Regional Structural Designer - Corrugated Packaging

McKinley Paper and Packaging Company; United States; On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

McKinley Paper and Packaging Company seeks an experienced Structural Designer to serve as a centralized design resource for corrugated packaging across multiple manufacturing locations and Sales teams. The ideal candidate will manage projects from concept to production-ready designs, collaborating with Sales and Operations to balance customer requirements with manufacturability.

The role requires strong experience in corrugated packaging design, CAD systems, sample development, and manufacturing

Qualifications

• Experience in structural design for corrugated packaging or equivalent.
• Ability to translate customer requirements into production-ready designs.
• Strong communication and project management skills.
• Familiarity with corrugated materials, converting equipment, die-cutting, and printing processes.

Responsibilities

• Develop structural designs for corrugated packaging, displays, die-cut products, and other customer-specific packaging solutions.
• Provide structural design support across Indiana and Texas manufacturing facilities and Sales teams.
• Partner with Sales to meet customer requirements while considering manufacturability, material utilization, and cost.
• Work with plant Operations to ensure designs are compatible with equipment and production capabilities.
• Create and maintain CAD drawings, specifications, samples, and production-ready design files.
• Develop prototypes and samples for customer presentations, testing, and approvals.
• Manage multiple design projects and priorities across multiple facilities.
• Communicate project status, technical requirements, and potential manufacturing concerns to Sales and Operations.
• Support troubleshooting of structural or production issues related to new and existing designs.
• Identify opportunities to improve packaging performance and material utilization.
• Help develop standardized structural design processes across the organization.
• Provide guidance and training to designated plant personnel.

Skills

Corrugated packaging design

CAD systems

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

ArtiosCAD

Job description

Structural Designer – Corrugated Packaging

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Structural Designer to serve as a centralized design resource supporting our corrugated packaging operations across multiple manufacturing locations and Sales teams. This position will partner closely with Sales and Operations to develop innovative and cost effective packaging solutions that help grow profitable business while ensuring designs align with plant manufacturing capabilities.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in corrugated packaging design, CAD systems, sample development, and manufacturing capabilities. This individual must be able to manage multiple priorities, communicate effectively with Sales and plant teams, and move projects from initial concept through production-ready design.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop structural designs for corrugated packaging, displays, die-cut products, and other customer-specific packaging solutions.
• Provide structural design support across Indiana and Texas manufacturing facilities and Sales teams.
• Partner closely with Sales to develop packaging solutions that meet customer requirements while considering manufacturability, material utilization, and cost.
• Work directly with plant Operations to ensure designs are compatible with available equipment and production capabilities.
• Create and maintain CAD drawings, specifications, samples, and production-ready design files.
• Develop prototypes and samples for customer presentations, testing, and approvals.
• Manage multiple design projects and priorities across multiple facilities.
• Communicate project status, technical requirements, and potential manufacturing concerns to Sales and Operations.
• Support troubleshooting of structural or production issues related to new and existing designs.
• Identify opportunities to improve packaging performance, material utilization, production efficiency, and overall design effectiveness.
• Help develop and support standardized structural design processes across the organization.
• Provide guidance and training to designated plant personnel responsible for producing local customer and Sales samples.
• Coordinate with additional structural design resources as needed during periods of high workload, urgent customer requirements, vacations, or other coverage needs.

Qualifications

• Experience in structural design within the corrugated packaging industry strongly preferred.
• Experience with corrugated CAD/design software such as ArtiosCAD or similar structural design systems.
• Strong understanding of corrugated materials, converting equipment, die-cutting, printing, and manufacturing processes.
• Experience developing samples and prototypes.
• Ability to translate customer and Sales requirements into practical, production-ready packaging designs.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage projects supporting multiple facilities.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with Sales, Operations, customers, and other technical resources.
• Ability to work independently and prioritize projects based on customer and business needs.
• Working knowledge of packaging testing, performance requirements, and material optimization is preferred.

Experience

• 5+ years of structural design experience in corrugated packaging preferred.
• Experience supporting multiple plants, Sales teams, or manufacturing locations is a plus.

Travel

Some travel between company facilities and customer locations may be required.