Associate Packaging Engineer - R&D

Who are we?

Since Day 1, KIND has had a vision for a kinder and healthier world. A world in which people never have to choose between what tastes good, feels good, and does good when it comes to their snacking.

Our iconic KIND bars – made with real, recognizable ingredients – sparked the growth of an entirely new healthy snacking category back in 2004. Now, KIND has a family of more than 80 snacks that offer solutions for a variety of occasions. All of KIND's products lead with a nutrient‑dense first ingredient – like nuts or whole grains – and do not contain genetically engineered ingredients, sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners.

We're looking for passionate collaborators to help us become the foremost leader in health & wellness and positively impact society along the way. If you're looking to be a part of an inspiring, energetic and entrepreneurial environment, you've found the right place.

This role will be responsible for leading the development and launch of innovations, renovations, productivity, and quality improvements for KIND North America. You will assess desirability/feasibility/viability in all pack design decisions and appropriately communicate risks to project teams and key stakeholders. You identify new opportunities for cost savings and value creation and provide technical support to external manufacturing sites for quality, process, and equipment issues.

You will have a visible impact to the Packaging Organization and help bring fresh thinking to evolve our processes and Ways of Working.

• Organizational Leadership
  • You bring technical curiosity and knowledge to the organization
  • You develop supplier relationships and stay abreast of industry trends and technology developments to leverage outside ideas and technical solutions
  • You network with the global R&D community to share and utilize best practices
• Technical Leadership
  • With direction, you plan, execute, and manage prototyping, development, pilot production, and scale‑up to plant implementation of innovation and renovation initiatives. You provide technical leadership to Manufacturing and Quality for commissioning and start‑up activities
  • You execute well thought‑out trial plans, collect data, and interpret results to drive program/project and technical knowledge forward; develop robust action plans, risk assessment, and contingency planning

• You challenge the status quo and our "ways of work" to maximize resources and enhance our success
• A strong sense of urgency and a can‑do attitude
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to all levels of the organization
• A consumer‑centric approach to design and development

• An experimenter with a Test & Learn mentality
• Able to work in a fast‑paced and rapidly changing environment and maintain a positive outlook
• Able to demonstrate prudent judgment when making important decisions by utilizing knowledge of industry best practices and current trends
• Excellent at planning and prioritization skills with the ability to multi‑task and rapidly adapt
• Genuine in your desire to help make the world a KINDer place, committing to always spreading and celebrating KINDness

• A BS or MS degree in Packaging, Mechanical Engineering, or a related degree
• 1–3 years of relevant concept‑to‑launch experience
• 1–3 years of relevant experience in package engineering, development and manufacturing qualification, start‑up & new product projects
• Foundational knowledge in packaging materials, processes, and equipment
• Problem‑solving and analytical skills
• Familiarity with the activities in Marketing, Market Research, Legal/Regulatory, QA and Manufacturing
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; data visualization and AI tools a plus
• The ability to travel up to 30–40%

• Previous food packaging experience
• Geographical proximity to the NY HQ office or one of the major production facilities
• Previous innovation/renovation experience

Certain states and localities require employers to post a reasonable estimate of salary range. A reasonable estimate of the current base salary range for this position is $71,000 to $87,000
. Actual salary will be based on a variety of factors, including…