Description
The Director, Global Packaging Development is a senior organizational leader responsible for leading Packaging Development across an assigned category and supporting one or more global brands. This role is accountable for building a high-performing Packaging Development organization that consistently delivers innovative, consumer-centric packaging solutions aligned with brand strategy, business priorities, and operational excellence.
The Director leads a team of Packaging Development professionals while establishing technical direction, portfolio priorities, organizational capability, and resource strategies that enable successful commercialization across the category. This role creates an environment where innovation, technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement become organizational strengths rather than individual accomplishments.
The Director partners closely with Brand Leadership, Marketing, Design, Product Development, R&I, Brand Value Chain (BVC), Global Supplier Management (GSM), Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, Sustainability, Material Science, Package Testing, and supplier partners to align Packaging Development strategy with category objectives.
Responsibilities
Independently Responsible For
- Category Packaging Development strategy execution
- Organizational priorities
- Team resource allocation
- Leadership development
- Portfolio prioritization
- Technical governance
- Organizational capability initiatives
- Performance management of direct reports
Influences
- Category business strategy
- Innovation investment priorities
- Organizational design
- Supplier strategy
- Commercialization planning
- Sustainability strategy
- Technology adoption
- Enterprise Packaging Development initiatives
Escalates
- Enterprise organizational decisions
- Major capital investments
- Significant business risks
- Strategic supplier partnerships
- Cross-category resource conflicts
- Enterprise-level commercialization issues
Leadership Mindset
Lead Teams. Shape Culture. Deliver the Business.
Directors understand that organizational performance is created through leadership, not individual contribution.
They establish vision, build capability, remove barriers, develop future leaders, and create an environment where technical excellence and innovation thrive.
Directors lead with transparency, accountability, commercial thinking, and executive presence while continuously aligning Packaging Development with evolving consumer expectations, business priorities, and organizational strategy.
They recognize that their success is measured not only by the projects they personally lead, but by the strength of the organization they build.
Brand & Business Leadership
Directors translate category strategy into Packaging Development execution.
Lead Packaging Development for an assigned category supporting one or more global brands.
Develop packaging strategies that support category growth, innovation, commercialization, and long-term brand equity.
Align Packaging Development priorities with business objectives, consumer expectations, sustainability commitments, manufacturing capability, and financial performance.
Partner closely with R&I on new product forms and innovations as well as the Packaging Inspiration lab to assist in thought provoking sessions for new packaging concepts and designs.
Serve as the senior Packaging Development representative within category leadership discussions.
Balance innovation, quality, manufacturability, speed to market, investment, sustainability, and total cost of ownership across the category portfolio.
Establish Packaging Development priorities that maximize business value and organizational effectiveness.
Innovation & Technical Strategy
Directors shape the innovation strategy that enables future business growth.
- Develop category packaging innovation roadmaps in partnership with Brand Leadership, Design, Product Development, R&I, and suppliers.
- Promote simultaneous product and package development to reduce commercialization timelines while protecting brand identity.
- Guide strategic decisions regarding materials, manufacturing platforms, dispensing technologies, sustainability, refillability, supplier capabilities, and commercialization strategies.
- Encourage innovation that strengthens consumer experience while improving operational efficiency and business performance.
- Utilize AI-enabled technologies to improve innovation evaluation, competitive benchmarking, technical research, strategic planning, portfolio visibility, and executive decision support.
- Build strong partnerships with Packaging Innovation and R&I organizations to accelerate new technology adoption.
Category & Portfolio Leadership
Directors oversee the execution of Packaging Development across an entire category.
- Establish category portfolio priorities aligned with business strategy.
- Balance organizational resources across brands, innovation initiatives, business priorities, and commercialization requirements.
- Monitor portfolio health including technical risk, commercialization readiness, supplier performance, resource allocation, timing, quality, and investment.
- Lead organizational decision-making regarding project prioritization, staffing, and technical direction.
- Ensure Packaging Development teams consistently deliver projects that achieve quality, functionality, manufacturability, sustainability, regulatory compliance, and commercial objectives.
- Drive portfolio-level value engineering, simplification, platform strategies, and cost optimization.
Cross-Functional Partnership & Executive Influence
Directors serve as strategic partners to category leadership.
- Build trusted executive relationships with Marketing, Design, Product Development, R&I, Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, Sustainability, BVC, GSM, and supplier leadership.
- Represent Packaging Development within executive business reviews, portfolio discussions, and strategic planning sessions.
- Translate technical complexity into clear business recommendations.
- Influence executive decisions through strong business acumen, engineering expertise, consumer understanding, and organizational leadership.
- Build collaborative partnerships that strengthen Packaging Development’s role as a strategic business function.
People Leadership & Organizational Development
Directors are responsible for building high-performing Packaging Development organizations.
- Lead, coach, and develop Associate Directors, Managers, and other Packaging Development professionals.
- Establish organizational priorities, performance expectations, and development objectives.
- Build leadership capability through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, and career development.
- Ensure organizational resources align with current and future business priorities.
- Foster a culture built on accountability, innovation, inclusion, collaboration, continuous learning, and technical excellence.
- Strengthen organizational capability through effective hiring, onboarding, knowledge sharing, and leadership development.
- Build a strong succession pipeline for future Packaging Development leaders.
Digital & AI Leadership
Directors lead digital excellence and transformation across the Packaging Development organization.
- Ensure excellence in leverage of ELC digital eco-system supporting Packaging Operations.
- Establish AI-enabled ways of working across Packaging Development teams.
- Improve portfolio management, engineering workflows, knowledge sharing, technical documentation, and decision-making through digital technologies.
- Lead adoption of AI that improves organizational productivity while maintaining engineering rigor and responsible governance.
- Develop team capability through AI education, coaching, and best-practice sharing.
- Champion digital transformation initiatives that strengthen Packaging Development’s contribution to business performance.
Technical Excellence & Engineering Governance
Directors establish engineering standards that strengthen organizational capability.
- Ensure consistent application of Company engineering standards, PPWR expectations, sustainability objectives, technical governance, commercialization requirements, and quality expectations.
- Lead complex technical decision-making across multiple brands and programs.
- Sponsor continuous improvement initiatives that improve engineering capability, portfolio performance, development speed, technical consistency, and supplier collaboration.
- Promote sharing of best practices across Packaging Development teams and technical communities.
- Strengthen engineering capability through investment in learning, technology, supplier partnerships, and organizational development.
Qualifications
- Education/Certification: Minimum BS degree in Packaging Science, Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design, Materials Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Direct Experience: 10+ years experience in cosmetic package development.
- Concentrated experience in prestige beauty industry with proven development experience in color, fragrance, skin care categories.
- Proficiency in computer systems including Unique Package Definition Systems, 3D CAD, MS Excel, Word, Outlook and Timeline management systems. Technical Competency.
- Comprehensive understanding of package function and understanding of and ability to research consumer usage.
- Technical competency in analysis of geometric objects in 2 and 3 dimensions including understanding of clearances, fit and finish of packaging components and subcomponents.
- Capability in creating 3 dimensional drawings using CAD software (Preferably Solidworks) and assemblies for rapid prototype design review.
- Comprehensive knowledge of materials used in the construction and manufacturing of primary, secondary and tertiary packaging including but not limited to: Injection molding, Extrusion molding, Metal forming, Glass forming, Vacuum forming, Assembly of components, Dispensing systems (Pump, Airless), Folding carton and rigid box design.
- Comprehensive knowledge of decorating techniques and materials used on primary, secondary and tertiary packaging.
- Comprehensive knowledge of test methods used to validate component/package performance.
