Packaging Engineer: Prototyping, Validation & Optimization

Clark Associates; Lancaster (Lancaster County); On-site; USD 80,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Dental

PTO

Paid Maternity Leave

Paid Parental Leave

Life Insurance

Disability

401(k) matching

Employee Assistance Program

Wellness Incentives

Job summary

Clark Associates, a Lancaster, PA-based family of companies serving the foodservice industry, is expanding its engineering team with a Packaging Engineer to design, develop, validate, and optimize packaging systems for new and existing products. This hands-on role combines design work in the lab with real-world testing in our warehouses.

You will partner with Procurement, Quality, Compliance, and Supply Chain to ensure packaging meets performance, cost, and sustainability standards, while

Qualifications

• 2–5 years in packaging development or package engineering
• Hands-on prototyping and testing experience
• Experience with ArtiosCAD or SolidWorks
• Knowledge of packaging validation and performance testing
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and project management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Occasional travel (less than 15%)
• 5 days on-site at Lancaster campus

Responsibilities

• Design and develop structural packaging solutions for new and existing products
• Lead packaging development projects from concept through commercialization
• Design packaging with software, then prototype and test physical versions in labs
• Plan and execute packaging validation testing (drop, vibration, compression, transit)
• Evaluate materials for functionality, quality, and cost
• Identify opportunities to reduce shipping costs via DIM weight optimization
• Develop packaging specifications, drawings, and technical documentation
• Analyze claims and data to identify root causes and drive corrective actions
• Track KPIs (damage rate, cost per package, DIM savings, complaints)
• Ensure GMP, FDA, ISO, ISTA standards compliance
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and audit adherence
• Build business case with Procurement to balance costs and benefits

Skills

Prototyping

Testing

Project management

Communication

Problem solving

Lean / DFM

Tools

ArtiosCAD

SolidWorks

Job description

Clark Associates, a Lancaster, PA-based family of companies serving the foodservice industry, is expanding its engineering team with a Packaging Engineer to design, develop, validate, and optimize packaging systems for new and existing products. This hands-on role combines design work in the lab with real-world testing in our warehouses.

You will partner with Procurement, Quality, Compliance, and Supply Chain to ensure packaging meets performance, cost, and sustainability standards, while