Packaging Engineer

Bare Home; Forest Lake (MN); On-site; USD 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

Short-Term Disability

Life Insurance

PFMLA Paid Leave

401(k) Retirement Plan with Company M​

Paid Time Off and Holidays

Career advancement opportunities

Job summary

Bare Home is seeking a Packaging Engineer to own packaging for bedding and home goods, from retail cartons to master cartons and container plans. You will supervise one Packaging Associate and drive a program that reduces fulfillment and freight costs significantly.

Candidate should have 3–5 years in packaging, a packaging degree, and strong Excel and communication skills to collaborate with Product Development, Sourcing, and Quality teams.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of packaging engineering or packaging development experience in consumer products, ecommerce, or related industries.
• Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering/Packaging Science strongly preferred; related engineering degree with packaging experience also considered.
• Experience with corrugated design, carton construction, pallet patterns, and container loading is required.
• Understanding of dimensional weight pricing and how packaging size affects costs.
• Familiarity with California Prop 65 and labeling requirements.

Responsibilities

• Design, specify, and recommend packaging for bedding and home textile products, including cartons, poly bags, inserts, labels, and closures.
• Develop master carton, pallet pattern, and container loading plans to maximize cube utilization from overseas factories to our MN distribution center.
• Create and maintain packaging specs and dielines; communicate with international vendors.
• Evaluate packaging samples for performance, print quality, and spec compliance before production.

Skills

Packaging engineering

Excel skills

Clear communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering/Packaging Science

Related engineering degree or 5+ years packaging experience

Tools

ArtiosCAD

SolidWorks

ISTA testing

Job description

Forest Lake / Columbus, Minnesota | On-Site | Full-Time

$75,000 – $90,000 per year (based on experience and skill set)

About Us

JP Ecommerce has been named one of the top-ten fastest-growing businesses in Minnesota by Inc. 5000 for the past four years in a row. We provide customers with high-quality bedding through our brand Bare Home. As a $100M+ e-commerce textile company, we source premium products from China, India, Pakistan, and Turkey.

We've grown from a small startup to a team of more than 90 employees, and we're continuing to expand as we scale our operations to support 30% year-over-year growth. Our collaborative, entrepreneurial culture means your work directly impacts how we design, ship, and deliver product — and the person who designs the packaging is the same person who gets to see it ship.

Position Overview

We're looking for a Packaging Engineer to own packaging for our bedding and home goods products — from the retail carton a customer opens, to the master carton, pallet pattern, and container plan that get it there. This is a hands-on, working-supervisor role: you'll do the daily engineering work yourself, supervise one Packaging Associate, and together own a packaging program where smarter design directly reduces our fulfillment and freight costs by six figures every year.

If you've spent a few years in packaging — consumer products, food, industrial, or even medical device — and you're ready to run your own program instead of a slice of someone else's, this role gives you the whole thing: design, cost, compliance, sustainability, and vendor execution. You'll work directly with our Product Development team and support Sourcing and Quality Control every day.

Direct Reports

One Packaging Associate.

What You’ll Do

• Design, specify, and recommend retail and e-commerce packaging for bedding and home textile products - cartons, poly bags, inserts, labels, and closures
• Develop master carton, pallet pattern (TiHi), and container loading plans that maximize cube utilization from overseas factories through our Columbus, MN distribution center
• Create and maintain packaging specifications and dielines, and communicate them clearly to international vendors alongside our Product Development and Sourcing teams
• Evaluate packaging samples for structural performance, print quality, and spec compliance before production approval
• Support transit and drop testing to reduce damage rates and returns

Cost & Dimensional Optimization

• Engineer packaging to the size and weight tiers that drive third-party fulfillment fees - including Amazon FBA dimensional weight, size-tier, and storage-fee thresholds
• Identify and execute right-sizing, material reduction, and compression opportunities across the catalog, with a clear cost-savings target you'll help set and report on
• Analyze packaging cost per unit across materials, freight, and fulfillment, and present recommendations with the numbers to back them

Compliance & Sustainability

• Own packaging and labeling compliance for our sales channels, including California Prop 65 warnings and state packaging and labeling requirements
• Stay ahead of emerging state packaging EPR and recycled-content laws and flag what's coming before it becomes a problem
• Drive sustainability improvements - material reduction, recyclability, and recycled content - that lower both environmental impact and cost
• Ensure packaging meets marketplace requirements such as Amazon packaging certification standards (SIOC / Frustration-Free Packaging)

Sourcing, Quality & Cross-Functional Support

• Support the Sourcing team in evaluating and qualifying packaging suppliers, comparing quotes, and resolving vendor packaging issues
• Partner with Quality Control on packaging-related defects, damage analysis, and corrective action with vendors
• Work directly with Product Development on new product launches so packaging is designed in from the start, not bolted on at the end
• Supervise, train, and develop one Packaging Associate - planning daily work, setting priorities, and building their skills
• Build simple, repeatable packaging processes and documentation that let the function scale as we grow

What You Need

Must-Haves

• 3–5 years of packaging engineering or packaging development experience (consumer products, e-commerce, food, industrial, or medical device backgrounds all welcome)
• Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering or Packaging Science (such as UW-Stout or Michigan State) strongly preferred; a related engineering or technical degree plus hands-on packaging experience, or 5+ years of direct packaging experience, will also be considered
• Working knowledge of corrugated design, carton construction, pallet patterns, and container loading
• Understanding of dimensional weight pricing and how packaging size drives fulfillment and freight costs
• Familiarity with California Prop 65 and consumer product labeling requirements
• Strong Excel skills for cost analysis, specifications, and savings tracking
• Clear written and verbal communication - including with international vendors
• Self-starter who can manage a small function independently, supervise one direct report, and take direction from leadership

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience with Amazon FBA packaging requirements, size tiers, and SIOC / Frustration-Free Packaging certification
• CAD or packaging design software experience (ArtiosCAD, SolidWorks, or similar)
• ISTA transit testing experience
• Experience with sustainable packaging materials and state EPR programs
• Prior experience in home goods, textiles, or consumer products

Pay: $75,000 – $90,000 per year (based on experience and skill set). This is an exempt, salaried position.

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Short-Term Disability (at no cost to employees)
• Life Insurance starting at $25,000 (at no cost to employees, with option to purchase additional coverage)
• Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) - Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Company Match
• Paid Time Off and Holidays
• Career advancement opportunities in a rapidly growing company

Location & Requirements

This position is 100% on-site at our Forest Lake/Columbus, Minnesota headquarters. Standard hours are Monday–Friday, 7:30 AM–4:30 PM, with some flexibility based on business needs. Occasional early morning calls with overseas vendors may be required.

We are only considering candidates who:

• Currently live in Minnesota or the immediate surrounding area
• Can reliably commute to our Forest Lake/Columbus location daily
• Are available for in-person interviews at our office

At Bare Home, we strive to create a culture where all people come first. We are committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce. Therefore, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Bare Home is an equal-opportunity employer, and by doing so, we aim to sustain and promote an inclusive culture that supports future growth for all.