Packaging Improvement Engineer

Position Summary

The Packaging Improvement Engineer partners with cross-functional teams, equipment manufacturers, and packaging suppliers to improve packaging-system performance across the company. The role focuses on protecting product quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance while making packaging operations safer, more reliable, more consistent, and less wasteful. To support these improvements, the engineer establishes and improves packaging standards, converts operating data and field observations into practical solutions, and supports plants in resolving critical packaging and equipment issues. The position will be based at one of our four manufacturing facilities but will support all sites.

At Daisy Brand, we are committed to delivering high performing packaging solutions for our customers, and safe, experience enhancing solutions for our consumers. As a Packaging Improvement Engineer, you will play a critical role in shaping the future of packaging at Daisy Brand while working in a collaborative and growth-oriented environment. Join us to contribute to exciting projects and help us achieve our company's goals.

Location and Travel Requirements

Travel Requirements: Up to 25%

This position operates under a hybrid work model, requiring onsite presence Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, with Wednesday and Friday designated as remote workdays. While this schedule is typical, team or business needs may require additional onsite days.

Boone hires will initially work from a temporary office in Ames, IA, and have increased travel requirements until the new manufacturing plant in Boone, IA, opens, which is expected in 2028. Once construction is complete, the position will move onsite to the Boone plant.

Key Responsibilities

Lead Packaging Continuous Improvement Activities, Projects, and Processes by:

• Scheduling, coordinating, communicating, and verifying packaging improvement activities from problem definition through sustained results.
• Identifying and driving improvements in packaging equipment, materials, operating methods, changeovers, inspection systems, and sanitation.
• Leading initiatives to improve line efficiency, equipment reliability, throughput, and labor effectiveness while reducing packaging waste, giveaway, rework, downtime, and defects.
• Using structured problem-solving methods such as 6M, root-cause analysis, Pareto analysis, capability studies, statistical process control, and designed experiments.
• Developing business cases, expected benefits, trial plans, acceptance criteria, and post-implementation verification for improvement projects.
• Analyzing manufacturing and packaging data using Excel, Power BI, statistical software, historian/MES data, or visualization platforms to identify trends, quantify losses, determine root causes, and verify that improvements are sustained.

Lead Packaging Quality and Process Standardization by:

• Auditing packaging lines to verify that approved equipment settings, centerlines, materials, inspection methods, sanitation requirements, and operating procedures are being followed.
• Establishing and maintaining packaging standards for critical parameters such as fill accuracy, seal temperature, dwell time, pressure, cooling, package integrity, code quality, and package appearance.
• Partnering with plants, cross-functional teams, and vendors to design and execute controlled trials that resolve packaging unknowns, confirm repeatable solutions, and support data-based recommendations for equipment, material, parameter, or procedural changes.
• Driving adoption and sustainment of packaging improvements by engaging plant leadership, operators, maintenance, quality, sanitation, and engineering resources in the development, implementation, training, and ongoing verification of new standards.

Provide Technical Support and Capability Development by:

• Responding to critical packaging, product-quality, food-safety, and equipment-performance issues, including defects, complaints, excessive waste, downtime, and performance gaps, by supporting plants in investigating causes and implementing corrective actions that meet current targets and specifications.
• Collaborating with OEMs and material suppliers on equipment capability, packaging-material performance, specifications, testing, troubleshooting, and improvement opportunities.
• Identifying recurring equipment failure modes, evaluating mechanical condition and process capability, and partnering with Maintenance and OEM resources to eliminate chronic losses rather than repeatedly adjusting around equipment deficiencies.
• Creating practical technical documentation, including troubleshooting guides, centerline sheets, health checks, inspection standards, and training materials, that explains both the required standard and the engineering rationale behind it for operators, mechanics, engineers, and technical resources.
• Sharing proven methods and lessons learned across sites to accelerate standardization and prevent repeat issues.

