Product Manager

Product Manager – Packaging Innovation & Product Safety

6 month contract

Hybrid (4 days onsite) in Seattle, WA

Job Description

This role leads the development of new products and packaging-related marketing opportunities within a defined category, with a strong focus on food packaging quality and product safety. You will develop strategic assessments for new and existing products, oversee packaging innovation initiatives, and manage product performance against operating plans and budgets to achieve financial and business objectives. The position blends product management, supplier quality, and cross-functional collaboration with R&D and innovation teams to bring safe, compliant, and scalable packaging solutions to market.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of new products and packaging-related marketing opportunities within the assigned category, ensuring alignment with business objectives and brand strategy.

• Develop strategic assessments for products and packaging solutions, evaluating market opportunities, risks, and financial implications.

• Manage product performance against operating plans and budgets, monitoring key metrics and taking action to achieve financial and business goals.

• Support packaging innovation initiatives through a quality and product safety lens, partnering with R&D and cross-functional stakeholders to identify risks, assess feasibility, and enable safe, scalable adoption of new materials, designs, and technologies.

• Lead the onboarding and qualification of new suppliers and manufacturing sites, ensuring compliance with internal food safety, GMP, and packaging quality requirements through risk assessments, audits, and readiness evaluations.

• Collaborate closely with R&D and Packaging Development teams to establish material, process, and performance qualification standards, ensuring packaging solutions are robust, fit for use, and compliant prior to commercialization.

• Provide quality oversight during pilot runs, scale-ups, and first production, identifying gaps early and driving corrective actions to minimize downstream risk to retail operations.

• Assess manufacturing process capability, including Cp/Cpk, control plans, and validation activities, to confirm suppliers can produce consistent, high-quality packaging before transitioning to full-scale manufacturing.

• Act as a trusted quality advisor on innovation governance, balancing speed-to-market objectives with a strong commitment to product safety, quality, and customer trust.

• Lead and participate in regular supplier meetings to review packaging project requirements, confirm technical specifications, and align on qualification plans and testing protocols.

• Ensure suppliers clearly understand quality, safety, and performance expectations for new and innovative packaging materials.

• Partner closely with R&D and innovation stakeholders to review development samples, analyze testing results, and support evaluation of trial and simulation outcomes.

• Provide quality engineering input throughout the development lifecycle to identify risks, recommend improvements, and support sound design decisions.

• Support the setup and qualification of new supplier manufacturing sites by gathering and reviewing required documentation, including quality systems, certifications, and process flows.

• Coordinate and support supplier audits to ensure compliance with quality, food safety, and manufacturing standards prior to supplier approval.

• Create, complete, and maintain Product Safety Review data for all active innovation projects, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and traceability of safety assessments to support internal approvals and regulatory compliance for new packaging solutions.

• Maintain regular communication with supplier Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) teams to provide updates on program milestones, development changes, and testing progress.

• Proactively address quality or food safety concerns with suppliers and internal partners to keep innovation projects on track and aligned with launch timelines.

• Engage broadly across cross-functional teams, maintaining a moderate to high level of daily interaction to drive alignment and project success.

Essential Skills

• 3–5 years of experience developing and implementing quality programs and product standards, or managing manufacturer and supplier quality systems and product quality auditing with an emphasis on materials.

• 3–5 years of progressive experience managing the development and review of information required to comply with product safety and quality requirements.

• Hands-on experience in product management or brand management, including managing product performance against budgets and operating plans.

• Strong experience in food packaging, including food contact packaging such as paper, plastic, and compostable fiber materials.

• Experience with non-food contact packaging and disposable cups and lids.

• Working knowledge of Quality Management Systems, including HACCP and GMPs.

• Familiarity with GFSI-aligned standards and BRC-compliant quality and food safety requirements.

• Basic understanding of Food Safety and Quality GFSI requirements and how they apply to packaging materials and suppliers.

• Proven ability to lead supplier onboarding, qualification, and auditing activities focused on quality and food safety.

• Ability to assess manufacturing process capability, including interpretation of Cp/Cpk, control plans, and validation activities.

• Strong project management skills to coordinate multiple packaging innovation and qualification projects simultaneously.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey quality, safety, and performance expectations to suppliers and internal stakeholders.

• Collaborative working style, with a proven ability to partner effectively with R&D, Packaging Development, Innovation, and Supplier FSQ teams.

• High attention to detail, particularly in reviewing technical documentation, test results, and Product Safety Review data.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite for documentation, analysis, and communication.

• Experience using Smartsheet or similar tools to track projects, timelines, and deliverables.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• MBA preferred, particularly with a focus on product management, marketing, or operations.

• Progressive experience in product or brand management, ideally within food, beverage, or packaging-intensive categories.

• Experience working on new product development initiatives that integrate packaging innovation and product safety requirements.

• Familiarity with packaging qualification processes, including material, process, and performance testing prior to commercialization.

• Comfort working in a hybrid environment with frequent cross-functional and supplier interactions.

• Strong analytical skills to interpret testing data, process capability metrics, and financial performance indicators.

• Ability to act as a trusted advisor on innovation governance, helping balance speed-to-market with rigorous quality and safety standards.

• Demonstrated ability to maintain accurate, complete, and traceable product safety and quality records for regulatory and internal compliance.

• Interest in sustainable and innovative packaging materials and technologies is a plus.

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as engineering, food science, packaging science, business, or a related discipline is preferred.

Work Environment

This position operates in a hybrid work environment with an expectation of being onsite four days per week, allowing for close collaboration with cross-functional teams and direct engagement with packaging samples and test activities. You will regularly interact with R&D, Packaging Development, Innovation, and Supplier FSQ teams, with a moderate to high level of daily collaboration. The role involves frequent virtual and in-person meetings with suppliers to review technical requirements, qualification plans, and audit outcomes. Standard office technologies such as Microsoft Office Suite and Smartsheet are used extensively for documentation, analysis, project tracking, and communication. The culture emphasizes meaningful, impactful work with strong local partnerships, broad cross-functional exposure, and a focus on work–life balance. The environment supports being closely connected to what is happening across the business, with opportunities to influence both product and packaging strategy.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Seattle, WA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $50.00 - $55.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Seattle,WA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 13, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.