Packaging Development Manager

Overview B ackground Lipton is Unilever’s largest brand in turnover and global presence and is a key component in PepsiCo’s beverage portfolio. Lipton is a truly global brand and operates in two distinct areas; leaf tea and Ready to Drink Tea (RTDT). The RTDT team operates as a separate entity to Unilever and PepsiCo as part of a joint venture organization. A role in Pepsi Lipton is a unique experience that will allow you to rapidly develop and will add value to your career. It is a Joint Venture between Unilever and PepsiCo to manufacture and sell Lipton Ice Tea and operates across the globe. As a company, the joint venture has its own board of directors. Whilst in constant contact with its parent companies, it runs as a separate entity on a day to day basis. As a global company the variation in countries, bottlers and manufacturing sites makes this a very exciting place to work. We have 5 regional organisations operating across North America, Europe, Latin America, AMESA (Africa Middle East, South Africa) & APAC (Asia Pacific) and we are constantly breaking new ground with launches into seed markets. Working in the joint venture is one of the few opportunities to work in a small, entrepreneurial company within a larger framework of Unilever and PepsiCo. It is a unique opportunity to work across many areas of the marketing agenda and make a direct impact to the global business. To learn more, visit www.pepsilipton.com Role Sr. Packaging Engineer in the Pepsi Lipton International Joint Venture R&D team, for the regions AMESA and APAC. The role is to lead execution of packaging programs including new designs, supply assurance and quality assurance needs for Lipton Iced Tea. This position will be a technical lead role as part of cross functional project teams. As a project technical lead, you will drive insights and solutions that support delivery of annual operating plan objectives. As Sr. Packaging Engineer you will be directly engaged with APAC region program forums and support business team leaders in the APAC and AMESA regions. Responsibilities Accountabilities Responsible in providing sound technical advice to stakeholders to ensure proper translation and manufacturability of the selected design concepts. Be a catalyst or change agent to lead and support all consumer insights preferred packaging designs with Marketing and Operations to meet with business needs and financial objectives and challenges. Work closely with bottlers/manufacturers & technical team, to audit & be part of the decision for line validation with a variety of intended commercial processing & filling technology. Identify skill gaps & transfer knowledge to external/internal package design & operational teams to achieve robust package design & seal integrity. Plan and organize the packaging tasks in robust manner and support project leader to achieve business target. Design & execute experiments/trials to represent production for new product & package innovations. Develop and optimize packaging specifications. Complete packaging documentation; updating trackers, collating project information accurately. Keep abreast of competitor & market activities & innovations. Develop & strengthen network amongst industry packaging experts and community to ensure regulatory compliance, re-application of technologies and best practices. As part of global packaging team, contribute to global packaging strategy and targets. Role / Person Profile Travel - worldwide trips require overnight stays. Occasional weekend travel is possible due to time required to travel to certain regions. Total travel ~20%. Main interactions: The Wider Unilever/PepsiCo Packaging Community Pepsi Lipton R&D and Supply Chain Organization Marketing Teams Packaging suppliers International production locations Qualifications Business skills Minimum 5 years FMCG packaging experience, ideally good experience of beverage packaging materials (PET Bottles, Glass Bottles, Closures, Cans, Beverage Cartons, Bag in Box). BS/MS in Packaging or Material Science or Chemical Engineering in Food & Beverage Technology or Mechanical Engineering or Microbiology or relevant industrial expertise preferred. In depth knowledge of innovation process, rigid/flexible pack manufacturing process, know how for scale up Leadership to drive projects to completion. Compliance to procedures, identify improvements to ways of working Proven ability to document project and packaging development progression. Excellent Planning and organizational skills Decision making based on factual data, considering what is best for the Customer and Pepsi Lipton Highly confident engaging with Sr. leadership team members, can independently drive program discussions. Personal skills Passion for great Lipton products; balancing technical requirements with brand design values, managing complexity where these are at odds. Able to thrive in an autonomous environment with direct manager located in Europe. Team working with across function teams Result orientated, self-motivated for own success, a “Can do” attitude. Strong analytical & creative thinking Continuous Improvement and Trouble Shooting mindset. Driving simplification and standardization of packaging tasks. Professional proficiency in English (speaking and writing).