Job Description

Job Summary:

The Lead Packaging Engineer is responsible for leading the structural design and development of innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable packaging solutions across customer projects or internal projects. This role will serve as a technical anchor for material selection, ISTA-certified testing, and packaging design validation while also collaborating closely with clients and crossfunctional teams. A bonus capability includes understanding and integrating packaging automation equipment to improve packing efficiency and throughput. 

Key Responsibilities:

Structural Packaging Design & Innovation

• Develop custom structural packaging designs from scratch or based on client concepts. 
• Ensure packaging solutions meet functional, aesthetic, and logistic requirements. 
• Drive design-to-validation cycles using CAD, 3D modelling, and rapid prototyping. 
• Create and present digital or physical mock-ups for client approvals. 

Material Expertise & Application

• Apply deep knowledge of packaging materials: corrugated board, molded pulp, plastic, foam (PU, PS, EPE), and paper-based solutions. 
• Recommend optimal material usage balancing cost, performance, and sustainability. 
• Identify and evaluate new materials that align with industry trends and customer needs. 

Packaging Testing & Validation

• Lead and execute ISTA, ASTM, and other industry-standard tests for packaging reliability and compliance. 
• Coordinate with in-house certified packaging testing lab to perform drop, vibration, and compression tests. 
• Document and analyse test results, recommend improvements, and validate final packaging performance. 

Customer Project Management

• Liaise with key multinational clients to gather requirements, propose designs, and present solutions. 
• Manage project timelines, deliverables, and ensure on-time execution aligned with client milestones. 
• Maintain high responsiveness and design agility in fast-paced production environments. 

Cross-functional Collaboration & Automation Readiness

• Work with production and automation teams to ensure packaging designs are machine compatible. 
• Provide input into packaging line automation equipment or integration projects. 
• Optimize packaging for container loading, assembly speed, and operational efficiency. 

Process Improvement & Team Leadership

• Support the improvement of internal design processes, documentation standards, and project workflows. 
• Mentor junior engineers and share technical expertise across the team. 
• Contribute to brainstorming sessions and design reviews to drive innovation culture. 

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Packaging, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering, or related field. 
• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in packaging design and development, or preferably in E&E or manufacturing sectors. 
• Solid command of CAD tools and packaging design software. 
• Strong understanding of various packaging materials and production processes. 
• Bonus: Familiarity with packaging automation equipment (e.g. case erectors, tapers, pick-and-place systems). 
• Excellent project management, communication, and client engagement skills. 
• Fluent in English; additional languages a plus. 

Skills