Product Development Engineer

Your Job

Join Georgia‑Pacific’s Consumer Products Group R&D at the Neenah Technical Center as a Product Development Engineer on the Dixie® Beverage R&D Team. This role balances hands‑on lab and manufacturing work with cross‑functional stakeholder engagement to improve product performance, reduce cost and scale innovations into production. Hybrid or remote work solutions will be considered.

You’ll be part of a multidisciplinary R&D team focused on paper cups and food service solutions for Retail and Professional channels. The team partners closely with product development, mill operations, converting, consumer research, suppliers and 3rd‑party manufacturers to mitigate technical risk, run pilot and mill trials, and move winning concepts from pilot to commercial scale.

• Partner with business stakeholders, consumer research, mill operations and converting teams to drive year‑over‑year product and cost improvements: maximize volume, minimize waste, and improve quality across the portfolio.
• Design, plan and execute experiments (lab, pilot and mill trials) to evaluate new product designs, alternative materials, and substrate qualifications.
• Collect, analyze, and synthesize product performance, quality and consumer feedback to mitigate technical risk and guide commercialization decisions.
• Provide technical and project support to internal manufacturing sites and 3rd‑party converters to ensure manufacturability and reliable scale‑up.
• Develop and maintain supplier relationships to qualify materials, troubleshoot issues, and accelerate product commercialization.
• Solve complex problems using critical thinking and data analysis; propose creative, pragmatic recommendations and lead implementation.
• Coach and educate the technical community to improve R&D effectiveness and share subject matter expertise.
• Travel as needed to support trials, customer meetings and supplier collaboration (25‑50%).
• Work safely and effectively in both lab and manufacturing environments.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Science AND 3+ years of product development or process/project engineering experience on paper or plastic products; OR 7+ years of relevant work experience without a 4‑year degree.
• Experience developing and managing supplier relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to identify problems, apply creativity to develop solutions, and implement those solutions effectively.
• Comfortable running experiments and trials, collecting performance data, and communicating technical results to diverse stakeholders.
• Willing to travel 25‑50% of the time based on business needs.

• 10+ years’ experience in R&D or manufacturing with demonstrated results leading material qualification, product commercialization, process development and scale‑up.
• Direct experience with consumer goods development, printing and/or converting processes — especially paper cup manufacturing.
• Familiarity with quality systems and project management practices.
• Experience with sustainable materials (renewable, compostable, etc.) and working to commercialize them.
• Experience with SAP (PLM/MDG) or similar product lifecycle/MDM systems.
• Proven track record of cross‑functional leadership, supplier collaboration, and delivering measurable manufacturing or product improvements.

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength—focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance.

Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E‑Verify. Please  for additional information. (For Illinois E‑Verify information , aquí, or tu).