Website Unilever
On any given day, two billion people use Unilever products to look good, feel good and get more out of life. With more than 400 brands focused on health and wellbeing, no company touches so many people’s lives in so many different ways. Our portfolio ranges from nutritionally balanced foods to in… read moredulgent ice creams, affordable soaps, luxurious shampoos and everyday household care products. We produce world-leading brands including Lipton, Knorr, Dove, Axe, Hellmann’s and Omo, alongside trusted local names such as Blue Band, Pureit and Suave. For us, sustainability is integral to how we do business. With 7 billion people on our planet, the earth’s resources can be strained. This means sustainable growth is the only acceptable model of growth for our business. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan sets out to decouple our growth from our environmental impact, while at the same time increasing our positive social impact. Our Plan has three big goals that by 2020 will enable us to: – Help more than a billion people to improve their health and well-being. – Halve the environmental footprint of our products. – Source 100% of our agricultural raw materials sustainably and enhance the livelihoods of people across our value chain. We believe that as a business we have a responsibility to our consumers and to the communities in which we have a presence. Around the world we invest in local economies and develop people’s skills inside and outside of Unilever. And through our business and brands, we run a range of programmes to promote hygiene, nutrition, empowerment and environmental awareness. 15 Nollsworth crescent Durban North 4019, South Africa
JOB PURPOSE
Unilever is the place where you can bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. If you are passionate in the development and delivery of packaging solutions for design/deployment of innovations into the category with savings & sustainability top of mind, then this role is just for you!
WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE
Lead the packaging development workstream for category design and deploy projects to deliver category growth goals. Projects include new innovations, cost saving/ complexity reduction, sustainability, quality, and supply chain support activities.
Identify, develop, and maintain an ecosystem of packaging support service providers for the development of technical drawings, packaging prototypes, component testing and packaging trials.
Lead packaging exploratory projects by identifying concepts, testing and iteration through prototype development, evaluation and testing of consumer appealing competitive & profitable packaging/ product mixes.
Exploit emerging digital technologies for testing prototyping, modelling for sound decision making, and proving concepts for the effective collaboration with business partners and implementation of packaging change projects.
Monitor Competitor activity and assess use of packaging technologies for competitive advantage in terms of consumer appeal, functionality, and cost.
Be responsible for packaging testing and component approval & qualification to ensure components meet consumer expectations, functional requirements, customer needs, cost targets, manufacturing, and distribution demands.
Collect and develop information and data to create technical packaging component specifications. Key deliverables are to ensure maintaining data integrity and comprehensive business reporting.
Partner with suppliers and cross functionally to identify cost saving projects, evaluate feasibility, establish capability, and lead implementation to achieve savings targets.
Lead risk identification, assessment and action planning for packaging change projects and contribute to risk assessments for innovation and cost savings projects.
Provide leadership for packaging change projects through project management, including such activities as clarification of project goals & scope, collaborating to develop business cases, and preparing detailed project plans.
Partner with supply chain, the R&D network, and suppliers to land onshoring projects.
Collaborate with Market facing brand teams to deliver packaging concepts, designs, specifications, and technologies to maximise the impact of products in the category.
Grow the R&D packaging talent pool through development of self and contributing to the development of others in terms of technical packaging knowledge, professional and general skills.
Keep abreast of and evaluate emerging packaging technologies for opportunities to contribute to sustainable growth category goals.
Lead packaging trials and lead cross functional teams to deliver trials on time and with rigour / integrity.
WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED
Experiences
At least 3 to 5 years’ experience in the packaging field, as a Packaging Technologist.
Experience with regards to Rigid technology and Flexible film technology would be advantageous.
Must demonstrate understanding of package development process and engineering principles.
Must demonstrate ability to design and develop primary and secondary packaging components that meet consumer, Brand, customer, and manufacturing objectives.
Must be able to demonstrate a general understanding of project management to realize the order, importance, and impact of appropriate project activities and maintain packaging commitments to project scheduling.
Must understand consumer, business, and category needs and the relationship to packaging decisions & execution. An entrepreneurial mindset is beneficial.
Qualifications
Degree in engineering discipline – Mechanical, Chemical or Industrial engineering.
Any other critical personal characteristics or experiences/qualifications
The ideal candidate should:
Be a pro-active problem solver
Able to lead a team and encourage the delivery of others.
Have the capacity to work autonomously to meet deadlines
Be an excellent communicator (written and oral)
Have the ability to influence
Have an attention to detail and the capacity to work on several projects at the same time
Ideally have a science or engineering degree
Work stream leadership in a cross functional project environment.
Project leadership in functional area.
Packaging methods and measurement, testing, data analysis and reporting.
Trial briefing, planning, co-ordination and execution. Trial reporting and analysis of outcomes.
Apply via company website ( https://www.unilever.co.za ) or
careers.unilever.com