Sr. R&D Packaging Engineer - Land O'Lakes Inc.

Description:

The Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods Research & Development department provides strategic leadership across the company's many business units. The team plays a significant role in fueling revenue growth and profitability through operational excellence, quality, process improvement and innovation. By partnering closely cross functionally, the team delivers value to Land O'Lakes business units, members, and customers.

Position Purpose:

The primary responsibility of this position is to work across the Dairy Foods platforms to identify and execute key initiatives that enable a robust packaging supply chain with optimized designs and usage in manufacturing. This position will also maintain a strong understanding of the sustainability landscape to aid in the development of technical solutions that enable our organizational goals and compliance with regulations. In total, the individual will lead development, maintenance, and cost optimization of sustainable and technical packaging solutions with a forward-thinking approach.

Sr. Packaging Engineer Position Duties:

• Identify opportunities for savings, innovation, plant efficiency, and quality improvements to enable business topline growth.
  
• Execute against supply and cost optimization projects and initiatives across various Dairy Foods platforms.
  
• Conduct front end research and development on sustainable and/or innovative material alternatives that drive value to Land O' Lakes and enable achievement of sustainability goals.
  
• Study packaging legislation in the industry, analyze and communicate impact to Land O' Lakes to aid in adapting roadmap strategies accordingly.
  
• Support the sustainability reporting team to streamline reporting internally and to customers, associations, and government agencies.
  

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with key suppliers while seeking technical solutions that enable project success and sustainability goals.
  
• Work with internal and external partners to develop specifications, documentation, packaging test plans and plant trials.
  
• Provide mentorship and technical consult for other packaging department engineers.
  
• Possess strong understanding and application of problem solving, performance specs, and material qualification processes.
  

Required Education/Experiences:

• Background in food packaging (dairy preferred), experienced in sustainability requirements, and possessing a strong technical proficiency in Packaging Engineering with 6+ years of experience.
  
• BS degree in Packaging, Engineering, or related Science discipline.
  

Competencies-Skills (Required):

• Experience identifying, leading and executing packaging cost savings programs and/or projects.
  
• Excellent communication/interpersonal skills with ability to achieve accelerated timelines while maintaining cooperative working relationships across a large cross-functional network.
  
• Possess sense of urgency in meeting deliverables; proactive and results oriented.
  
• Ability to influence and partner with cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment to deliver results.
  
• Passion for technical expertise and innovation with ability to develop new packaging ideas based on consumer/customer needs and insights.
  
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills - ability to work through ambiguous situations independently.
  
• Data-driven mindset to employ fact-based decision making.
  
• Proven ability to manage through rapidly changing priorities while possessing strong planning and organizational skills.
  
• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications, Minitab, LCA analyses, and TOPS.
  
• Up to 20% domestic travel
  

Experience-Education (Preferred):

• Consumer Goods Forum Golden Rules, US Plastics Pact, APR Design Guide
  

About Land O'Lakes, Inc.

Join us and be part of a Fortune 250, farmer- and member-owned cooperative that is reimagining the business of food. We have been named a Top Workplace by Indeed and LinkedIn, and to the TIME 100 Most Influential Companies list.

We provide a broad portfolio of benefits to keep you and your family at your best. Land O'Lakes is Where Your Future Takes Root.

Land O'Lakes, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) M/F/Vets/Disabled. The company maintains a drug-free workforce, including post-employment substance abuse testing pursuant to a Drug and Alcohol Policy.

Neither Land O'Lakes, nor its search firms, will ever contact you and ask for confidential information over the phone or in email. If you receive a call or email like this, please do not provide the information being requested.