Director, Packaging Innovation

About The Role:

The Director of Packaging Innovation at Kinder’s will play a pivotal role in bringing new products to life as we move beyond our dry seasonings, packets, and sauce bottles into new categories, and in rethinking packaging materials, formats, and the overall packaging experience across our existing portfolio. You will partner with the Innovation team to think about packaging early, starting as soon as we begin exploring a new category, and lead packaging from exploration and design through partner research and supplier selection before handing over to Packaging Engineering and Packaging Sourcing to take it through launch. You will also help shape our vision for the future of packaging at Kinder’s, including sustainability and alternative materials.

This role requires a hands-on leader with deep packaging design and development expertise, an established network of packaging partners, and the ability to work closely with a multifunctional group of partners, especially Packaging Engineering and Packaging Sourcing. In this role, you will report to the VP of Innovation, starting as a player-coach with the expectation of building and leading a team over time.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Packaging Innovation Strategy & Early Exploration

Lead packaging exploration for the Innovation team from the earliest stages of category and product ideation

Explore packaging formats, shapes, and forms to unlock new categories and innovative product formats

Shift from exploration into design, using human centered principles as the guide for delivering winning propositions for our consumers

Screen packaging concepts early for cost and executability, and frame the feasibility questions Packaging Engineering will answer, helping the team make informed decisions about which opportunities to pursue

Bring a point of view on how packaging can create consumer value, differentiate on shelf, and support brand permission in new spaces

Collaborate with Finance, Co-manufacturing, and other cross-functional partners to frame packaging investment needs (tooling, materials, equipment, partner capabilities) and trade-offs as part of fit-for-purpose business cases, ensuring packaging execution is considered at the start

Lead the renovation and reframing of packaging materials and formats across our existing portfolio, from consumer-facing format changes to new material systems

Design, Prototyping, and Internal & External Partnerships

Lead partner research: get out and meet new packaging partners (suppliers, converters, co-manufacturers, design agencies, and technology partners), push our standards, and bring new options into our process. Select suppliers for new formats once Packaging Engineering (tooling and manufacturing partners) and Packaging Sourcing (material inputs) have confirmed partners can deliver.

Drive packaging design and development for new formats across primary and secondary packaging through prototyping and consumer testing, and define the requirements Packaging Engineering needs for feasibility and scale-up

Work with a multifunctional group of partners, including Product Development, Operations, Sourcing, Supply Chain, Commercialization, Creative, Sales, Regulatory, and Finance to ensure relevant development considerations, retailer requirements, and execution trade-offs are built into the overall structural design, materials restrictions (e.g., due to product formulation requirements), space for branding, packaging claims, and more

Hand selected designs and partners to Packaging Engineering for qualification, technical validation, and trials, staying consulted on design requirements through scale-up

Sustainability & Future of Packaging

Help define the vision for the future of packaging, and build a multi-year packaging innovation roadmap, connected to our innovation pipeline, that feeds into Kinder’s overall packaging strategy

Maintain line of sight into sustainability, exploring next-generation and alternative materials and evaluating their executability for new product lines, designing sustainability into new formats from the start where it makes sense

Identify where Kinder’s should invest in new packaging capabilities, materials, or partners, and build the case for those investments with leadership

Stay ahead of packaging trends, technologies, and regulations, bringing that outside-in perspective back into the organization

Packaging Innovation Tools & Ways of Working

Build practical tools that help the Innovation team evaluate and advance packaging opportunities (e.g., early feasibility screens, partner evaluations, format libraries, cost and timing guides)

Define what a successful handoff to Packaging Engineering looks like (e.g., drawings, prototypes, selected partners, test results, partner contacts, open risks), aligned with Kinder’s packaging specifications and balanced with our entrepreneurial pace

Grow into building and leading a packaging innovation team as the function scales

Skills + Experience:

15+ years of experience in packaging innovation, packaging development, packaging engineering, or a related role

CPG, food, or beverage experience preferred; we welcome experience from other categories (e.g., beauty, personal care) where format innovation moves fast

Demonstrated experience thinking about packaging formats in many ways, shapes, and forms, with a track record of taking new formats from concept to launch

A network of packaging partners you have worked with in the past to help bring new ideas to reality

Experience with both primary and secondary packaging

Experience with sustainable packaging and alternative materials, including trade-offs and what it takes to execute them

Working knowledge of food packaging regulations, food-contact requirements, and labeling and claims considerations

Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional stakeholders, communicate complex issues clearly, and build alignment around decisions

Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint; experience in project management tools a plus (we currently use Wrike)

Familiarity with packaging design and development tools a plus, such as 3D CAD (e.g., SolidWorks), structural design (e.g., Esko ArtiosCAD), pallet and case optimization (e.g., Cape Pack, TOPS Pro), and specification/PLM systems

Hands-on experience with rapid prototyping methods (e.g., 3D printing, sample cutting tables) to bring early concepts to life

Bachelor’s degree in Packaging, Engineering, Materials Science, Food Science, or a related field (advanced degree a plus)

Pay Transparency:

The expected starting salary range for this role is $215,000- $240,000 per year. The salary range posted for this role reflects the good-faith base pay range Kinder’s reasonably expects to offer at the time of posting and may vary based on the location of the role. Individual compensation within the posted range will be determined based on factors such as relevant education, experience, qualifications, skills, and business needs.