Sr Manager, R&D - Plastic Rigid Materials (Glenview, Illinois)

This job is with Kraft Heinz, an inclusive employer and a member of myGwork – the largest global platform for the LGBTQ+ business community. Please do not contact the recruiter directly.

Job Description

Job Purpose   

​​As the  Rigid Plastic Packaging Senior Manager  within the Sustainability & Materials Center of Excellence, you will lead a team of technical experts charged with developing rigid plastic packaging solutions to serve the North American portfolio. The objective of the team is to develop material and format solutions that meet sustainability requirements, addressing innovation, compliance, and value engineering initiatives. The team will develop and lead technical strategies and deliver novel, functional, cost-competitive solutions. In this role you will partner with Innovation, Process, and Platform packaging teams as well as cross-functional stakeholders to translate technical and sustainability requirements into viable, commercial, manufacturable solutions. The role includes leading the team to identify material/polymer/packaging technology solutions and research pathways, and leading proof of concept, technology scale-up, and seamless transition of technologies to the business units. The ideal candidate combines deep technical packaging expertise with strong sustainability knowledge and proven experience managing complex projects and technical teams. ​

Essential Functions & Responsibilities   

• ​​Lead and prioritize a portfolio of complex rigid plastic packaging technology strategies and initiatives, including balancing technology exploration with proof of concept of novel technologies and managing complex partnerships across the value chain, demonstrating value and business case for technology applications. 

• ​Build, coordinate and manage relationships and partnerships with suppliers and technology providers (e.g., resin, coating, material suppliers; packaging manufacturers), and external partners (e.g., universities, institutes, start-ups, open innovation networks). 

• ​Identify material/polymer/packaging technology solutions that avoid material bans and regulatory risks. 

• ​Advance recyclable, reusable, and compliant rigid packaging formats aligned with enterprise sustainability goals and legislative requirements. 

• ​Deliver packaging designs to  Performance-Based Specifications (PBS) , ensuring solutions meet defined functional, quality, shelf-life, consumer experience, and manufacturing performance outcomes (rather than prescriptive designs). 

• ​Provide technical leadership and oversight on packaging reviews, ensuring design decisions align with enterprise standards, manufacturability, sustainability, and long-term platform strategy. 

• ​Own project and portfolio-level budgets, resourcing strategies and capacity planning, ensuring delivery within approved financial guardrails; develop and maintain project plans, schedules, budgets, and resource allocations; monitor progress, assess risk, and proactively escalate tradeoffs. 

• ​Serve as an accountable owner for governance, escalation and go/no-go decisions; represent packaging steering forums and influence stakeholders. 

• ​Act as technical expert for junior developers and direct team to flex onto projects requiring problem solving. 

• ​Partner with legal to build robust IP strategies; conduct exploration to build an IP portfolio to drive competitive advantage. 

• ​Mentor, coach and train junior project team members and contribute to PMO best practices and templates. 

• ​Build and sustain a high-performing technical team; manage, coach, mentor and retain employees, including goal-setting, performance management, salary planning and hiring. 

• ​Build strong succession and upskilling plans for junior talent, maximizing apprenticeship with more senior/experienced team members.​ 

People Management Responsibilities  

• Team (salaried): targeting 3 direct reports

Key Outputs & Deliverables   

• Deliver technology strategy and prioritize a portfolio of complex rigid plastic packaging technology/format initiatives to deliver against sustainability, innovation and value engineering initiatives. 

• Lead and deploy a team of packaging technical experts to deliver 7 to 10 concurrent complex packaging technology projects annually, meeting committed timelines, budgets, and technical performance targets from concept through proof of concept and handover. 

• Ensure full compliance with evolving sustainability and regulatory requirements for portfolio projects, including: 

• Minimizing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees 

• Designing packaging solutions that avoid material bans and regulatory risks 

• Advancing recyclable, reusable, and compliant packaging formats aligned with enterprise sustainability goals and legislative requirements 

• Deliver packaging designs to PBS, ensuring solutions meet defined functional, quality, shelf-life, consumer experience, and manufacturing performance outcomes. 

Expected Experience & Required Skills  

• ​​BS/MS/PhD degree in Engineering, Materials, Chemical or Packaging Engineering preferred or related discipline. 

• ​Minimum 8 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 managing end-to-end development projects, identifying and driving packaging technology initiatives, leading external partnerships, and coordinating cross-functional teams. 

• ​Demonstrated experience in people management

• ​Strong technical knowledge of  materials  (polymers, barriers and additives, etc.) and  manufacturing constraints , including converting processes (e.g., filling, labeling, molding, injection molding, extrusion blow molding, thermoforming), bottle closure and dispensing systems. 

• ​Proven project management/PMO skills; experience with governance, risk management, budget management, and stakeholder reporting. 

• ​Expert knowledge of design of experiments and statistics; strong technical problem solving. 

• ​Excellent communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills; ability to influence at all levels. 

• ​Previous experience leading complex, multisite or global packaging or technology launches. 

• ​Expert knowledge of sustainable packaging solutions, material/package industry standards and regulations. 

• ​Experience with pilot line setups and scale-up to industrial production. 

• ​Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% of the time.​ 

Work Environment & Schedule  

This position operates primarily in a hybrid work environment and is based at the Kraft Heinz R&D Innovation Center in Glenview, IL. Our hybrid model provides flexibility based on business needs, allowing employees to work virtually up to two days per week, with an expectation to work on-site at least three days per week at the Glenview Innovation Center (Glenview, IL). 

Physical demands  include but not limited to 

• ​​Regular office work 

• ​Physical presence at labs and manufacturing sites (internal and external) to perform experimental and validation testing​ 

Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz' strategy and values.

New Hire Base Salary Range:

Bonus: This position is eligible for a performance-based bonus as provided by the plan terms and governing documents.

The compensation offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors

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. Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.

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.

You'll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example:

• 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

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