Product Development Engineer

Join Pro Ampac , one of the fastest‑growing flexible packaging manufacturers in North America, where innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement shape everything we do. We are seeking a hands‑on Product Development Engineer to support new product development, materials qualification, and production trials at our Elgin, IL facility . This role is ideal for engineers who thrive at the intersection of manufacturing, packaging technology, and R&D/innovation .

As a Product Development Engineer, you will ensure the smooth flow of new products, materials, and customer trials through our Elgin plant. You’ll work closely with Product Development, Quality, Procurement, Operations, and Innovation teams to design, test, validate, and commercialize new structures and materials. This is a full‑time, onsite role with business‑hour scheduling that may flex based on project needs.

You will be a key technical contributor—leading trial plans, troubleshooting on the production floor, analyzing data, and ensuring new materials and product designs meet customer CTQs, regulatory requirements, and Pro Ampac’s quality standards.

• Manage development projects to ensure milestones, trial dates, and deliverables remain on track; communicate updates to leadership.
• Determine structures for new business opportunities and enter specifications into required systems.
• Develop trial plans and testing protocols aligned with customer CTQ parameters.
• Partner with Quality Assurance to design trial runs, identify potential quality risks, and build preventive quality plans.
• Attend production trials, troubleshoot issues, and make real‑time technical decisions.
• Prepare post‑trial documentation including machine processability, test data analysis, and recommendations for next steps.
• Ensure documentation is complete and accurate for Customer Service to generate timely quotations.
• Maintain Pro Ampac systems with new raw materials, processing technologies, and updated specifications.
• Collaborate with Procurement to qualify new and alternate materials.
• Work directly with suppliers to communicate requirements and develop raw material specifications.
• Maintain and update run sheets, Bills of Materials, and site‑specific structure documentation.
• Support product and process validations as needed.
• Uphold Pro Ampac’s Safety, Quality, and Operational standards; stop work when unsafe conditions are observed.
• Identify and record quality issues, recommend corrective actions, and prevent non‑conformance.
• Halt manufacturing processes and notify management when safety, material, equipment, or technical issues arise.
• Perform additional assignments as required by Pro Ampac Management.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Materials Science, or related technical field preferred.
• Minimum 3+ years of experience in packaging processing (flexible packaging strongly preferred).
• Knowledge of adhesives, barrier materials, lamination processes , and converting technologies.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple technical initiatives.
• Excellent communication, problem‑solving, and organizational skills; able to work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to work accurately under interruptions and meet deadlines with sound judgment and initiative.

• Regular standing, walking, reaching, and manual handling; occasional lifting up to 25 lbs.
• Ability to distinguish colors and maintain close, distance, and depth perception.
• Occasional exposure to non‑toxic smells, airborne dust, mechanical parts, high noise, and hot/humid conditions in summer months.

Occasional…