Program Manager, Packaging Product Stewardship - Nutrition - Columbus, OH

Hardware FYI; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 99,000 - 199,000; Full time

Job summary

Abbott is seeking a Program Manager for Packaging Product Stewardship in Columbus, OH. You will lead the Global Analytical & Food Safety (GAFS) program, oversee restricted substances, and drive risk-based decisions across packaging materials and supplier documentation.

You will partner with Packaging Engineering, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, Procurement, and Legal to ensure regulatory compliance, sustainability, and business continuity while advancing Abbott Nutrition packaging initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Product Stewardship, Regulatory Affairs, Materials Science, Packaging Engineering, Environmental Science, Chemistry, or a related scientific discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in product stewardship, regulatory affairs, material compliance, packaging compliance, environmental compliance, food safety, or a related technical field.
• Experience interpreting complex regulatory requirements and translating them into actionable business recommendations.
• Strong project management, leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience working collaboratively across multiple functions and organizational levels.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and drive projects to successful completion.

Responsibilities

• Lead Abbott Nutrition's Packaging Restricted Substance Management (RSM) Program and associated compliance activities.
• Monitor emerging chemical and product stewardship packaging requirements and evaluate potential impacts to Abbott Nutrition packaging and medical device components.
• Conduct risk assessments and provide recommendations regarding restricted substances, substances of concern, and evolving regulatory packaging requirements.
• Manage packaging restricted substance and material compliance data within internal systems and databases to support reporting, compliance, and business decision making.
• Lead annual packaging supplier surveillance and compliance verification programs to ensure adherence to Abbott requirements and applicable regulatory obligations.
• Evaluate new packaging materials, components, and supplier-submitted documentation for compliance with internal requirements and global regulatory requirements.
• Support material assessments for packaging, medical device components, and other materials used within Abbott Nutrition packaging and operations.
• Maintain compliance programs related to REACH, RoHS, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Conflict Minerals, and other applicable global substance regulations.
• Collect, review, and assess supplier declarations, compliance certifications, technical dossiers, and supporting documentation for packaging.
• Provide technical support for internal stakeholders, customer inquiries, commercial opportunities, audits, and government affairs requests related to restricted substances and material compliance for packaging.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify, assess, and mitigate compliance and business continuity risks associated with emerging packaging regulatory requirements.
• Develop and communicate packaging regulatory intelligence, risk assessments, and compliance strategies to support informed business decisions.
• Prepare management updates, compliance reports, presentations, and recommendations for leadership and key stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to product stewardship, restricted substance management, and material compliance processes.

Skills

Project management

Regulatory affairs

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 122,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Program Manager, Packaging Product Stewardship

Working at Abbott

Our nutrition business develops science-based nutrition products for people of all ages, from helping babies and children grow to keeping adult bodies strong and active. Millions of people around the world count on our leading brands – including Similac®, PediaSure®, Pedialyte®, Ensure®, and Glucerna® – to help them get the nutrients they need to live their healthiest lives.

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.

• Employees can qualify forfree medical coverage in ourHealth Investment Plan (HIP) PPOmedical plan in the next calendar year.

• An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution

• Tuition reimbursement, the

  Freedom 2 Save

  student debt program, and

  FreeU

  education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.

• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.

• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

Our Columbus, Ohio location currently has an opportunity for a Program Manager within the Global Analytical & Food Safety (GAFS) organization, a key function within Abbott Nutrition Research & Development (R&D).

The Program Manager will lead Abbott Nutrition's Packaging Restricted Substance Management (RSM) Program and support strategic product stewardship initiatives that help ensure the safety, quality, regulatory compliance, and sustainability of Abbott Nutrition packaging worldwide.

This role serves as a key technical and program leader responsible for monitoring emerging packaging chemical regulations, assessing potential risks associated with substances of concern, and developing strategies to mitigate business impacts. The individual will partner closely with Packaging Engineering, Packaging R&D, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, Procurement, Supply Chain, Legal, Government Affairs, and external suppliers while collaborating across Abbott businesses to evaluate materials, support compliance programs, and drive risk-based decision making.

