Principal, Package Engineer

Overview

At Liquid I.V., our purpose is to elevate the vitality of people and the planet. An ambitious goal? Yes! But by playing to win, holding the bar higher, championing wellbeing, and always thinking with a pioneering mindset we can go further together to leave a lasting mark.

Our products are stocked in over 80,000 retail doors, including the world’s leading specialty, big box, and online retailers such as Costco, Walmart, Target, Amazon, and many more. In just over 10 years, our growth has been exponential. And as part of Unilever, we’re continuing the expansion of Liquid I.V. into a global brand.

We’re also passionate about cultivating solutions for equitable clean water access, a healthier planet, and thriving communities. We contribute over 1% of our company revenue to our Impact Program through which we provide partnerships and grants to organizations that expand access to clean and abundant water locally and globally. By 2026, our goal is to help ensure access to clean water for 2 million people around the world.

We are a world-class team of innovators and passionate changemakers, looking to develop transformative hydration solutions and make a meaningful impact on the world around us. We are committed to building an inclusive culture of belonging that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we work and the customers we serve. Our team members enjoy a flexible and inclusive working environment, a highly collaborative and innovation-forward culture, generous benefits and perks that empower employees to champion their wellbeing every day, as well as an infinite supply of Liquid I.V. for extraordinary hydration.

Liquid I.V. is looking for a Principal Packaging Engineer to lead the strategy and execution of innovative, scalable, and sustainable packaging solutions across our growing product portfolio. This individual will serve as the technical authority in packaging innovation – bringing deep expertise in materials science, design for sustainability, manufacturing, and commercialization. As a thought leader within the organization, the Principal Packaging Engineer will guide long-term packaging development strategies aligned with innovation and sustainability goals.

Functions and duties of this role include, but not limited to:

• Scout for new packaging materials to expand LIV product formats.
• Research, evaluate, and qualify cutting-edge packaging materials, vendors, and technologies while balancing sustainability, cost, and performance.
• Own end-to-end development: design, prototype, test, validate, and commercialize packaging systems across primary, secondary, and tertiary formats.
• Manage new product launches from concept through commercialization with a cross-functional team including Project Management, Product Development and Operations. Stay informed and educate the team of category, brand and competitive packaging trends and dynamics.
• Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including Senior Leadership, about emerging business opportunities, technology capabilities and technologies.

Sustainability

• Provide technical expertise on sustainable materials, packaging formats, and life cycle assessment (LCA), guiding key business decisions.
• Contribute to Sustainability Reporting, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and external communications related to Packaging.
• Stay ahead of industry trends and regulatory changes to future-proof Liquid I.V.’s packaging strategies.
• Serve as a Subject Matter Expert with a passion for knowledge-sharing while actively identifying and assessing opportunities to advance Unilever Sustainable Packaging goals.
• Co-create and execute technical strategy for next generation packaging platforms with a focus on sustainable, cost-effective, and high-performance solutions.
• Collaborate with suppliers, co-manufacturers, co-packers, and Unilever Center of Excellence (COE) sites to scale and commercialize packaging solutions.
• Guide development of packaging specifications, testing protocols, and tooling documentation across all packaging formats including flexibles, cartons, corrugate, rigids, etc.
• Identify and…