Senior Packaging Technologist

AG Barr Group; Middlebrook (NC); On-site; USD 86,000 - 119,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

34 days holiday

Bonus

Flexible holiday trading

Living Wage Employer

Healthcare Cash Plan

Peppy Health

Flexible benefits e.g. discounts &

Life assurance

Save as you earn scheme

Staff sales discount

Free AG Barr products throughout your

Pension

Annual salary review

Ongoing professional development

Job summary

AG Barr is seeking a Senior Packaging Technologist to join the R&D function, specialising in material development and validation. You will bridge packaging concepts with commercial realities, leading validation programmes and factory trials to ensure new formats perform on-line.

You'll profile materials, qualify resins and recycled blends, optimise secondary packaging, and collaborate with procurement and production to drive efficiency while meeting evolving packaging regulations.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent with significant post‑graduate packaging experience.
• Proven expertise in technical validation and material profiling across multiple formats.
• Experience in leading factory trials and bridging R&D specs with manufacturing.
• GFSI/BRC/HACCP knowledge essential.

Responsibilities

• Acting as the lead technical authority for material integrity and functional performance of packaging components.
• Designing and executing validation programmes and factory trials for online performance.
• Leading material science workstreams, including profiling of new resins and recycled blends.
• Collaborating with Procurement and Production to identify supply chain optimisations.
• Owning the technical specifications for all packaging materials.
• Providing technical governance within Stage & Gate processes.

Skills

Packaging expertise

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Quality awareness

Education

Degree in Packaging, Science or Engineering

Tools

GFSI knowledge

BRC standards

HACCP knowledge

Injection/stretch blow moulding

Job description

Job Title: Senior Packaging Technologist – Material Development & Validation

Salary: Competitive plus excellent benefits

Location: Hybrid working 2-3 days per week from any of our HUBS (Cumbernauld, Bolton, Milton Keynes, London)

Are you ready to Be Your Best Barr None?

Lets Grow!!!

We are all about Being Your Best Barr None and having a career with real Moments that Matter!

Employing around 850 people across the UK, we are proud to be a responsible business that takes care of our people, values diversity, gives something back to our communities and works to minimise our environmental impact.

For 150 years AG Barr has been building great brands and is home to some of the nations favourite flavours.

At our core is IRN-BRU, launched in 1901 and still going strong today, the vibrant RUBICON fruit based brand, Boost making every moment better with a caffeine kick, hydration hit or tasty treat, and FUNKIN where real fruit means authentic taste.

We also have a number of exciting owned brands within our portfolio including MOMA, which crafts quality oats into great tasting oat drinks and porridges.

There's never been a better time to join us!

What we’re looking for...

We are looking for a Senior Packaging Technologist to join our R&D function and specialise in delivering Material Development & Validation activity. Reporting to the R&D Packaging Manager, this role is the technical bridge between packaging concept and commercial reality.

You will lead the technical profiling of materials, the industrialisation of new components, and the rigorous validation of packaging formats across our supply chain. From the technical qualification of advanced polymer resins to the structural optimisation of primary containers and the integration of novel secondary packaging formats, you will ensure our packaging architecture is robust, technically sound, and perfectly calibrated for our high-speed manufacturing assets.

Your responsibilities will include...

• Acting as the lead technical authority for the material integrity and functional performance of primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging components.
• Designing and executing comprehensive technical validation programmes and factory trials to ensure new formats—such as new container shapes, enhanced closure systems, or alternative collation materials—perform flawlessly on-line.
• Leading material science workstreams, including the profiling and qualification of new resins and recycled material blends to ensure carbonation retention and structural performance.
• Collaborating with Procurement and Production teams to identify and validate supply chain optimisations, including lightweighting initiatives and material efficiency projects.
• Owning the technical specifications for all packaging materials, ensuring they meet AG Barr’s rigorous quality standards and comply with evolving environmental and packaging legislation.
• Providing technical governance within our Stage & Gate process, managing risk and feasibility from a material and manufacturing perspective.

What you’ll bring...

The successful candidate will have;

• Education to degree level or equivalent, in Packaging, Science or Engineering with significant post-graduate experience in a technical packaging role within an FMCG business.
• Proven expertise in technical validation and material profiling across multiple formats, encompassing polymer performance (PET/rPET) and injection/stretch blow moulding, as well as aluminium cans, glass, and carton packaging (e.g., Tetra Pak).
• Experience in leading complex factory trials and bridging the gap between R&D specifications and high-speed operational reality.
• A sound knowledge of packaging material manufacture, liquid filling technologies, bottle labelling, multipacking and palletisation within the drinks industry.
• Knowledge and operation of GFSI, BRC, HACCP and other quality management systems is essential.
• Ability to assess and manage technical risks, develop robust trial protocols, and put in place definitive packaging specifications.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and external suppliers to deliver technical excellence.

What we offer…

We believe in creating a diverse and inclusive culture where your voice can be heard. Our skilled, loyal and committed people are critical to the future success of AG Barr which is why we are continually investing in our employees to develop their talent.

We look after our employees by offering a competitive salary and benefits package which includes;

• 34 days holiday
• Bonus
• Flexible holiday trading
• Living Wage Employer
• Healthcare Cash Plan
• Peppy Health
• Flexible benefits e.g. discounts & cashback, gym memberships, technology purchases etc
• Life assurance
• Save as you earn scheme
• Staff sales discount
• Free AG Barr products throughout your working day
• Pension
• Annual salary review
• Ongoing professional development

And much more!

To find out more about what it is like to work for AG Barr, please visit our careers platform here.

We are an equal opportunities employer and happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be needed for successful candidates with a disability, health or mental health condition.

Our large factories produce multi formats across a number of high speed modern lines, to high quality standards whilst maximising production outputs and minimising overhead costs and whilst we have highlighted our ideal requirements for this role, we are realistic that the successful candidate probably won't meet every single requirement in this advert, but we are big advocates of people growing in role. So even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we encourage you to submit an application - you may be just what we are looking for!

Speculative CVs from agencies will not be accepted.

Latest closing date for applications is 31st July

Please note, we may close vacancies early where we receive significant numbers of applications