As part of the GA&FS organization, the Program Manager will apply scientific knowledge, regulatory insight, and strong project leadership skills to address evolving global requirements related to chemicals in packaging, packaging materials, and medical device components while supporting innovation and business continuity across Abbott Nutrition.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Lead Abbott Nutrition's Packaging Restricted Substance Management (RSM) Program and associated compliance activities.

• Monitor emerging chemical and product stewardship packaging requirements and evaluate potential impacts to Abbott Nutrition packaging and medical device components.

• Conduct risk assessments and provide recommendations regarding restricted substances, substances of concern, and evolving regulatory packaging requirements.

• Manage packaging restricted substance and material compliance data within internal systems and databases to support reporting, compliance, and business decision making.

• Lead annual packaging supplier surveillance and compliance verification programs to ensure adherence to Abbott requirements and applicable regulatory obligations.

• Evaluate new packaging materials, components, and supplier-submitted documentation for compliance with internal requirements and global regulatory requirements.

• Support material assessments for packaging, medical device components, and other materials used within Abbott Nutrition packaging and operations.

• Maintain compliance programs related to REACH, RoHS, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Conflict Minerals, and other applicable global substance regulations.

• Collect, review, and assess supplier declarations, compliance certifications, technical dossiers, and supporting documentation for packaging.

• Provide technical support for internal stakeholders, customer inquiries, commercial opportunities, audits, and government affairs requests related to restricted substances and material compliance for packaging.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify, assess, and mitigate compliance and business continuity risks associated with emerging packaging regulatory requirements.

• Develop and communicate packaging regulatory intelligence, risk assessments, and compliance strategies to support informed business decisions.

• Prepare management updates, compliance reports, presentations, and recommendations for leadership and key stakeholders.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives related to product stewardship, restricted substance management, and material compliance processes.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE YOU’LL BRING

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Product Stewardship, Regulatory Affairs, Materials Science, Packaging Engineering, Environmental Science, Chemistry, or a related scientific discipline.

• Minimum 7 years of experience in product stewardship, regulatory affairs, material compliance, packaging compliance, environmental compliance, food safety, or a related technical field.

• Experience interpreting complex regulatory requirements and translating them into actionable business recommendations.

• Strong project management, leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.

• Experience working collaboratively across multiple functions and organizational levels.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and drive projects to successful completion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a scientific, engineering, regulatory, or related discipline.

• Demonstrated knowledge of global chemical and product regulations, including REACH, RoHS, Conflict Minerals, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and other substance restriction requirements.

• Experience supporting food, nutrition, medical device, pharmaceutical, consumer product, or packaging industries.

• Experience with food contact materials, packaging materials, and global food contact regulatory compliance requirements.

• Knowledge of U.S. FDA food contact regulations, EU food contact legislation, and other international food contact material frameworks.

• Experience evaluating packaging components, supplier compliance documentation, migration data, and material risk assessments.

• Experience leading supplier compliance, material stewardship, or restricted substance management programs.

• Familiarity with sustainability, circular economy, packaging stewardship, and chemicals management initiatives.

• Experience with regulatory intelligence, emerging issue monitoring, and risk assessment methodologies.

MISC:

• This is an on-site role - not a remote role.

• Sponsorship: we will not provide sponsorship of any kind for this role (including OPT).

• Relocation assistance is not offered for this role.

Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities/Women/Individuals with Disabilities/Protected Veterans.

EEO is the Law link - English: http://webstorage.abbott.com/common/External/EEO_English.pdf

EEO is the Law link - Espanol: http://webstorage.abbott.com/common/External/EEO_Spanish.pdf

The base pay for this position is

$99,300.00 – $198,700.00

In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.

JOB FAMILY

Quality Assurance

DIVISION

ANRD Nutrition Research & Development

LOCATION

United States > Columbus : RP04

WORK SHIFT

Standard

TRAVEL

Yes, 5 % of the Time

MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE

No

SIGNIFICANT WORK ACTIVITIES

Continuous sitting for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day), Keyboard use (greater or equal to 50% of the workday)