R&D Packaging Manager

Job Description  Come join our Amsterdam-based Innovation department as our new R&D Packaging Manager and contribute to Rituals’ success by developing packaging solutions that elevate every product experience.
As we continue to grow rapidly worldwide, our packaging ambitions grow with us. In this role, you play a vital part in bringing our iconic rituals to life through packaging that is thoughtful, beautiful, compliant, and future‑ready.
You will lead packaging development from early‑stage feasibility to final validation, balancing aesthetics with technical performance, sustainability, and regulatory requirements. You’ll also be a key driver of our Net Zero ambitions — performing Life Cycle Assessments, ensuring recyclability, and staying ahead of evolving legislation.
Collaboration is at the heart of this role. You will work closely with internal teams and external partners to identify new materials, challenge the status quo, and help shape the direction of packaging innovation within Rituals.
Alongside your core packaging responsibilities, approximately 30% of your time will support our R&D Ingredients team through data gathering, processing, and cleansing activities. This cross‑functional component strengthens Rituals’ R&D ecosystem, ensuring both packaging and ingredient‑related data are reliable, structured, and ready for future innovation. You’ll receive onboarding from the R&D Ingredients team to build essential knowledge, and affinity with cosmetic and home‑care ingredients is therefore an advantage.

Your role  As an R&D Packaging Manager, you act as a strategic connector — translating long‑term vision into innovative, sustainable, and technically robust packaging solutions. You lead across product categories and influence how Rituals’ products take shape: elegantly, responsibly, and ready for tomorrow.
This role also includes a data‑focused contribution to R&D Ingredients (±30%), where you help secure high‑quality ingredient data for compliance, formulation insights, and sustainability reporting. This hybrid scope offers a unique perspective across two critical development streams.
You will   Steer the technical development of high‑impact packaging concepts, from early‑stage feasibility to scalable implementation.
Lead sustainability initiatives (LCAs, recyclability studies, regulatory alignment) in line with Rituals’ Net Zero ambitions.
Represent Rituals in strategic external partnerships, engaging suppliers and industry experts to shape the future of packaging.
Translate evolving legislation (e.g., PPWR) into clear development guidelines across categories.
Drive innovation by scouting new materials, technologies, and insights — converting them into multi‑year development plans.
Act as a mentor and internal expert, raising packaging knowledge across teams.
Manage packaging projects end‑to‑end, securing alignment, cost‑efficiency, and execution excellence.
Foster a strong internal/external network to enable agile, collaborative development.
Support R&D Ingredients with data gathering, structuring, cleansing activities, and support in making overviews and summaries to ensure accurate, consistent, and decision‑ready ingredient data.
In addition, this role is expecting data processing and support for ingredients (±30%). A unique opportunity to integrate packaging and broader insight sin ingredients for our products.
Qualifications  High on energy, low on ego and with aoflittle bit humor.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Packaging, Industrial Design Engineering, Material Chemistry, or a related field.
6–8 years of relevant Packaging R&D experience, ideally within cosmetics, personal care, home/air care, or detergents.
Solid understanding of NPD processes in FMCG or cosmetics.
Deep knowledge of packaging materials, production technologies, and sustainability frameworks.
Knowledge of cosmetic raw materials and/or willingness to build foundational ingredient knowledge with support from our R&D Ingredients team.
Familiarity with mold development for plastics and/or glass.
Experience in early‑stage packaging development and writing technical briefs.

Experience with data‑driven tools such as Power BI or Power…