Our client is a home-delivered meal service providing fully prepared, refrigerated meal solutions direct to homes nationwide for over 18 years. We provide seniors, patients recovering post-discharge and those managing a chronic condition with tailored nutrition solutions to manage their specific needs. If you are passionate about the well-being of others and have a strong sense of community, Mom’s Meals could be the place for you! We are a family operated business looking for fun, compassionate, and friendly people who want to make a difference in the lives of others.

The Food Packaging Engineer will provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise in the areas of packaging equipment and packaging materials.

Responsibilities

The Food Packaging Engineer will be part of the engineering team and will work closely with a broad cross-functional team including Operations, R&D, Quality, Safety, Finance, Procurement and Marketing.

The Food Packaging Engineer is responsible for recommending/developing/implementing optimization & innovation projects, generating a pipeline of new ideas, and supporting key system needs at our production facilities.

Will coordinate with cross-functional teams throughout projects and on startups to assure a timely, efficient hand-off to Supply Chain/Operations. The position will focus on timely development of high quality, innovative packaging solutions based on input from stakeholders.

The Food Packaging Engineer will play a key role as a subject matter expert on capital projects. The candidate will lead preferred packaging equipment standards/selection and innovate with vendors to deliver value driven solutions to enable the business teams.

Additionally, this role will work with cross-functional stakeholders to develop and maintain standards around specifications and specification management, introducing innovation and design to value solutions along with ensuring consistency during rapid company growth

Responsibilities Include:

  • Pro-actively lead collaboration with cross-functional partners to develop margin improvement and technical innovation opportunities
  • Develop and implement packaging development procedures (new development, improvements, and tests)
  • Conduct and/or manage experiments, trials, and analyses to validate and advance technical packaging opportunities both internal and at external suppliers
  • Partner with Procurement to source, obtain quotes, and negotiate per desired specifications (evaluate submissions with team and management for approval)
  • Support capital project teams in specification, selection, design, implementation and training for new packaging equipment
  • Provide effective communication and documentation of work including technical plans, experimental reports, financial analysis, and management updates.
  • Communicate status and issues regarding project activity on a continual basis
  • Responsible for technical specifications, quality standards and component release
  • Approve production samples and production drawings
  • Work with R&D and Food Safety/Quality to identify appropriate package performance requirements
  • Develop and maintain strong relationships with existing and new suppliers
  • Build and leverage depth of knowledge in packaging equipment and materials including the impact on food safety
  • Provide technical support to cross-functional teams and be the subject matter expert for new packaging elements

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s Degree (or higher) in Engineering – Package Engineering preferred – or equivalent technical degree
  • At least 5 years of relevant packaging experience, preferably in food manufacturing.
  • Experience with food manufacturing regulatory requirements (GMP’s, Food Safety, sanitation practices and design criteria)
  • Packaging materials knowledge, including corrugate and film structures
  • Packaging equipment knowledge including inter dependencies with packaging materials design
  • Strong mechanical aptitude
  • Familiarity with Continuous Improvement tools and processes
  • Experience in plant operations and industrial environments understanding equipment design and impacts to materials, labor, and work processes
  • Excellent interpersonal, organizational and communication skills; demonstrated ability to work with diverse cultures and global colleagues
  • Commitment to accuracy, attention to detail and quality of information generated
  • Self-starter with demonstrated efficient work methods, analytical & problem-solving skills and ability to handle multiple tasks in a fast paced environment
  • Ability to think both strategically and tactically with exceptional attention to detail
  • Proven track record of taking ownership and driving results
  • Ability to manage timelines and prioritize task execution based on business need
  • Quality-focused with a customer service mindset

 

  • Company cross-functional teams including Operations, R&D, Quality, Safety, Finance, Procurement, Marketing, and Corporate Sr. Leadership
  • Plant factory teams from operator to plant manager
  • External packaging equipment and materials suppliers

 

Ability to travel 40-60%, depending on project priorities.

All applicants for this position must be authorized to work in the U.S. now and in the future without requiring sponsorship.

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Pereira, OPUS International, Inc. at 954 428-3888 or lizp@foodscience.com