The Kraft Heinz Company

Senior Engineer, R&D Packaging Materials – Flexible Film and Paper

The Kraft Heinz Company

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: Glenview • Illinois • United States

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Salary

💰 $89,800 - $112,200 per year

Job Level

Senior

About the role

  • Support and execute flexible film and paper packaging material development work, balancing technology exploration with proof-of-concept activities and documenting learnings to support business cases and application decisions.
  • Support coordination of external partnerships across the value chain (e.g., resin, coating, material suppliers; universities; institutes; start-ups; open innovation networks; scouting partners) by managing technical communication, sample/testing plans, and data exchange under guidance.
  • Ensure packaging material/design decisions align with enterprise standards, manufacturability needs, sustainability requirements, and platform direction by applying standard methods and escalating risks/constraints.
  • Contribute to technical problem solving for flexible film and paper packaging projects by running testing, troubleshooting, and root-cause investigations as needed.
  • Apply Design of Experiments (DoE), statistics, and structured technical problem-solving practices to research, development, and validation work.
  • Support prototyping development for consumer testing, pilot line setup, and scale-up to industrial production as required to enable commercialization.
  • Contribute to technical documentation and knowledge sharing (e.g., summaries, test reports, learnings) to support team capability-building and consistency.
  • 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.

Requirements

  • BS/MS/PhD degree in Engineering, Materials, Chemical or Packaging Engineering preferred or related discipline.
  • 4 + years of R&D technology development and commercialization experience in packaging and project leadership experience (consumer goods, food & beverage, pharma or similar preferred).
  • Demonstrated experience supporting R&D technology development and commercialization work with exposure to flexible film and/or paper packaging.
  • Demonstrated ability to support end-to-end development activities (planning tests, executing experiments, analyzing results, documenting recommendations) and coordinating with cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Technical knowledge of materials (films, paper, barriers, coatings, sealants and additives, etc.) and manufacturing constraints, including converting processes (e.g., extrusion lamination, adhesive lamination, sealing, pouch forming, form-fill-seal, etc).
  • Experience evaluating flexible film and/or paper packaging on filling equipment; solution development; and recommended next steps preferred.
  • Working knowledge of project execution practices (e.g., timelines, risk identification, stakeholder updates) and ability to manage assigned deliverables.
  • Knowledge and practical application of Design of Experiments (DoE), statistics, and technical problem solving.
  • Effective communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work with cross-functional partners and external suppliers.
  • Knowledge of sustainable packaging solutions, material/package industry standards, and regulations (as applicable to flexible packaging development work).
  • Experience supporting pilot line setups and scale-up to industrial production (as required by project needs).
  • Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% of the time.
Benefits
  • Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare
  • protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs.
  • Wellbeing: We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.
  • 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
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
Design of Experimentsstatisticstechnical problem solvingpackaging material developmentflexible film packagingpaper packagingmaterials knowledgemanufacturing constraintsproject execution practicestesting and troubleshooting
Soft Skills
effective communicationinterpersonal skillscross-functional collaborationstakeholder managementproblem-solvingteam capability-buildingdocumentation skillscoordinationrisk identificationplanning