Senior Manager, R&D — Rigid Plastic Packaging

The Kraft Heinz Company; Glenview (IL); Hybrid; USD 121,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Wellbeing programs

Job summary

The Kraft Heinz Company in Glenview, IL, is seeking a Senior Manager for Rigid Plastic Packaging within the Sustainability & Materials Center of Excellence. You will lead a team of technical experts to develop sustainable, recyclable rigid plastic packaging solutions for North America, translating sustainability and functional requirements into commercial, manufacturable formats.

You will guide proof-of-concept, scale-up, and handover to business units, partnering with Innovation, Process, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's/Master's/PhD in engineering or packaging.
• Minimum 8 years of R&D tech development and leadership in packaging.
• Experience managing end-to-end development projects and cross-functional teams.
• Experience in people management.
• Strong knowledge of materials and manufacturing constraints.
• PMO skills: governance, risk, and budgeting.
• DOE and statistics expertise.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Experience leading multisite/global packaging launches.
• Sustainable packaging expertise.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Lead and prioritize a portfolio of rigid plastic packaging technology strategies and initiatives.
• Build and manage supplier/partner relationships across the value chain.
• Identify solutions that avoid regulatory risks and support sustainability goals.
• Advance recyclable and compliant packaging formats aligned with sustainability goals.
• Deliver designs to PBS meeting functional, quality, shelf-life, and manufacturing targets.
• Provide technical leadership for packaging reviews and governance.
• Own budgets, plans, and resource allocations with risk mitigation.
• Represent packaging forums and drive go/no-go decisions.
• Mentor and coach junior team members and contribute to PMO templates.
• Develop IP strategies and build an IP portfolio.

Skills

Materials knowledge

Project management

People management

Packaging engineering

Technical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

DOE expertise

Regulatory knowledge

Travel willingness

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Engineering/Materials/Packaging

Job description

The Kraft Heinz Company in Glenview, IL, is seeking a Senior Manager for Rigid Plastic Packaging within the Sustainability & Materials Center of Excellence. You will lead a team of technical experts to develop sustainable, recyclable rigid plastic packaging solutions for North America, translating sustainability and functional requirements into commercial, manufacturable formats.

You will guide proof-of-concept, scale-up, and handover to business units, partnering with Innovation, Process, and