Senior Manager, Packaging Engineering

About The Talent Project:

The Talent Project is a female owned and led executive search firm specializing in marketing, creative and operations roles for the beauty, wellness & longevity industries. We offer end-to-end recruitment support for full-time direct-hire positions as well as retained executive searches. With deep experience leading corporate recruitment, we operate as an extension of our client's talent acquisition team, ensuring a seamless and strategic hiring process.

Company Description:

Our client is a beauty company servicing all categories including skincare, cosmetics, fragrance, body care, and wellness. Operating in a highly entrepreneurial and collaborative environment, they move quickly, think creatively, and bring innovative products to market with agility and purpose. The team thrives in a hands-on, scrappy culture where cross-functional partnership, problem solving, and ownership are valued at every level. With a strong focus on quality, brand storytelling, and consumer experience, we are building a modern beauty platform designed to scale across multiple categories and channels.

Location: New Jersey

Industry: Beauty / Personal Care

About the Role:

We are looking for a hands-on, strategic, and highly collaborative Senior Manager of Packaging Engineering to lead packaging development across a diverse beauty portfolio including skincare, cosmetics, fragrance, body care, and emerging categories. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment and enjoys building scalable processes while remaining deeply involved in execution.

Reporting into senior leadership, this individual will manage a team of engineers and serve as the key packaging partner across Product Development, Operations, Procurement, Creative, Marketing, Quality, and external manufacturing partners. The ideal candidate brings strong technical packaging expertise, excellent leadership skills, and the ability to navigate ambiguity in a lean, high-growth organization.

Key Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end packaging engineering and development across all beauty categories including skincare, color cosmetics, fragrance, and body care
Manage, mentor, and develop a team of four packaging engineers, fostering accountability, collaboration, and growth
Drive packaging innovation while balancing speed-to-market, cost, quality, sustainability, and brand aesthetics
Own packaging timelines and deliverables from concept through commercialization
Partner cross-functionally with Product Development, Creative, Marketing, Operations, Procurement, Quality, and Supply Chain teams
Source and qualify primary and secondary packaging components, materials, and suppliers globally
Identify opportunities for cost savings, value engineering, and packaging optimization without compromising brand equity
Troubleshoot packaging performance, compatibility, and manufacturing issues across multiple product formats
Ensure packaging meets regulatory, testing, and quality requirements across domestic and international markets
Build scalable packaging development processes appropriate for a growing organization
Support sustainability initiatives including recyclability, material reduction, and responsible sourcing efforts
Maintain strong relationships with suppliers, contract manufacturers, and testing partners
Stay informed on emerging packaging technologies, beauty trends, and consumer expectations

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field
8+ years of packaging engineering experience within beauty, cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, or personal care
Prior people management experience required
Strong expertise in primary packaging components including bottles, jars, pumps, droppers, compacts, tubes, closures, and fragrance packaging systems
Experience working across multiple product categories and manufacturing environments
Proven ability to manage multiple complex projects in a fast-moving environment with shifting priorities
Strong understanding of packaging materials, testing, compatibility, and manufacturing processes
Experience partnering with global suppliers and contract manufacturers
Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills
Comfortable operating both strategically and tactically in a lean organization

Please note, due to the high volume of submissions, we may not be able to respond to every applicant individually. However, if your background aligns with the opportunity, a member of our team will be in touch. 

The salary range for this role is $120,000 - $140,000 annually based on experience.

The Talent Project is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process for all candidates and clients we represent. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.