Packaging Engineer

Job Summary:

At SunOpta we believe that packaging innovation can fundamentally change the trajectory of our company by making our products more innovative, more sustainable, and more cost-effective. This position will report to Director of R&D and will be responsible for various technical packaging development projects across an array of products.

Working closely with SunOpta R&D, Marketing and Commercialization teams, the successful candidate will design, execute, and deliver packaging for plant-based food and beverage products. The successful candidate will have experience with packaging materials including interface with the packaging equipment. This person will manage packaging development and improvement projects from ideation through commercialization, to meet customer and company needs. The successful candidate will build and maintain networks with relevant industry and academic experts to gain early insight and access to high impact packaging technologies. They will develop packaging specification standards to ensure technical performance and reliability as well as cost effectiveness. Key consumer product focus areas will be Shelf Stable Beverages (e.g, Oat, Almond, Soy, Rice, Tea and Broth) and Hot Extruded Fruit Snacks, along with their associated Package & Material Technologies (e.g., aseptic, barrier films, corrugate, etc.). A key focus area of Packaging R&D will be working toward improving the sustainability of our packaging materials.

The successful candidate will be primarily responsible for supporting the design of packages through a collection of materials and documentation in the specification system. Additional responsibilities include development of unit load specifications, performing shelf life/sensory testing, testing packaging materials, and assisting the cross functional team with maintenance projects.

Essential Functions of the Job:

Lead the design, development, qualification, and commercialization of packaging components and systems for new products, customer programs, and existing product improvements.

Serve as a technical packaging lead for key customers, working directly with customer Packaging team, Quality, and Commercialization teams to understand requirements, provide technical recommendations, communicate risks, and drive packaging activities through implementation.

Plan, coordinate, and lead plant trials for new packaging materials and formats, including development of trial objectives, protocols, success criteria, material requirements, data collection, and post-trial recommendations.

Provide technical leadership during line trials, validation runs, commercial start-ups, and troubleshooting, partnering with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, and R&D to resolve packaging and equipment-related issues.

Setup packaging material and unit-load specifications in DevEx, including pallet configurations and transportation requirements, to ensure performance throughout manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution.

Develop and execute packaging testing and qualification plans, including compression, drop, vibration, environmental, shelf-life, and stability evaluations, and translate results into actionable recommendations.

Assess manufacturing and packaging-line capabilities for new formats and customer opportunities, identifying equipment limitations, change-part requirements, technical risks, and potential capital needs.

Partner with packaging suppliers and equipment vendors to develop and optimize solutions, qualify new materials, troubleshoot technical issues, and drive packaging performance improvements.

Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, Manufacturing, Engineering, Food Safety & Quality, Procurement, Supply Chain, Sales, Marketing, and Commercialization to align packaging solutions with customer expectations and operational capabilities.

Identify and implement cost savings, sustainability, and continuous improvement opportunities, including material optimization, waste reduction, recyclability, pallet utilization, and transportation efficiency.

Ensure packaging materials, designs, trials, and processes comply with applicable regulatory, food safety, customer, company, and GMP requirements.

Maintain clear technical documentation and effectively communicate project status, trial results, technical risks, decisions, and recommendations to customers, manufacturing sites, cross-functional teams, and leadership.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

None

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree in Packaging, Food Science, Chemistry, Engineering, or related field.

Experience working as a member of a cross functional team.

Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).

Preferred Qualifications:

3+ years’ experience working on packaging materials within a consumer product organization.

Familiarity with food manufacturing.

Knowledge and Skills:

Outstanding verbal, written, multi-tasking and presentation skills.

Strong attention to detail with bias to documentation and codification of knowledge. Must have experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).

Additional Considerations:

Travel Expectation:  Up to 30% to various SunOpta locations, to customer meetings, and/or conferences.

This role will be located at our US Corporate Office in Eden Prairie, MN.

Relocation (within the US) will be considered.

Work Environment/Physical Demands:

Approximately 95% of work is done in an office environment; 5% of work may be performed in a manufacturing environment.