Director Packaging North America

Colgate; Piscataway Township (NJ); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global consumer products company is seeking a Director of Packaging for North America. The role involves overseeing a 20-person team, managing packaging projects across various product categories, and ensuring alignment with business strategies. Candidates should have extensive packaging background and leadership experience, along with a commitment to innovation and sustainability.

Benefits

Relocation Assistance Offered Within Country

Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid parental leave

401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions

Minimum of 15 vacation/PTO days

13 paid holidays

Qualifications

• 15+ years of technical development/commercialization experience in Packaging, Supply Chain, R&D.
• 5+ years managing a cross-functional team in packaging development.

Responsibilities

• Lead the North American Division Packaging team.
• Manage budgets and develop talent within the team.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in packaging engineering, material science, mechanical or chemical engineering, or related field

Job description

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Established in 1806 as a small soap and candle business in New York City, Colgate-Palmolive is now a truly global company with products sold in over 200 countries and territories under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, elmex, Tom's of Maine, Sanex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, Haci Sakir, Suavitel, PCA SKIN, EltaMD, Filorga and Hello as well as Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet.

Colgate-Palmolive is a leading consumer products company that serves hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide with brands and products across four core businesses – Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. We are committed to offering products that make lives healthier and more enjoyable, and programs that enrich communities around the world.

Every day millions of people trust our products to care for themselves and the ones they love. Our goal is to use our technology to create products that will continue to improve the quality of life for our consumers wherever they live.

A career at Colgate-Palmolive is an excellent opportunity if you seek a global experience, constant challenge, and development opportunities in an environment that respects work/life effectiveness.

Job Title: Director Packaging North America

Travel Required?: Travel - 25% of time

Date: May 30, 2025

Hybrid

Relocation Assistance Offered Within Country
Job Number#167401 - Piscataway, New Jersey, United States

Who We Are

Colgate-Palmolive Company is a global consumer products company operating in over 200 countries specializing in Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care, Skin Care, and Pet Nutrition. Our products are trusted in more households than any other brand in the world, making us a household name!

Join Colgate-Palmolive, a caring, innovative growth company reimagining a healthier future for people, their pets, and our planet. Guided by our core values—Caring, Inclusive, and Courageous—we foster a culture that inspires our people to achieve common goals. Together, let's build a brighter, healthier future for all.

Reporting to the SVP Global Packaging, this person will lead the North American Division Packaging team, responsible for our Oral Care, Personal Care, & Home Care packaging teams in the region. This leader must demonstrate a high level of business leadership, technical packaging knowledge, and cross functional collaboration in our dynamic business environment.

This leader has the responsibility to lead the Packaging team to identify, build, develop and set priorities for all packaging projects in the Division, manufactured in our facilities or contract manufacturers. It includes all bundles for local sales or exported from the region and will work in close collaboration with the local Accelerator team. The responsibilities range from collaboration with business and R&D teams on concept generation, innovation, and new product development to artwork development and execution. In addition, this leader will be responsible for supporting and updating Global Packaging leadership to ensure there is full alignment with the business needs of Division Marketing, Global Marketing, and the Division Supply Chain.

Core Responsibilities:

Full organizational responsibility for the North American Division Packaging team, roughly 20 professionals.

Organization development, talent/performance management, succession planning, rewards and recognition, retention. Recruitment of talent from internal and external sources.

Creation and adherence to Budgets

Team training and compliance

2) Lead the Packaging team with responsibilities such as:

Identify, build, technical development, qualification and launch of new products, internally and contract manufactured.

Graphic design adaptation and execution of global and regional product bundles; Artwork Management

Regional Packaging & Plastics Sustainability Strategy

Development of competitive eCommerce, Shelf Ready and Specialty Packaging.

Packaging savings initiatives to meet Function, Division, and Category goals

Delivery of packaging that meets all Quality and Regulatory requirements.

3) Key deliverables and performance measures include:

New product launches that meet business goals and strategies

A pipeline of Packaging innovations and opportunities for commercial testing and development

A roadmap of emerging technologies and Packaging opportunity spaces.

New forms and product adjacencies leveraging agility, test and learns, and speed to market.

Continuous improvement of all packaging forms to ensure long term viability and profitability.

Ongoing industry landscaping, benchmarking and competitive analysis

4) Align Packaging efforts with Global Design & Packaging, Supply Chain, Product Development and Innovation teams:

New Product Launch Grids

Funding the Growth Savings Initiatives

Package testing, validations, specifications and approvals; Regulatory compliance

Artwork development, commercialization, and approvals

5) Advise & share best practices on key packaging:

Quality improvement

Sustainability

Funding the Growth Savings initiatives

6) Develop Organization Capabilities:

Continuous expansion of the Packaging team capabilities and preparing the team for future growth opportunities.

Building a Growth Mindset

Develop and lead succession planning initiatives.

Ensure external partnerships to create a pipeline of future talent

Required Qualifications:

Bachelors Degree in packaging engineering, material science, mechanical or chemical engineering, or related field

15+ years of technical development/commercialization experience in Packaging, Supply Chain, R&D, or other key Corporate functions

5+ years of demonstrated experience managing a cross-functional team of engineering, design, and artwork professionals in development and implementation of all components of packaging

Experience in vendor management and sourcing related to packaging materials

Preferred Qualifications:

MBA or Master’s

Financial acumen - proved experience in managing budgets, optimizing cost and building business cases

willingness to to travel 25%

Key Packaging Linkage in Matrix Organization:

Close alignment with Global Heads of Packaging Innovation and Category Packaging

Critical Partners include

Division President, VP Division Marketing, Marketing Directors

VP E2E Supply Chain, VP Supply

Director(s) of GTC

Division peers in Marketing, Network Operations, Procurement, Quality, Regulatory

Compensation and Benefits
Salary Range $170,000.00 - $237,000.00 USD

Pay is determined based on experience, qualifications, and location. Salaried employees may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, profit-sharing, and long-term incentives for Executive-level roles.

Benefits: Salaried employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance, paid parental leave, disability coverage, and participation in the 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions subject to eligibility requirements. Additional benefits include a minimum of 15 vacation/PTO days (hourly employees receive a minimum of 120 hours) and 13 paid holidays (vacation days are prorated based on the employee's hire date within the calendar year). Paid sick leave is adjusted based on role and location in accordance with local laws. Detailed information regarding paid sick leave entitlements will be provided to employees upon hiring and may be subject to adjustments based on changes in legislation or company policies.

Our Commitment to Inclusion
Our journey begins with our people—developing strong talent with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to best serve our consumers around the world and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels a true sense of belonging. We are dedicated to ensuring that each individual can be their authentic self, is treated with respect, and is empowered by leadership to contribute meaningfully to our business.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Colgate is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, veteran status (United States positions), or any other characteristic protected by law.

Reasonable accommodation during the application process is available for persons with disabilities. Please complete this request form should you require accommodation.

For additional Colgate terms and conditions, please click here .

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