Senior Packaging Manager

Wineshipping; Napa, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with matching

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off

Life insurance

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Wineshipping, the premier logistics provider for the wine industry, is seeking a Senior Packaging Manager to lead packaging strategy across our network. You will design client-facing packaging, source sustainable solutions, and optimize packaging operations to protect products and reduce waste.

Based in Napa, this full-time role requires strong vendor management, negotiation, and cross-functional collaboration with Operations, Finance, Sales, and Customer Service.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in packaging strategy, sourcing, or supply chain management.
• Deep knowledge of packaging materials, sustainability trends, and automation.
• Strong negotiation skills and vendor management experience.
• Familiarity with purchase order systems and inventory planning.
• Excellent communication and collaboration across teams.
• Experience managing projects and presenting progress reports.

Responsibilities

• Be Wineshipping’s go-to expert for all packaging—gift boxes, temperature control, and client requests.
• Scout the market for new packaging solutions that are better, cheaper, or cooler.
• Negotiate with vendors on price and value-added services.
• Identify opportunities to automate packaging operations and assess ROI.
• Manage the PO process and ensure vendor payments align with receipts.
• Lead standardization of packaging across the network and forecast inventory.
• Set packaging quality standards and evaluate vendor performance.
• Support peak season planning and readiness.

Skills

Packaging strategy

Sourcing

Supply chain management

Vendor management

Negotiation

Excel

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Description

JOB TITLE: Senior Packaging Manager

Working with wine is cool. Want to work with wine? Wineshipping is the premier logistics provider for the wine industry, trusted since 1998 to protect our clients’ brands. We combine deep expertise with innovative technology to help wineries grow.
And yes—Wineshipping is a pretty cool place to work. We’ve been voted Best Place to Work in Napa County year after year. Plus, our facilities are climate-controlled… because wine likes to stay cool (and so do we).

GENERAL JOB DESCRIPTION

The Senior Packaging Manager is our brains behind the box. This role at the heart of every package we ship and every supply we use, acting as both a packaging expert and a market trader in the materials that power our logistics magic. From designing clever, client-pleasing packaging to sourcing sustainable solutions and anticipating future needs, you’ll lead the charge in making every shipment a masterpiece. You’ll collaborate across departments, wrangle vendors, and optimize packaging strategies that protect products, reduce waste, and make fulfillment feel like an art form.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Client Packaging Guru: Be Wineshipping’s go-to expert for all things packaging—gift boxes, temperature control, and those oddly specific client requests that make logistics fun.
• Packaging Explorer: Stay curious and constantly scout the market for new packaging solutions. If it’s better, cheaper, or cooler than what we use now, you’ll find it.
• Vendor Relationship Jedi: Keep vendor relationships organized and negotiate like a pro, not just on price, but on value-added services that make our packaging game stronger.
• Automation Advocate: Spot opportunities to automate packaging operations and help us decide if the ROI is worth the investment. (Spoiler: it usually is.)
• Purchase Order Pro: Manage the PO process like a boss ensuring what we ordered matches what we received, and vendors get paid accurately, even when things get weird.
• Standardization Champion: Lead the charge in standardizing packaging across our network and help set smart inventory levels based on forecasts and run rates.
• Quality Commander: Set packaging quality standards, evaluate vendor performance, and keep detailed records of test results because good packaging starts with good data.
• Peak Season Hero: Play a key role in Peak Season Planning and Readiness. When crunch time hits, you make sure the plan becomes reality.

OTHER IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE JOB

• Commitment to excellence and high standards, for yourself and for others.
• Good attention to detail – it’s the little things that make the difference in good service and GREAT service for our clients. (The big things matter to them too, just saying…)
• Ability to work independently and as a member of various teams and committees.
• Versatility, flexibility, and a willingness to work within constantly changing priorities with enthusiasm.
• Ability to understand and follow written and verbal process instructions. Following the process yields reliable results. Clients like “reliable”.
• Strong verbal, written, and phone communication skills.
• Bilingual welcome.
• You may need to work beyond your regular work hours and occasionally on a weekend, if needed.
• Other Cool Stuff- And hey — you might get pulled into other projects too. We’re a team that wears many hats, and yours might be fabulous.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE JOB

• 5+ years of experience in packaging strategy, sourcing, or supply chain management (bonus points for 3PL or warehouse experience)
• Deep knowledge of packaging materials, sustainability trends, and automation technologies
• Strong negotiation skills and vendor management experience
• Familiarity with purchase order systems and inventory planning
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills—you can talk packaging with clients, ops teams, and vendors/engineers alike
• A curious mind and a love for continuous improvement
• Experience managing projects and presenting progress reports and retrospective reviews when they end.
• A track record of working across enterprise teams including Operations, Finance, Sales, and Customer Service/Account Management.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, specifically with skill using Microsoft Excel

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Prolonged periods of standing/walking/sitting.
• Occasionally lift, carry and/or move up to 50lbs.
• Continually required to utilize hand and finger dexterity.
• Occasionally required to climb, balance, bend, stoop, kneel or crawl.
• Occasionally work near moving mechanical parts.
• Occasional loud noise.
• Occasional varying environmental temperature changes.

PAY AND BENEFITS

Benefits: 401(k), 401(k) matching, Dental insurance, Disability insurance, Employee assistance program, Flexible spending account, Health insurance, Health savings account, Life insurance, Paid time off, Referral program, and Vision insurance.

Supplemental Pay: Bonus pay.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and value diversity in our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, or marital status.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or physical requirements. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.