Packaging Engineer Eden Prairie Office, 7078 Shady Oak Road, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States of America Req #1576 Friday, January 5, 2024 JOB TITLE: PACKAGING ENGINEER FSLA STATUS: EXEMPT DEPARTMENT: RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT, PLANT-BASED FOOD & BEVERAGES REPORTS TO: DIRECTOR R&D SunOpta Overview: SunOpta Inc. is a leader in the plant-based foods and beverages. SunOpta is focused on sustainability and specializes in the sourcing, processing, and packaging of organic, conventional, non-GMO food products. SunOpta is looking for talented individuals that demonstrate our most valued behaviors: Passion, Dedication, Speed, Entrepreneurship, Customer-Centricity, and Problem-Solver, to help create a brighter, healthier, and sustainable future of food! Job Summary: At SunOpta we believe that packaging innovation can fundamentally change the trajectory of our company by making our products more innovative, more sustainable, and more cost-effective. This position will report to Director of R&D and will be responsible for various technical packaging development projects across an array of products. Working closely with SunOpta R&D, Marketing and Commercialization teams, the successful candidate will design, execute, and deliver packaging for plant-based food and beverage products. The successful candidate will have experience with packaging materials including interface with the packaging equipment. This person will manage packaging development and improvement projects from ideation through commercialization, to meet customer and company needs. The successful candidate will build and maintain networks with relevant industry and academic experts to gain early insight and access to high impact packaging technologies. They will develop packaging specification standards to ensure technical performance and reliability as well as cost effectiveness. Key consumer product focus areas will be Shelf Stable Beverages (e.g, Oat, Almond, Soy, Rice, Tea) and Fruit Snacks, along with their associated Package & Material Technologies (e.g., aseptic, barrier films, corrugate, etc.). A key focus area of Packaging R&D will be working toward improving the sustainability of our packaging materials. The successful candidate will be primarily responsible for supporting the design of packages through a collection of materials and documentation in the specification system. Additional responsibilities include development of unit load specifications, performing shelf life/sensory testing, testing packaging materials, and assisting the cross functional team with maintenance projects. Essential Functions of the Job: Support design of packaging components for new and existing products. Assist and develop unit load specifications to meet requirements of internal and external supply chains. Documentation of packaging materials and unit load specifications in specification system. Assist in testing and inspection of packaging materials in a lab environment. Collaborate closely with cross functional teams (R&D, Purchasing, Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing, QA) to understand customer requirements and internal capabilities. Communication and partnership with suppliers where needed for technical documentation and design iterations. Plan and execute shelf-life testing for new formulations and products. Adhere to company GMP's (good manufacturing practices), human and food safety procedures, as well as all quality processes. All other duties, as assigned. Supervisory Responsibilities: None immediately. Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree in Packaging, Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, or related field. Experience working as a member of a cross functional team. Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel). Preferred Qualifications: 1-3 years' experience working on packaging materials within a consumer product organization. Familiarity with food manufacturing. Knowledge and Skills: Outstanding verbal, written, multi-tasking and presentat on skills. Strong attention to detail with bias to documentation and codification of knowledge. Must have experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel). Additional Considerations: Travel Expectation: Up to 30% to various SunOpta locations, to customer meetings, and/or conferences. This role will be located at our US Corporate Office in Eden Prairie, MN. Relocation (within the US) will be considered. Work Environment/Physical Demands: Approximately 95% of work is done in an office environment; 5% of work may be performed in a manufacturing environment. 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, with or without notice. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER EOE M/W/VET/DISABLED Other details Job Family Operations Job Function Non-manager Pay Type Salary Eden Prairie Office, 7078 Shady Oak Road, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States of America Share this job: The Employer is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Employer does not discriminate in employment and no question on this application is used for the purpose of limiting or excusing any applicant's consideration for employment on a basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law.