Senior Engineer, R&D - Design & Innovation (Packaging)

Location: Hybrid role based at the hirify.global R&D Innovation Center in Glenview, Illinois, United States; on-site at least three days per week and virtual work up to two days per week.

New hire base salary: $89,800–$112,200 per year, plus eligibility for a performance-based bonus.

Company

hirify.global develops and commercializes food and beverage products across a broad North American brand portfolio.

What you will do

• Support packaging design and innovation initiatives from concept through proof of concept, commercialization, and handover to business units.
• Manage packaging projects with varying scopes across enterprise platforms, including project plans, schedules, budgets, risks, and business cases.
• Translate consumer insights, Jobs-To-Be-Done, sustainability requirements, and brand strategies into testable, commercially viable packaging solutions.
• Collaborate with Innovation, Process, Platform Packaging, Marketing, Procurement, Operations, Supply Chain, Legal, external design partners, and suppliers.
• Support prototyping for consumer testing, pilot-line setup, scale-up to industrial production, and performance-based specifications.
• Develop IP strategies, document technical learnings, create summaries, and support capability-building and training content.

Requirements

• BS, MS, or PhD in Design, Engineering, Packaging Engineering, or a related discipline.
• At least 4 years of relevant experience with a BS, 3 years with an MS, or 2 years with a PhD.
• Experience in R&D packaging development, commercialization, packaging design innovation, and project leadership.
• Working knowledge of packaging materials, formats, converting processes, printing, closures, dispensing systems, and manufacturing constraints.
• Ability to plan and perform experiments, document results, coordinate cross-functional development, and support end-to-end product launches.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% of the time and work on-site at the Glenview Innovation Center at least three days per week.

Nice to have

• Industrial design experience with packaging materials, shapes, and formats, supported by examples of commercialized innovations.
• Knowledge of Desirability, Viability, Feasibility (DVF), consumer Jobs-To-Be-Done, and market trends.
• Experience in consumer goods, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, or similar industries.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work arrangements based on business needs.
• Healthcare, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, and employee assistance programs.
• Paid time off, company holidays, leave programs, flexible work arrangements, and family support programs.
• 401(k), wellbeing programs, recognition, training, learning opportunities, and financial wellbeing resources.