Senior Engineer, R&D - Design & Innovation

The Kraft Heinz Company; Glenview (IL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401k

Wellbeing programs

Job summary

The Kraft Heinz Company in Glenview, IL is seeking a Design & Innovation Packaging Engineer to drive next‑gen packaging solutions across North America. The role combines packaging design, engineering and project leadership to translate consumer insights into manufacturable concepts with sustainability in mind.

Hybrid work model at the Glenview Innovation Center, collaborating with Marketing, Procurement, Operations and Supply Chain to deliver platform innovations from concept to scale‑up.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Design, Engineering, or Packaging preferred.
• 4+ years with BS or 3+ years with MS or 2+ years with PhD in packaging.
• Experience in R&D packaging development and commercialization.
• Knowledge of materials, formats, converting processes and packaging tech.

Responsibilities

• Support Design & Innovation initiatives and enable speed to market.
• Manage projects with different scopes and cross-enterprise platforms.
• Partner with legal to build robust IP strategies.
• Develop detailed project plans, schedules, budgets and business cases.
• Interface with marketing, procurement, operations and vendors.
• Support prototyping, pilot line setup and scale up to production.
• Document learnings and support training content.

Skills

Packaging design

Project leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Sustainability knowledge

Communication skills

Travel flexibility

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Design, Engineering or Packaging

Job description

Job Description

Job Purpose

As the Design & InnovationPackaging Engineer ,you willsupportinnovative and disruptive packaging design initiatives that will be instrumental in delivering novel, competitively advantaged solutions across the Kraft Heinz North America portfolio. The team’sobjectiveis to deliver packaging design strategies, translating brand strategies and consumer Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) intoviabledesign solutions to meet growth,innovationand sustainability objectives.Theobjectiveof the role is to support development ofplatformablepkg innovation solutions, across brands and categories to fuel sustainable BU innovation pipelines.You will partner with the Innovation, Process and Platform packaging teams as well as cross functional stakeholders to translate consumer insights and sustainability requirements into commerciallyviable, manufacturable solutions.The role includesidentifyingpackaging design solutions,leveragingexternal designpartnersand internal consumer experience teams to translate insights intoviabledesigns that resonate with consumers.The ideal candidate combines technical packaging commercializationexpertisewith design and innovation knowledge and experience managingpackagingprojects

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Supportexecution of Design & Innovation initiatives, addressing technical and design hurdles, driving speed tomarketand enabling competitive advantage.

• Manage initiatives withdifferentscopes and/or cross enterprise platforms concurrently

• Partner with legal to build robust IP strategies to drive competitive advantage

• Develop andmaintaindetailed project plans, schedules and budgets and build business cases for project execution.

• Work directly, interface and influence cross-functional team (Marketing, Procurement, Operations and Supply Chain) and vendors.

• Support prototyping development for consumer testingandassistwith pilot line setup and scale-up to industrial production asrequiredto enable commercialization.

• Contribute to knowledge sharing and capability buildingby documenting learnings, creating technical summaries, and supporting training content.

• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders (e.g., Innovation, Process, Platform Packaging) to translate requirements into testable material/package options and to support handover to business units.

People Management Responsibilities

• IndividualContributor

Key Outputs & Deliverables

• Supportexecution of the design strategy and supportpipeline build for North America portfolio

• Supportdesign initiatives thataddress innovation,sustainabilityand value engineering, from concept through proof of concept and handover support, meeting committed timelines and performance targets for assigned responsibilities.

• Support compliance with sustainability and regulatory requirementsby incorporating requirements into design recommendations, including:

• MinimizingExtended Producer Responsibility (EPR)fee impacts (as applicable to design choices)

• Supporting designs that help avoidmaterial bans and regulatory risks

• Supportingrecyclable, reusable, and compliantpackaging formats aligned with enterprise sustainability goals andlegislative requirements

• Contribute to packaging designs delivered toPerformance-Based Specifications (PBS)to meet defined functional, quality, shelf-life,consumer experience, and manufacturing performance outcomes.

Expected Experience & Required Skills

• BS/MS/PhD degree in Design, Engineering, Packaging Engineering preferred or related discipline.

• Minimum4+ years of relevant experience(with BS)or 3+ years of experience(with MS) or 2+ years of experience (with PhD)

• Experience inR&D packaging development and commercialization experience, with innovation and packaging design experience and project leadership experience (consumer goods, food & beverage, pharma or similar preferred).

• Working design knowledge of materials (flexibles, rigids, fiber,etc), formats, converting processes (e.g.,cartoning, filling, web handling, labeling, molding), printing, bottle closure and dispensing systems and manufacturing constraints.

• Working knowledge ofproject execution practices(e.g., timelines, risk identification, stakeholder updates) and ability to manage assigned deliverables.

• Demonstrated ability to support end-to-end developmentand launchactivities, including planning/performing experiments, documenting results, and coordinating with cross-functional partners.

• Knowledge of packaging design and innovation, DVF (Desirability, Viability, Feasibility) a plus

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work with cross-functional partners and external suppliers.

• Industrial design experience for packaging materials, shapes, formats, with proven examples of commercialized innovations acrossdifferentpackaging formatsa plus

• Knowledge oftranslating consumer insights, consumer Jobs-to-be-done, and market trends into packaging design strategies

• Knowledge ofsustainable packaging solutions, material/package industry standards, and regulations (as applicable to rigid plastic packaging development work).

• Ability to support pilot line activities and scale-upto industrial production asrequired.

• Willingness and ability totravel up to 25%of the time.

Work Environment & Schedule

This positionoperatesprimarily in a hybrid work environment and is based at the Kraft Heinz R&D Innovation Center in Glenview, IL. Our hybrid model provides flexibility based on business needs, allowing employees to work virtually up to two days per week, with an expectation to work on-site at least three days per week at the Glenview Innovation Center (Glenview, IL).

The job description is not designed to cover orcontainall duties or responsibilities that are requiredofthe role. Duties or responsibilities may change or be added with or without notice.

Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz’ strategy and values.

New Hire Base Salary Range:

$89,800.00 - $112,200.00

Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents.

The compensation offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors

Benefits: Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and savingfor the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs. Coveragefor benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.

Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire aphysical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.

You’ll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example:

• Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments

• Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training

• Emotional – Employee Assistance Program, Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs

• Financial – 401k,Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability

Location(s)

Glenview R&D Center

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes. In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for protected individuals, applicants that require accommodation in the job application process may contact [e-mail] for assistance.