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Packaging Specialist

Job ID:
R-1168722
Category:
Research & Development
Location:
Leeds, Leeds, England
Date posted:
11/02/2025
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Please Note: The deadline for applying is 23.59 the day before the job posting end date.

Job Title: Packaging Specialist

Location: Leeds Office and R&D

Travel: 5%

JOB PURPOSE

Unilever is a global consumer goods company renowned for its iconic brands Sure/Rexona, Lynx/Axe, and Dove. The Deodorants Category is an exciting place to work, where we continuously innovate to benefit our consumers and the planet.

PC6 – The European Deodorants Business Unit is a key part of Unilever’s Personal Care Business.

A Packaging Workstream Leader (PWSL) will manage packaging activities within innovation projects, supporting the development of new and existing packaging technologies. End to End.

This role ensures global and local packaging solutions are delivered efficiently into the European supply chains and to our customers.

The PWSL represents Business Unit (BU) Packaging in projects, supporting the Technical Project Leader (TPL) and other functional leads to develop packaging solutions to meet the project brief and BU requirements.

The role holder will manage packaging within brands, allowing them to establishing strong relationships with counterparts in supply chain and marketing. The PWSL will deliver superior, sustainable, and affordable packaging solutions that provide the best shopper and consumer experience. Some projects focus on Sustainability helping us to achieve our stretching targets in plastic reduction and market regulations on packaging.  Others are to deliver Innovative packaging solutions – sticks, roll-ons, cans and valves, Capability building or Value Improvement.

This position is based within the European Business Unit team, at the Deodorant Category Design Centre in Leeds, UK.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Land packaging innovations on time and in full, that span a number of agendas: growth, sustainability, simplification, resilience, functional excellence and savings.
  • Delivers packaging development activities for key packaging projects. You will have responsibility to help define the functional and material specifications for all components and finished packs.
  • Work to improve robust, reliable testing plans and protocols. Interpret results to enable specification build, create reports and make recommendations to the team. Aluminium can qualification, Plastic component development and Secondary materials.
  • Manage Packaging workstream activities: Primary and Secondary packaging through to palletisation and customer packaging. This includes work with internal and external partners to complete tasks.
  • Completion of code summaries (New or Change) to ensure that packaging materials can be ordered against and safe, accurate Bill of Materials are made.
  • Support the Deo Packaging Leader and TPLs to ensure Packaging deliverables are accounted for in decision gate documents and that risks are identified and managed.
  • Provide technical input into Global innovation projects. Ensuring packaging is compatible with formulation and customer packaging requirements for the PC6 Business unit. Ensure packaging solutions meet regulatory, sustainability and legislation and meet best practice guidelines.
  • Qualify new colours for plastic components, support mould qualifications.
  • Support mould development or refurbishment programes, generating and using data to approve components from those.
  • Act as super-user for digital systems or processes relevant to packaging (e.g R&D specification system TeamCentre, Inventory Management, SAP).
  • Contribute towards the PC6 Packaging Group and PC6 Deo teams development.

EXPERIENCE

Education: Preferably graduate calibre or with GCSE Math and English, Industrial design, Sciences or Engineering background.

CRITICAL SKILLS

  • Innovation Execution
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Technical Communication
  • Design for Value
  • Packaging Development
  • Packaging Materials & Technologies Expertise

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

  • Packaging technician/technologist/quality/packaging engineer experience is essential.
  • Packaging development in an FMCG environment is preferable.
  • Plastics moulding (Injection and/or IBM) and assembly is preferable.
  • Ability to measure parts and read technical drawings, understand tolerances and analyse data to make decisions is preferable.

STANDARDS OF LEADERSHIP / COMPETENCIES

  • Agility
  • Passion for High Performance
  • Consumer Love
  • Talent Catalyst

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • Job holder is likely to be working on a number of projects simultaneously
  • Absence on business occasionally, including potentially overseas travel.
  • Occasional out of hours work may be required to complete trials
  • Driving licence preferable

NOTES

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Dove, Tresemme, Lynx, Lifebuoy, Shea Moisture, Persil, Domestos, Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum, Marmite, The Vegetarian Butcher, Graze and Pot Noodle.

Faced with the challenge of climate change and the need for human development, we want to move towards a world where everyone can live well and within the natural limits of the planet. That’s why our purpose is ‘to make sustainable living commonplace’  

What We Offer

Not only do we offer a competitive salary and pension scheme, we also offer an annual bonus, subsidised gym membership, a discounted staff shop and shares. You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We are a key advocate of wellbeing and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all. 

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Unilever | Unilever.

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How is Unilever tackling this?

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Unilever does not accept responsibility or liability for any candidates who are financially impacted by recruitment fraud. Your vigilance is key!

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