About Us
Westrock Coffee is a vertically integrated coffee and beverage company, recognized for high-quality products and innovative packaging solutions across both liquid and dry formats. Our Wet Business encompasses a growing portfolio of ready-to-drink coffee and beverage products across canned, glass bottle, and PET multiserve formats requiring world-class packaging execution. We are seeking an experienced Packaging Engineer to join our team and lead packaging development across these rigid and semi-rigid beverage formats.
Position Overview
The Packaging Engineer -- Wet Business will be responsible for the design, development, and implementation of primary packaging solutions for Westrock Coffee's wet beverage segment. This role covers three primary packaging formats: aluminum cans, glass bottles, and PET multiserve bottles. The engineer will apply deep knowledge of material science, filling and closure technologies, and high-speed beverage manufacturing processes to deliver packaging that preserves product quality and shelf stability and meets quality and regulatory standards.
Key Responsibilities
Packaging Design & Development
- Design and develop primary packaging solutions for the Wet Business, including aluminum cans, glass bottles, and PET multiserve bottles, ensuring product integrity and shelf stability.
- Conduct material selection and testing to identify optimal can substrates, glass formulations, PET resins, and closure systems for beverage applications, balancing performance and cost.
- Develop and maintain detailed specifications for cans, glass bottles, PET bottles, closures, labels, and related components.
- Evaluate and improve existing packaging designs for cost-effectiveness, performance, and manufacturability.
- Participate in the scale-up process from prototype to full production, ensuring smooth transitions and minimal disruption to operations across canning, bottling, and PET filling lines.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Supplier Management
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Product Development, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, and Production to bring new packaging designs to market efficiently.
- Work closely with can suppliers, glass manufacturers, PET converters, and closure/label suppliers to ensure high-quality materials, on-time delivery, and compliance with Westrock Coffee specifications.
- Troubleshoot and resolve packaging-related issues arising in the production process, including seam integrity, glass defects, PET bottle performance, closure torque, and label application.
- Stay current with industry trends, technologies, and regulations related to can, glass, and PET beverage packaging and food contact materials.