things, and we are willing to work hard to achieve them.

Benefits That Bring More To The Table

We offer a range of total rewards that may include paid time off, 401k, bonus / incentive eligibility, equity grants, competitive health benefits, and other family-friendly benefits, including parental leave. Kinder's benefits vary based on eligibility and can be reviewed in more detail during the interview process.

Our Recipe For Balance

We believe great culture starts with people. We're a people-first company built on connection, collaboration, and balance. Most of our work happens in the office to spark creativity and community, but we also offer flexibility so team members have the autonomy to work outside the office when needed to support their work-life balance and personal commitments.

Where Every Ingredient Matters

Kinder's is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need any accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, please reach out to us at [e-mail]