Junior Packaging Engineer

Overview

Garlock Flexibles began it journey in 1987 printing high-quality graphics on paper tissues and helped numerous consumer brands protect and elevate their products and image with creativity, elegance, and style. In 2001, Garlock expanded into flexible films and continued to grow, applying the same principles.

Today, Garlock is a multi-site business specializing in flexible pouch, lidding, and rollstock. It is a leader in fresh food packaging. The Garlock™ brand stands for exceptional packaging that keeps your brands and products fresh. Garlock’s focus on freshness helps the largest produce brands make a great impression by delivering the crispest leafy greens from field to table. Garlock’s focus on freshness traps the aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans, and its focus on freshness keeps the crunch in healthy snacks.

Job Summary

The Packaging Engineer will work to understand the customer’s packaging needs, specifications, and performance requirements and identify the best cost solutions. With a working knowledge of fresh, perishable food packaging, flexible film substrates, coatings, and material converting processes (laminating and coating technologies), the successful candidate will design, test, qualify and optimize the best cost solutions for the customer’s application.

Technical packaging engineering skills alone are not sufficient to be successful in the role. The successful candidate will be organized, have a project management mindset, and have strong teamwork and collaboration skills. They will be effective communicators and be able to work effectively across functions. They will work closely with….

• Sales to understand the customers’ requirements. Screen, fit, qualify, define, develop and document the product and application requirements, and related specifications.
• Procurement to specify, document, and qualify materials, adhesives, and coatings.
• Quality to establish and verify effective quality assurance and quality control processes and related documentation are established and maintained.
• Process Engineering and Operations to ensure the design is manufacturable, repeatable, and optimized.
• Support/lead/drive both internal and external (customer and/or supplier) driven efforts to further optimize the design for cost, manufacturability, and sustainability purposes

Candidates must be familiar with, and stay abreast of, food safety requirements, environmental/regulatory requirements, and be able to research and recommend options and alternatives, when necessary. Candidates must be able to professionally respond to customer inquiries/information requests promptly and accurately.

Candidates will be detail-oriented, possess a foundational understanding of packaging processes and be comfortable operating in a dynamic, manufacturing environment.

The ideal candidate will have…

• prior experience working with fresh food packaging and, more specifically, film structures commonly used in Produce, Meat, and Poultry (i.e., Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) for shelf life, MVTR and OTR requirements).
• prior, pragmatic experience and success with the commercialization of sustainable flexible film structures (e.g. PLA’s) and be equipped to drive Garlock’s efforts to scale sustainable flexible food packaging solutions.

Essential Job Functions

• Packaging Design and Development: Support the design and development of flexible packaging solutions that meet customer needs and product requirements.
• Material Selection: Help identify and test materials suitable for flexible packaging, ensuring they meet regulatory and industry standards for durability, safety, and sustainability.
• Prototyping and Testing: Participate in the creation of prototypes and conduct basic testing (e.g., strength, durability, and barrier testing) to ensure packaging meets performance and quality standards.
• Documentation: Maintain detailed documentation for packaging specifications, test results, and material selections.
• Quality Control: Support the quality team by performing inspections and testing packaging to ensure adherence to quality standards.
• Cost Optimization: Assist in cost analysis and improvement initiatives by suggesting ways to reduce costs while maintaining packaging quality and performance.
• Collaboration: Work with cross-functional teams, including R&D, production, and quality control, to ensure seamless integration of packaging designs into production.
• Customer Support: Address customer inquiries or issues related to packaging and provide solutions with guidance from senior engineers.
• Sustainability Initiatives: Contribute to efforts to make packaging solutions more sustainable, such as by exploring recyclable or other sustainable materials.

Direct Reports

• None

Location, Travel, and Relocation Benefits

• Occasional travel may be required (~10-15%) for customer or supplier site visits.
• The role is a full-time, on-site position located in either Gardner, MA or Reno, NV.
• The individual must be present in the office during the company’s normal office hours Monday through Friday.
• Competitive relocation benefits are available.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Packaging Engineering
• Alternatively, a B.S. in Polymer Science or Chemical Engineering may be considered, provided they had prior working experience in flexible film food packaging design.
• Internships or co-op experience in packaging engineering are desirable.
• Experience or minors in polymer science and/or analytics is preferred but not required.
• Training in/prior experience with Specright packaging management software is desirable.

Skills:

• Sound understanding of packaging materials and manufacturing processes.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Ability to work well in a team environment.
• Excellent communication and documentation skills.
• Strong project management skills.

Other Attributes: Detail-oriented, adaptable, and proactive, with the ability to handle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Physical Requirements:

• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, and use hands to handle or feel.
• The employee is required to speak, listen, and hear well.
• The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms.
• Ability to work nights and weekends as business dictates.

The operating environment is manufacturing and production facilities and the employee must be comfortable in both an office setting and a manufacturing shop floor. Shop exposure includes, but is not limited to, continuous noise, scent of materials, bright workstations, and heavy machinery with moving parts.

Other Details:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time.

This company is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.