Position Overview:The Sr. Director, Engineering/Packaging provides strategic guidance and cross-functional coordination for packaging engineering initiatives across ID Logistics' contract packaging and manufacturing network. Working through the Business Development team, this role partners with Operations and Research & Development (R&D) engineering teams to develop and improve solutions that integrate people, equipment, materials, information, and production processes. In partnership with Finance, Quality, and customer teams, the Sr. Director delivers new sales and existing-client growth targets, supports new business launches, and coordinates continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen safety, quality, productivity, capacity, and profitability. The role provides guidance on capital, maintenance, and equipment investments without direct budget ownership and currently has no direct reports.
Location: Remote
Work Schedule and Travel: Typical business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with flexibility to support 24-hour operations, project implementations, weekend work, and peak-season requirements. Travel is expected to be 50%-75%, with some project periods approaching 100%.
Location:Key Responsibilities:- Engineering Strategy and Leadership: Provide guidance and coordinate with Operations and R&D engineering teams to align packaging engineering priorities and improvement plans with new business, existing-client growth, and continuous improvement targets across the network.
- Engineering Solutions and Network Design: Provide business and operational guidance to Operations and R&D engineering teams on the analysis, design, and implementation of production and warehouse layouts, material flow, staffing models, material handling equipment, and automation solutions for existing operations and new business.
- Packaging Process Development: Partner with customer engineering, packaging development, and planning teams to translate product specifications into efficient secondary packaging and co-packaging processes; coordinate production planning to minimize disruptions and costs.
- Engineered Standards and Costing: Coordinate with Operations and R&D engineering teams to develop and validate engineered labor standards, capacity assumptions, production methods, and costing models; review outputs for alignment with customer proposals, staffing needs, and operational objectives, with technical development and validation performed by the responsible engineering teams.
- Growth Accountability and Investment Guidance: Deliver new sales and existing-client growth targets in partnership with Business Development and Operations. Provide guidance on capital, maintenance, and equipment budgets for packaging operations and initiatives; contribute to investment business cases and financial impact Partner with Operations and Finance to analyze site costs and support P&L projections. This role does not directly own capital, maintenance, equipment, or other operating budgets.
- Project Delivery and New Business Launches: Coordinate with Operations and R&D engineering teams on project scope, schedules, resource needs, cost considerations, and risks for new systems and equipment implementations. Provide guidance for new-customer launches and existing-customer initiatives, aligning engineering deliverables with business commitments and escalating execution barriers to the responsible leaders.
- Testing and Validation Coordination: Coordinate new-product testing and solution validation with Operations, R&D engineering, and customer teams. Review results with the responsible technical teams to assess readiness, production capability, and alignment with customer specifications before implementation; technical testing and validation remain with the responsible engineering teams.
- Continuous Improvement and Standardization: Provide guidance and coordinate Lean and Six Sigma initiatives with Operations and R&D engineering teams to deliver continuous improvement targets, eliminate waste, resolve root causes, improve productivity, and standardize effective methods across sites. Partner with engineering teams to develop and share reusable tools, technical documentation, and best practices.
- Technology and Systems: Apply working knowledge of Nulogy and customer WMS platforms, predominantly Blue Yonder and SAP, to review operational data, system capabilities, and process improvement opportunities. Partner with system users, customer teams, and internal technical teams to recommend improvements and support performance monitoring; hands-on system operation and administration are not required.
- Performance Measurement: Centralize multisite measurements, establish consistent KPIs, analyze performance variances, and communicate improvement opportunities, project results, and financial outcomes to operational and executive leadership.
- Quality, Safety, and Engineering Governance: Coordinate with Operations, R&D engineering, Quality, and Safety to align engineering designs and production processes with company, customer, and applicable regulatory requirements, including food-grade production requirements. Provide input to engineering standards and specifications developed by the responsible technical teams for internal teams, suppliers, contractors, and consultants; follow and reinforce corporate and site-specific Good Manufacturing Practices and safety rules.
