Opportunity: Packaging Specialist 

Location: Worksop

Why Greencore?

We’re a leading manufacturer of convenience food in the UK and our purpose is to make every day taste better.

We’re a vibrant, fast-paced leading food manufacturer. Employing around 13,600 colleagues across 16 manufacturing units and 17 distribution depots across the UK. We supply all the UK’s food retailers with everything from Sandwiches, soups and sushi to cooking sauces, pickles and ready meals, and in FY23, we generated revenues of £1.9bn.

Our vast direct-to-store (DTS) distribution network, comprising of 17 depots nationwide, enables us to make over 10,400 daily deliveries of our own chilled and frozen produce and that of third parties.

Role Purpose

We are seeking an experienced Packaging Specialist to lead the development of innovative, sustainable, and cost-effective packaging solutions across a variety of substrates. This role requires deep technical expertise and a proven ability to drive customer-centric packaging strategies while aligning with Greencore’s sustainability initiatives.

Key Accountabilities

• Packaging Expertise: Act as the subject matter expert for packaging formats, materials, and sustainability strategies, guiding internal teams and external partners.
• Innovation Leadership: Lead creative ideation workshops and market research to identify and implement cutting-edge packaging solutions.
• Supplier Collaboration: Build and maintain trusted relationships with packaging suppliers to co-develop solutions that meet business and customer objectives.
• Customer Engagement: Present high-quality packaging concepts and prototypes to customers, demonstrating alignment with their needs and sustainability goals.
• Operational Feasibility: Support factory trials to ensure packaging solutions meet operational, quality, and cost requirements, refining designs as needed.
• Sustainability Champion: Drive progress toward sustainability goals by developing and implementing eco-friendly packaging innovations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with Purchasing, Technical, and Manufacturing teams to deliver efficient, commercially viable packaging solutions.
• Mentorship: Share expertise and support the development of team capabilities.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

Candidates must have substantial experience in packaging design within the FMCG sector.  Knowledge of sustainability initiatives and operational manufacturing processes is essential along with:

• Hold a degree in a relevant field (or have equivalent experience).
• Demonstrate significant experience delivering innovative and sustainable packaging solutions in a manufacturing environment.
• Be skilled in graphic design and proficient with Adobe Suite, Photoshop, CAD, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Have experience presenting high-quality concepts and technical documentation to stakeholders.
• Possess strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with commercial acumen to balance costs and benefits.
• Be adept at working collaboratively with suppliers and customers, displaying excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Be flexible, with the ability to travel as needed.