Unilever Careers: Sustainable Packaging Specialist | Chemical Engineering Jobs
Unilever Careers is hiring a Sustainable Packaging Specialist in Mumbai within its Packaging R&D division. This opportunity is ideal for professionals seeking Chemical Engineering Jobs focused on sustainable materials and flexible packaging innovation. The role involves developing recyclable and mono-material packaging structures, leading pilot trials, and ensuring factory readiness for commercialization. Candidates exploring Packaging Jobs and impactful R&D Jobs will gain hands-on experience in material science, performance testing, and cross-functional collaboration. Through Unilever Careers, you can contribute to net-zero packaging goals while advancing your career in high-growth Chemical Engineering Jobs and sustainable innovation.
About Unilever
Unilever Careers provides outstanding Chemical Engineering Jobs and Packaging Jobs focused on sustainability-driven innovation. As a global FMCG leader operating in more than 190 countries, Unilever is committed to building a waste-free, net-zero packaging portfolio. Through cutting-edge Packaging R&D Jobs, the company develops scalable, sustainable packaging technologies that impact billions of consumers worldwide. The Mumbai R&D Centre plays a critical role in advancing material science and flexible packaging solutions. Professionals seeking Chemical Engineering Jobs with global exposure, advanced research capabilities, and strong sustainability commitments will find Unilever Careers an ideal platform for professional growth.
- Job Title: Sustainable Packaging Specialist
- Location: Maharashtra, India
- Job ID: R-1174977
- Experience: Typically, 2–7 years of experience in flexible packaging R&D, converting industry, FMCG, or packaging supplier ecosystem.
- Education: Master’s degree in Packaging Technology, Chemical Engineering/Technology, Materials Science, or Paper Technology (or equivalent).
Impact Statement:
Unilever is reinventing flexible packaging at an industrial scale. We’re not just improving what exists – we’re commercializing breakthrough sustainable materials and technologies that will transform how billions of products reach consumers worldwide.
This role sits at the critical intersection of innovation and industrialization. You’ll take pioneering packaging solutions from proof-of-concept to factory-ready reality, working with senior stakeholders across R&D, Supply Chain, and Business Units to deliver technologies that don’t yet exist at commercial scale.
If you’re energized by deep technical problem-solving, self-directed experimentation, and the opportunity to shape Unilever’s waste-free, net-zero packaging future – this is where you belong.
Role Purpose:
The Sustainable Packaging Specialist will drive technical programmes and trials for flexible packaging materials, develop and validate sustainable packaging solutions, and ensure the technical readiness of innovations for implementation in categories and the supply chain.
This is a hands-on, lab-plus-line technical role that requires deep packaging fundamentals, root-cause problem-solving, self-motivation, and cross-functional collaboration.
A. Technical Programme Delivery & Ownership:
- Drive the flexible packaging technical workstream across sachets, pouches, flow wraps, envelope wrap and other formats from concept through factory validation.
- Develop and optimize recyclable, mono-material, and paper-based structures aligned to OPC innovation funnels.
- Independently design and execute material screening, lab characterization, and performance testing programs (optical, barrier, seal strength, COF, machinability).
- Lead pilot line and factory technical trials end-to-end: planning, execution, real-time troubleshooting, data capture, analysis, and reporting.
- Proactively identify risks or performance gaps during trials and propose corrective actions before issues escalate.
B. Material Science & Root Cause Problem-Solving:
- Translate packaging performance challenges into material science hypotheses and structured experiments.
- Diagnose material or process failures by connecting symptoms to root causes (e.g., seal failures → material properties → processing conditions).
- Drive functional performance improvements: sealability, runnability, puncture/tear resistance, barrier optimization.
- Implement cost reduction and lightweighting programs while maintaining or improving performance.
- Collaborate with converting suppliers to understand and optimize extrusion, lamination, coating, printing, and slitting operations.
C. Self-Directed Learning & Continuous Improvement:
- Stay current on emerging sustainable packaging technologies, materials, and industry trends.
- Proactively seek out technical knowledge from suppliers, research institutes, and external partners to solve development challenges.
- Design follow-up experiments based on trial learnings without waiting for direction – demonstrate scientific curiosity and initiative.
- Contribute to the team’s technical capability by sharing learnings, best practices, and troubleshooting approaches.
D. Digital Excellence & Data Integrity:
- Maintain rigorous technical records, trial reports, and datasets using AWS, LIMS, CLM, PatBase, and internal OPC tools.
- Produce clear, data-driven documentation that enables others to build on your work.
- Use digital platforms for data organization, modeling inputs, patent searches, and prior art evaluation.
E. Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:
- Partner with Category Packaging Leads, R&D teams, and Supply Chain to define technical challenges and unlock solutions.
- Build productive relationships with external material suppliers, OEMs, institutes, and technology partners.
- Support IP generation through data-driven justification, patent drafting inputs, and novelty assessments.
F. Job Fundamentals:
- Leads digital adoption while ensuring accurate budget updating, forecasting, and tracking to enable efficient and transparent business delivery.
- Role modelling safety-first behaviours and demonstrating curiosity to explore new avenues for continuous improvement.
Competencies:
- Functional Competencies
- Technical Rigor & Problem Solving
- Collaboration & Communication across senior stakeholders
- Data-driven decision-making
- External orientation & ecosystem engagement
- Project management & prioritisation
- Unilever Winning Behaviours:
- Deliver Excellence: Execute with discipline, quality, and accountability
- Focus on What Counts: Prioritize impactful delivery; avoid unnecessary complexity
- Stay Three Steps Ahead: Anticipate risks, future needs, and strategic opportunities
- Care Deeply: Build trust, collaboration, and an inclusive team culture
