Manager, Packaging Engineering

American Sugar Refining, Inc.; Boca Raton (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

American Sugar Refining, Inc. seeks a Packaging Engineering Manager to lead the packaging team across product development and commercialization.

The role partners with Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Procurement, and external suppliers to deliver packaging programs that meet quality, cost, and sustainability targets. Reporting to the VP of Product Development and Innovation, you will coach engineers, set priorities, and build technical capability while maintaining rigorous risk management and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering or related field.
• Seven+ years packaging development experience.
• Experience leading engineers and managing portfolios.
• Strong knowledge of packaging materials and testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead Packaging Engineering team and develop capabilities.
• Translate priorities into an executable packaging portfolio.
• Oversee stage-gate processes and risk management.
• Guide packaging development from concept to commercialization.
• Collaborate with Operations, Quality, Procurement, and suppliers.
• Drive continuous improvement in packaging programs.

Skills

People leadership

Business judgment

Prioritization

Technical credibility

Communication

Ambiguity management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

CAPe

SAP

Specification systems

Data-analysis tools

Job description

The ASR Group® family of companies make up the world’s largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar. The companies produce a full line of grocery, industrial, foodservice and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group® companies operate five sugar refineries, located in California, Maryland, Louisiana, Canada and Mexico. In Europe, ASR Group® companies operate sugar refineries in the United Kingdom, Portugal, and, with a joint venture partner, Italy. The companies also farm sugarcane and own sugar mills in Mexico and Belize. The ASR Group® portfolio includes the leading brands Domino®, C&H®, Florida Crystals®, Redpath®, Tate & Lyle®, Lyle's®, Sidul® and Whitworths®. ASR Group® companies also produce and market Tellus®, a single-use, compostable tableware and foodservice product made from plant fibers, including sugarcane.

Overview

Reporting to the VP, Product Development and Innovation, the Manager, Packaging Engineering leads the Packaging Engineering team responsible for packaging innovation, renovation, cost optimization, sustainability, and technical support across the business. The Manager is accountable for building the capability and effectiveness of the team through coaching, development, clear expectations, and meaningful feedback, while ensuring packaging programs are appropriately prioritized and successfully delivered from concept through commercialization. The role provides technical and organizational leadership and partners closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Procurement, Commercial, Product Development, and external suppliers.

Role Details & Responsibilities

People Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Packaging Engineering team members by establishing clear expectations, goals, priorities, and accountability.
• Provide regular feedback, coaching, and development opportunities that build technical capability, project leadership, communication, and business judgment.
• Create meaningful development plans and stretch assignments that prepare team members for increasingly complex responsibilities.
• Assess team capacity and capability, identify skill or resource gaps, and develop or acquire the capabilities needed to support current and future business priorities.
• Build an environment of technical rigor, collaboration, ownership, continuous learning, constructive challenge, and effective knowledge sharing.
• Support talent selection, onboarding, performance management, succession planning, and recognition for the Packaging Engineering team.

Portfolio & Business Leadership

• Translate business priorities into clear departmental goals and an executable packaging portfolio.
• Prioritize packaging resources and projects based on business impact, technical risk, timing, strategic fit, and organizational capacity.
• Ensure packaging programs follow the established stage-gate process and apply appropriate technical rigor, risk management, and stakeholder alignment.
• Communicate portfolio status, decisions, risks, resource constraints, and recommendations to functional and business leadership.
• Apply technical and business judgment to balance package performance, manufacturability, food safety and quality, cost, sustainability, supply continuity, and speed to market.

Technical Leadership

• Provide technical direction and coaching on complex packaging development, qualification, commercialization, and troubleshooting activities.
• Establish and continuously improve packaging specifications, test methods, qualification standards, technical documentation, and ways of working.
• Guide packaging test plans, plant trials, root-cause investigations, supplier development, and risk mitigation activities.
• Maintain awareness of emerging packaging materials, converting technologies, equipment, sustainability requirements, and industry practices, and translate relevant developments into business opportunities.
• Partner with suppliers and external technical resources to expand capability and deliver packaging solutions aligned with quality, cost, performance, and service requirements.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Represent Packaging Engineering across Product Development, Operations, Quality, Procurement, Supply Chain, Commercial, and other business functions.
• Clarify technical decision rights, resolve cross-functional issues, and facilitate timely decisions when requirements or priorities conflict.
• Build effective relationships across manufacturing locations and with external suppliers to improve execution, standardization, and knowledge transfer.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education & Work Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering, Packaging Science, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering field; advanced degree is preferred but not required.
• Seven or more years of packaging development experience, preferable in food, beverage, consumer packaged goods, or a multi-site manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading, coaching, and developing engineers or other technical professionals; prior direct supervisory responsibility is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex packaging programs from concept through commercialization and to manage a portfolio of competing priorities.
• Broad working knowledge of packaging materials, converting processes, package testing, distribution requirements, and packaging equipment.
• Experience with packaging qualification, plant trials, root-cause analysis, supplier development, specification management, and technical risk assessment.
• Strong project management, organizational change, communication, and stakeholder influence skills across multiple levels of an organization.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word; experience with CAPE, SAP, specification systems, and data-analysis tools is preferred.

Essential Capabilities

• People leadership: builds trust, sets clear expectations, delegates effectively, provides candid and useful feedback, and develops others.
• Business judgment: connects technical decisions to customer value, operational performance, cost, risk, and long-term capability.
• Prioritization and execution: focuses the team on the highest-value work and addresses resource constraints early.
• Technical credibility: provides sound direction, challenges assumptions, and raises the quality of technical decision-making.
• Communication and influence: explains complex issues clearly and aligns technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Comfort with ambiguity: creates structure and forward progress when information or requirements are incomplete.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

• Leads a small team, typically 1-5 direct reports, and provides indirect project leadership to cross-functional team members, suppliers, and external partners.

TRAVEL

• Approximately 25-30% domestic or international travel based on business needs

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other category protected under federal, state, or local law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.