- Cross-Functional Leadership and Capability Building: Build alignment on priorities, deliverables, and timelines with Operations and R&D engineering leaders, influence execution across sites, and help remove barriers through collaboration and escalation. Train and coach hourly and salaried associates in Lean concepts and continuous improvement practices. This role currently has no direct reports; leadership is exercised through cross-functional partnership rather than direct supervision.
- Customer and Stakeholder Partnership: Build alignment across Operations, Commercial, Finance, Quality, planning, and customer teams. Serve as a primary engineering contact for process changes and present recommendations, implementation plans, and results through clear written summaries and executive presentations.
- Other duties as assigned.
Competencies:- Strategic Mindset: Connects network engineering priorities to business strategy and anticipates future packaging, capacity, and technology needs.
- Ensures Accountability: Establishes clear ownership, milestones, and measures; follows through on commitments and addresses gaps in delivery.
- Plans and Aligns: Coordinates competing multisite priorities, resources, and dependencies while anticipating risks and contingencies.
- Manages Complexity: Integrates technical, operational, customer, and financial information to identify root causes and make sound decisions.
- Business Insight: Understands 3PL and contract packaging economics and translates customer and market needs into practical engineering priorities.
- Balances Stakeholders: Resolves competing requirements through transparent trade-offs that protect safety, quality, customer commitments, and business outcomes.
- Financial Acumen: Uses costing, budgets, P&L analysis, and investment returns to guide capital and process improvement decisions.
- Cultivates Innovation: Encourages practical experimentation and scales validated packaging, automation, and technology improvements.
- Optimizes Work Processes: Applies engineered standards, Lean methods, and performance data to simplify work and sustain measurable improvements.
- Communicates Effectively: Explains complex engineering recommendations clearly and adapts communication for associates, customers, and executives.
- Directs Work: Aligns shared outcomes, milestones, and responsibilities with functional leaders, coordinates engineering support, and helps remove execution barriers through influence and partnership.
- Organizational Savvy: Navigates cross-functional processes and decision structures to build support and implement change effectively.
- Drives Vision and Purpose: Connects engineering work to customer value, operational excellence, and the organization's mission and values.
- Builds Effective Teams: Develops complementary technical and leadership strengths, promotes knowledge sharing, and builds collaboration across locations.
Key Working Relationships:Works through the Business Development team and partners with Operations leadership, site leaders, R&D engineering teams, Commercial, Finance, Quality, and Safety. Maintains close working relationships with customer engineering, packaging development, production planning, and executive teams, as well as equipment suppliers, contractors, and consultants. Regular site engagement is required to build alignment and support implementation across the network.
Minimal Requirements:- College degree in Engineering or a related field.
- More than 15 years of engineering experience in third-party logistics (3PL), manufacturing, or distribution environments serving e-commerce, retail/fashion, consumer packaged goods, or food industries, including more than 10 years of managerial experience translating strategy and policy into medium- and long-term objectives; demonstrated ability to guide complex, multisite engineering initiatives through cross-functional collaboration and influence.
- An equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will be accepted in lieu of the stated education and experience requirements.
- Strong knowledge of secondary packaging, co-packaging, production planning, Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and process improvement methodologies.
- Experience in transportation network analysis and design, warehouse and production layout design, engineered labor standards, staffing models, and solution costing.
- Experience contributing to capital investment business cases, providing guidance on capital, maintenance, and equipment budgets, analyzing site costs, and supporting profit and loss (P&L) forecasts.
- Experience with and working knowledge of Nulogy and Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), including customer platforms such as Blue Yonder and SAP, sufficient to review system capabilities, operational data, and improvement opportunities; hands-on operating proficiency in Nulogy and WMS is not required. Proficiency with AutoCAD and Microsoft Office, including advanced Excel, Access, and PowerPoint skills.
- Demonstrated project management, analytical problem-solving, executive presentation, customer partnership, and cross-functional leadership skills.
- Knowledge of quality and safety concepts, including requirements applicable to food-grade production environments, preferred.
- Ability to travel 50%-75%, with some project periods approaching 100%, and support a network of approximately 5-10 operations and new business opportunities.
