R&D Global Skin Cleansing Men's Packaging Manager

Background & Purpose of the Job

Unilever is a global Fast-Moving Consumer Goods company with powerful brands like Dove,Dove Men’s + Care,Axe, Vaseline, Hellman’s, Knorr, and Seventh Generation. We create products that enrich and improve people’s lives today and for the changing environment tomorrow – aiming to make sustainable living commonplace. Unilever brings purpose, joy and delightful experiences to consumers and customers

Unilever recognizes Packaging as a critical part of the product mix. Not only does it fulfila very importantfunctional role, tocontain, protect and inform, but also as the first “touchpoint” with theconsumer;itmust engage the consumer,reflectingthe brand proposition, and delivering a delightful experience. To ensure the robustness and technical performance of new packaging before it is placed on the marketplace involves both design and technical innovation in packaging.

The Personal CareCategory isseekinga dynamic, flexible, and innovative packaging leader for theGlobal Men’sSkin Cleansing Packaging team. The job holder will work closely with theGlobal Skin Cleansing AssociatePackagingDirector fordevelopment&strategyof the Men’sSkin Cleansing packagingportfolioand todevelop and nurture a collaborative team culture across theMen’spackaging team. 

Working closely with other Unilever functions as part of a cross-functional team, the job holder will be the packaging workstream leader on multiple high complexity global and/or NA specific projects in tandem, developing consumer and customer preferred packaging designs. The job holder will be expected to maximise the use of design tools and deliver projects using Unilever project tools (IPM, Functional Excellence, 1UnileverPackaging Process). The job holder can often be a Technical Project Leader, responsible for the delivery of all the R&D programme on a project.

This position will also support existing business through packaging revisions, cost improvement projects, planet positive projects, and packaging simplification projects. They must bring the necessary technical skill/expertise, passion for winning, owner’s mindset and project management rigor to deliver packaging innovation projects and related workstream activities in a dynamic environment and on time in full.

This position willinterface withBrand Development, Package Design teams, Supply Chain, Procurement, Product development, Processing, CTI, CMI, and Packaging Suppliers,in order todrive consumer focused innovative and optimised packaging solutions.

The person in this role mustpossessthe ability toanticipatetechnical issues and prepare risk mitigation plans to address. The ability to communicate, collaborate and influence effectively with technical and non-technical peers and stakeholders is essential. Must havedemonstratedability to present information to both technical and non-technical audiences and can use a range of communication styles according to the audience and situation.  

The job holder will haveWL1junior packaging engineerreports and willbe requiredto manage theirbusiness goals, and development plan

In addition to programme delivery, the jobholder willbuild team and talent sharingtechnicalexpertisewithinthe team, the way of working with other functions, and the efficiency and effectiveness of the team. The job holder will also have responsibility for driving Unilever’s packaging excellence best practices into the way of working in the category. 

MainAccountabilities:

• Packaging workstream leader, working with Brand Development and the cross functional project team, ensuring packaging is fit for purpose to meet the packaging brief, and delivered on time, in full
  

• Deliver packaging which not only meets the required quality and technical standards, but also delights the consumer and builds brand love, through using Unilever’s Packaging Excellence best practices

• Development of complex custom delivery systems which deliver key consumer benefit andopen upnew market spaces and address business needs from premiumization to plant positive solutions

• To help developpackaging capabilitywithinthe team, and lead relevant group activities, at both a packaging, and at a category R&D, level
  

• Where assigned, to be the Technical Project Leader of a project, accountable for delivery of all R&D deliverables, and managing theprogrammeof the R&D workstream leaders assigned to the project

• Manage,coachand develop WL1’s

• Develop comprehensive development testing protocols for all critical aspects of pack performance and ensure pack is tested against these.

• Budget responsibilities where relevant

• To develop and test packagingin accordance withthe One Unilever Packaging Process (1UPP), andensure that the packaging team is fully trained and adopting the 1UPP.

• Tocomply withthe Unilever Code of Business Principles and all SHE and QA policies, including the support of product claims, riskmanagementand environmental awareness

Who You Are & WhatYou’llDo

•You’re a born leader:​Combinedwithmany years ofproject management experienceacross both Personal Careand Skin cleansing R&D, anowner’smindset,and a technical skillset, you will have the autonomyanddriveto deliver packaging innovationand leadershipby partnering withinternal and externalcross-functional stakeholdersandpartners,to delight the consumerwith superior,premium,planet positive,andimpactfulpackaging solutionsfit forgrowthinall channels. ​

•You love towin, andhave fun doing it:​  In a dynamic and ever-changing business environment, you will create magic by providing packaging that wins in themarketplaceand brings a remarkable experience to the consumer. ​

•You’rea changemaker:​Challenging Status quo and bringing a fresh perspective on how to deliver projects and packaging concepts into themarketplace​

•You’rea culture & change champion:​Do you know about the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan? We are looking for a team member who is passionateto discovertheir purpose andarefree to champion it. Placing sustainability at the forefront of innovation development is expected.​

•You’rea dot connector:Ability to find creative ways to ensure our products are superior without compromise on sustainability and lead the way on balancingsuperiority, premiumization,profit and planet and ensuring future fit for channels of today and thefuture

WhatYou’llNeedToSucceed

Key competencies: Bias for Action,Leadership,Accountability & Responsibility,Growth Mindset,Consumer & Customer Focus,Building Talent & Teams

Key Skills: 

• Expertiseinkey packaging materials for category – rigid plastics, bottles, closures, dispensers, aerosols, flexibles and paperboard and basic awareness of all packaging materials

• Technical Specification & Supply Chain Support

• Fully Operational Project ManagementSkills:Must be able todemonstratea strong understanding of project management to realize the order, importance, and impact ofappropriate projectactivities andmaintainpackaging commitments to project scheduling.  

• Fully operational knowledge of the package development process and engineering principles

• Ability to negotiate and clearly and concisely communicate timelines,deliverablesand project risks on cross functional teams

• Ability to navigate all relevant-to-role digital systems and authoring documentati

• B.S Degree (Packaging Science or Engineering equivalent)

• Understanding ofconsumer, business, category,and channel needs and the relationship to packaging decisions & execution;An entrepreneurial mindset isadvantageous. 

Relevant Experience: 

• Minimum7+ years in R&D packaging development within Personal Care, Beauty & Wellbeing or Prestigecategorieswithin both regional and global experience

• Technical Project Lead experience on multiple complex innovation programs

• Project Management experiencewith a proventrack recordof delivering multiple projects in tandem in afast pacedenvironment

• Experience as the R&D lead responsible for a complex brand program  

• Highly Skilled and Experienced in managing and coaching people