Packaging Development & Technology Intern

Location: Nijmegen, Netherlands. Full-time, 6-month internship starting in August/September 2026. EU working rights are required; EU students must be enrolled at a Dutch university for at least 50% of the internship, while non-EU students must be enrolled for the full duration.

Company

hirify.global is a global food and beverage company with a portfolio of more than 200 brands and products sold in over 40 countries.

What you will do

• Participate in new packaging design and materials development across flexible, rigid, fiber-based, and decarbonization platforms.
• Scout new technologies, materials, and converting solutions through technical research, supplier meetings, creativity sessions, and consumer-insight analysis.
• Conduct feasibility studies, including laboratory tests and trials on production lines.
• Estimate material costs and investments, benchmark solutions, and assess life-cycle impacts.
• Review packaging regulations, recycling processes, relevant literature, and external technical information.
• Run small packaging projects independently.

Requirements

• Fourth-year Bachelor’s or Master’s student in packaging engineering or technology, chemical engineering, packaging sustainability, food technology, or a related field.
• Coursework in packaging design or technology, polymers, fiber, sustainability, or life-cycle analysis.
• Knowledge of packaging materials, packaging processes, packaging legislation, end-of-life processes, sustainability, and packaging laboratory tests.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required; Dutch is not required.
• Strong analytical, communication, problem-solving, adaptability, time-management, and independent-working skills.
• Ability to take initiative, demonstrate ownership, and manage projects independently.

Nice to have

• Internship experience in packaging development or design, or in a food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, or packaging-supplier company.
• Knowledge of additional languages.

Culture & Benefits

• One-on-one mentorship from an experienced colleague.
• Support for personal learning goals and space to develop new ideas.
• Ownership of individual projects and career development.
• Close intern community and a young, ambitious work environment, including online collaboration.
• Collaborative culture focused on ownership, growth, and sustainable practices.

Hiring process

• CV review focused on key eligibility criteria, including EU working rights.
• Online Pymetrics assessment followed by a Microsoft Teams screening interview.
• Hiring manager interview and offer; the process typically takes 4–6 weeks from application to offer.