Packaging Engineer: Validation, Innovation & Compliance Lead

John Paul Mitchell Systems; Santa Clarita (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental benefits

Retirement plan with company match

Paid holidays and vacation

Job summary

John Paul Mitchell Systems in Santa Clarita, CA is seeking a Packaging Engineer to own packaging validation, testing, release readiness, and innovation across JPMS products. You will lead early risk assessments, qualify materials and tooling, and partner with Quality, Regulatory, and Operations to ensure scalable, compliant packaging solutions.

This role requires 5+ years in packaging engineering, GMP knowledge, and a drive for cost optimization while delivering quality packaging for consumer

Qualifications

• Hands-on expertise in packaging testing, validation, and scale-up.
• Tooling and mold qualification.
• Supplier qualification and audits.
• Contract manufacturer technical support and commercialization.
• Working knowledge of GMP, quality systems, and global packaging compliance.
• Technical judgment and risk-based decision making.
• Strong root-cause problem solving.
• Value engineering and cost-optimization mindset.

Responsibilities

• Own the packaging testing framework from development through commercialization (compatibility, stability, leak, drop, vibration, torque, transit, weight-claim, headspace, stress-cracking, deco, and dispensing testing).
• Lead early-stage risk assessments for feasibility, compatibility, filling, and scale-up, and serve as primary technical contact for external testing labs.
• Maintain testing documentation, approvals, and release-readiness criteria in partnership with Quality.
• Drive packaging innovation including new materials, formats, and dispensing solutions that improve performance, consumer experience, and cost.
• Engineer and qualify new and alternative materials (including PCR / biobased) and lightweighting changes, ensuring each is technically validated and production-ready.
• Qualify packaging vendors, components, molds, and tooling prior to scale-up, including GMP, EPR, and technical audits; approve drawings, specifications, and tolerances.
• Serve as primary investigator for packaging non-conformances, partnering with Quality, the packaging vendor, and Operations on root cause, corrective action, and disposition; participate in recall committees when packaging is implicated.
• Support secondary supplier/tooling approvals, change control, SOPs, and continuous improvement.
• Support CM readiness (tooling, line capability, packaging execution) and define optimal pallet patterns, shipper strength, dimensions, and logistics performance with Operations.
• Maintain CAPE data, BOM accuracy, and Fill & Assembly documentation, and provide packaging guidance to Shipping and Warehousing.
• Partner with R&D and Marketing to validate dispensing, dosing, and ease of use, ensuring packaging supports claims and intended consumer outcomes.

Skills

Packaging testing

Tooling qualification

Supplier qualification

GMP knowledge

Root-cause analysis

Cost optimization

Documentation

Cross-functional comms

Education

High school diploma or GED

Bachelor's degree in Packaging Engineering

Job description

John Paul Mitchell Systems in Santa Clarita, CA is seeking a Packaging Engineer to own packaging validation, testing, release readiness, and innovation across JPMS products. You will lead early risk assessments, qualify materials and tooling, and partner with Quality, Regulatory, and Operations to ensure scalable, compliant packaging solutions.

This role requires 5+ years in packaging engineering, GMP knowledge, and a drive for cost optimization while delivering quality packaging for consumer