Market Development Engineer for Food Packaging Growth

Kuraray America, Inc.; Pasadena (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare package

3 weeks PTO

10 company holidays

Parental leave

Education reimbursement

401k matching

Job summary

Kuraray America, Inc. is seeking a Market Development Engineer to drive EVAL adoption across the Americas, focusing on food packaging and sustainability. You will partner with brand owners, converters, and supply-chain colleagues to translate technical insights into market-ready solutions.

Travel ~30% to the US, North and South America, and collaborate with Sales, Marketing, R&D, and Sustainability teams to accelerate opportunities and publish success stories.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering, Packaging Engineering, Polymer Science, Plastics Engineering, Materials Science, or Mechanical Engineering.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in packaging, with direct experience collaborating with brands.
• Knowledge of business development, technical marketing, and customer-facing technical roles within the U.S. packaging market.
• Knowledge of plastic materials and converting processes (extrusion, lamination, printing).
• Understanding of food stability, shelf-life testing, and packaging performance evaluation.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and project management skills.
• Analytical, customer-oriented mindset with the ability to translate technical data into business value.
• Innovative mindset with adaptability to diverse working environments
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a dynamic, cross-functional environment.
• Candidates must have a valid driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Research global market trends, consumer demands, benchmark studies, recycling standards, and sustainability drivers.
• Actively engage with brand owners, particularly in the US market, to understand packaging pain points, sustainability targets, and commercialization constraints.
• Leverage industry relationships and network with brand owners to identify early-stage opportunities and influence material and structure selection.
• Support new product introductions through market analysis, application demonstrations, and compelling customer presentations.
• Identify and develop new market opportunities for EVAL in food packaging (primary focus), as well as pharma and selected industrial applications.
• Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams: with TS&D to develop viable technical solutions, with Sales to advance and close opportunities, and with Marketing Communications to document and publish successes.
• Work across the value chain (brand owners, converters, processors, equipment suppliers, resin suppliers, and food manufacturers) to develop case studies demonstrating sustainability, performance, and business value
• Coordinate extrusion trials on pilot-scale equipment to process EVOH in blown or cast film structures.
• Coordinate forming, filling, and sealing trials to evaluate packaging performance under realistic conditions.
• Represent the company in industry associations and technical forums, positioning EVAL as leading solutions for circular, recyclable high‑barrier packaging.
• Partner with Marketing Communications to develop publications, technical articles, and promotional content, coordinating approvals locally and globally (including with Kuraray Japan).
• Apply packaging expertise to assess food aging, oxygen and moisture sensitivity, recommend optimized packaging structures using the EVAL portfolio, and conduct food stability and shelf-life studies to support customer applications.
• Translate experimental results into customer-facing technical tools (data packages, value stories, demonstrations) that support market development and brand engagement.
• Generate application data, technical reports, and training materials for internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Travel (~30%) to customer and brand-owner sites, conferences, and international meetings across North and South America.
• Present technical findings, trial outcomes, and market insights to customers, brand owners, and internal stakeholders.
• Lead projects through influence, collaborating with cross‑functional and multicultural teams (R&D, Sales, Marketing, Technical Service) to drive commercialization.
• Contribute to product innovation, circular economy, and sustainability initiatives.
• Evaluate product performance, market impact, and customer or brand owner ROI.

Skills

Business development

Technical marketing

Customer-facing

Project management

Communication

Presentation

Packaging knowledge

Education

Bachelors in Chemical Engineering

Bachelors in Packaging Engineering

Job description

Kuraray America, Inc. is seeking a Market Development Engineer to drive EVAL adoption across the Americas, focusing on food packaging and sustainability. You will partner with brand owners, converters, and supply-chain colleagues to translate technical insights into market-ready solutions.

Travel ~30% to the US, North and South America, and collaborate with Sales, Marketing, R&D, and Sustainability teams to accelerate opportunities and publish success stories.