Automotive Corporate Packaging Manager

Summit Polymers; Portage (MI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Summit Polymers, located in Portage, Michigan, is seeking an experienced Technical Manager for Corporate Packaging. The role leads packaging engineering, ensuring innovative solutions for automotive packaging.

With responsibilities across multiple regions and a focus on continuous improvement, this position involves managing packaging development and compliance while collaborating with various teams. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of automotive packaging development experience.
• Experience leading packaging projects and coordinating teams.
• Strong knowledge of packaging design and validation processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage corporate packaging engineering functions.
• Ensure compliance with customer packaging specifications.
• Develop estimated packaging concepts for new programs.

Skills

Leadership

Project Management

Problem-Solving

Communication

Technical Knowledge in Packaging

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Engineering or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

ERP software

CAD

Job description

Summit Polymers is a leading, global supplier of automotive interior systems including consoles, door panels, and instrument panels. With over 50 years serving the industry, we deliver engineering and product excellence to our customers, on time, in budget, with the latest innovations.

JOIN A TEAM WHERE YOU’LL BE CHALLENGED AND valued.

A career with Summit Polymers means working with smart people in a culture that thrives on challenging, meaningful work. At Summit, we look for growth potential with every hire. We don’t just fill seats, we set people on career paths. We’re always on the lookout for smart people who are committed to continuous improvement, customer service and quality.

Job Title and Reporting

JOB TITLE: Technical Manager, Corporate Packaging

FLSA STATUS: Exempt

REPORTS TO: Vice President Supply Chain

Summary

The Technical Manager, Corporate Packaging leads the corporate packaging engineering function and is responsible for the design, development, validation, and cost-effective implementation of returnable and expendable packaging for customer finished goods, intercompany shipments, and critical purchased components. This role manages packaging engineering resources across domestic and international locations and ensures packaging solutions meet customer requirements, launch timing, product quality, safety, logistics, and cost objectives. The position partners with Estimating, Program Management, Project Engineering, Plant Launch teams, Materials, Procurement, Operations, and Finance to support accurate quoting, successful program launches, packaging cost control, and continuous improvement across the corporation.

Responsibilities And Duties

• Packaging Department Management
  • Manage and direct the activities of corporate packaging department personnel, including employees located in the United States, Mexico, and Asia.
  • Coordinate with local administrative supervisors in Mexico and Asia to support performance, communication, priorities, and accountability for international packaging employees.
  • Develop and implement training plans for new, promoted, and developing packaging personnel.
  • Establish, maintain, and improve departmental procedures, standards, and best practices to optimize packaging department performance.
  • Ensure compliance with applicable departmental, corporate, safety, and quality policies and procedures.
• Customer Packaging Requirement Compliance
  • Maintain current customer-specific packaging standards and ensure they are communicated, understood, and available to the packaging team.
  • Ensure compliance with customer packaging specifications, documentation requirements, validation activities, and approval processes.
  • Interface directly with customer engineers, managers, and packaging contacts to negotiate requirements and resolve packaging-related issues.
• New Program Packaging Quote Development
  • Guide packaging engineers in developing estimated packaging concepts and costs for new program RFQs involving customer finished parts, intercompany shipments, and key purchased components.
  • Ensure packaging assumptions are appropriate, documented, and aligned with logistics requirements, shipment frequency, transit time, inventory levels, and fleet-size calculations.
  • Review, challenge, and approve packaging concepts, cost estimates, fleet-size assumptions, and total packaging costs before submission to Estimating.
• New Program Packaging Development
  • Manage packaging development for new programs, including customer returnable and expendable packaging, intercompany packaging, critical internal storage packaging, and selected purchased component packaging.
  • Ensure packaging solutions are optimized for employee and customer ergonomics, safety, product quality, cost, fleet size, logistics flow, and launch timing.
  • Coordinate packaging deliverables with Plant Launch Champions, Corporate Materials, packaging suppliers, customers, and internal program teams.
  • Participate in customer-developed packaging reviews to influence outcomes and ensure Summit’s objectives are met.
  • Ensure Requests for Engineering Change are initiated when product or packaging changes affect packaging concept, quantity, cost, timing, or performance.
• Corporate Wide Support of Packaging Activities
  • Troubleshoot packaging issues across the corporation and drive timely, practical, and cost-effective resolutions.
  • Lead cost-reduction initiatives for current returnable and expendable packaging.
  • Lead quality improvement initiatives for production packaging.
  • Provide direction to plants for end-of-program returnable packaging disposition, including customer return, warehouse storage, reuse, recycling, or disposal.
  • Maintain packaging warehouse inventory and reuse records to support disposition and cost-savings decisions.
• Key Performance Indicators
  • Packaging return on investment
  • Actual packaging cost versus quoted cost
  • On-time delivery of returnable packaging
  • On-time completion of packaging RFQ support
  • Cost savings from warehoused or reused packaging
  • Packaging issues identified at program launch

Education And Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Engineering, Packaging Science, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent combination of education and directly related experience may be considered.
• Minimum of five years of automotive packaging development experience required, including experience with returnable and expendable packaging, new program launches, packaging cost estimates, and customer packaging requirements.
• Prior experience leading packaging projects, coordinating cross-functional teams, or supervising technical personnel preferred.
• Experience working with automotive customers, suppliers, manufacturing plants, and international teams preferred.

Skills And Abilities

• Strong knowledge of automotive packaging design, development, validation, and launch processes, including returnable and expendable packaging.
• Ability to interpret and apply customer-specific packaging standards, specifications, documentation requirements, and approval processes.
• Strong understanding of packaging cost estimating, fleet sizing, logistics assumptions, and returnable container management.
• Demonstrated leadership and project management skills, with the ability to manage priorities, people, suppliers, and multiple program deadlines.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to resolve packaging, quality, ergonomic, logistics, and launch-related issues.
• Effective communication and negotiation skills with customers, suppliers, manufacturing plants, and cross-functional corporate teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications; experience with ERP, CAD, and packaging specification, preferred.
• A minimum score of 50 on the Wonderlic Assessment (26 on the cognitive portion).

Travel Requirements

This position typically does require up to 25% travel.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the duties and responsibilities of the job, nor are they intended to be an all-inclusive list of the skills and abilities required to do the job. Management may, at its discretion, assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Agreement to complete all post-hire required training.