Support Equipment Projects and Commissioning by:

• Participating in equipment FATs, SATs, commissioning, capability studies, startups, and performance acceptance activities to ensure new or modified packaging systems meet agreed-upon safety, quality, throughput, waste, reliability, and maintainability requirements.
• Documenting proven operating settings once the line is running consistently and meeting these requirements.

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Educational Background: Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field is preferred; equivalent packaging or manufacturing experience will be considered.
• Experience: Five or more years of experience in packaging engineering, manufacturing engineering, or continuous improvement is preferred, with an emphasis on hands-on packaging equipment troubleshooting, process optimization, and sustained improvements in line efficiency, reliability, package quality, and waste reduction. Experience in food manufacturing is preferred.
• Technical Skills:
• Knowledge of food-packaging materials and how material properties such as thickness, coefficient of friction, sealant behavior, barrier properties, stiffness, dimensional variation, and supplier tolerances interact with packaging equipment, package integrity, and process capability.
• Familiarity with applicable packaging test methods and standards, including ASTM and ISTA methods where relevant, and experience with package-integrity, seal-performance, material, and distribution testing.
• Experience with packaging equipment and machinery in a manufacturing setting.
• Proficiency in CAD software for packaging design is a plus.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, with a focus on developing practical and cost-effective solutions.
• Regulatory Knowledge: In-depth understanding of food packaging standards, including FDA, USDA, and global food safety regulations.
• Project Management: Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, from concept to implementation, while meeting deadlines.
• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills to collaborate with internal teams and external suppliers, including the ability to lead and facilitate cross-functional continuous improvement meetings, guide structured problem-solving discussions, and establish clear action items, owners, and follow-up timelines.
• Attention to Detail: High level of accuracy and detail orientation in material selection, testing, and reporting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Packaging Materials and Shelf Life: Experience with food-grade packaging materials and process- and material-based shelf-life extension techniques.
• Dairy Experience: Experience in dairy manufacturing.
• Automation and Controls: Working knowledge of PLC-controlled packaging equipment, HMI recipes, servo systems, VFDs, sensors, vision/inspection systems, temperature controls, pneumatics, and automated reject systems, with the ability to troubleshoot packaging-process interactions in partnership with controls and maintenance resources.

Company Overview

Daisy Brand is the market leader in two billion-dollar categories – sour cream and cottage cheese. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, we’ve earned the trust of Americans through consistency and quality across five generations as a family-owned company. Our success has been guided by a simple belief: good food, much like good work, starts with integrity. That mindset continues to shape how we make our products, run our business, and support the people behind the brand.

At Daisy Brand, tradition and innovation go hand in hand. We invest thoughtfully in advancements that strengthen our products and operations, supporting responsible, long-term growth. In 2025, we broke ground on a new manufacturing facility in Boone, Iowa, further strengthening our supply chain alongside our established plants in Garland, Texas; Casa Grande, Arizona; and Wooster, Ohio. Looking ahead, our state-of-the-art Innovation Center, opening in 2026, will bring together research, food science, culinary, and technology teams to shape the future of our products. Recent work from these teams includes the development of the squeeze pouch and new line of dips, reflecting an intentional approach to modernization while staying true to the quality our consumers expect.

At the heart of Daisy Brand is its people. The company is intentionally structured to be collaborative and accessible, with an entrepreneurial mindset encouraged at every level. We hire with the goal of building long-term careers and provide an environment where employees are trusted to think critically, take initiative, and continue learning. Growth here isn’t accidental; it’s actively supported and shared.

To support our employees and their families, Daisy Brand offers a people-first benefits package that includes:

• A no deductible, $0 premium option for employee only medical coverage
• Access to virtual healthcare and wellness programs
• A 401(k) program with company match, plus weekly safe harbor and annual profit-sharing contributions
• Company paid short and long-term disability coverage and 2x annual salary in life and AD&D insurance
• Four weeks of paid time off, plus 20 hours of floating holidays in your first full year of employment
• Annual rollover and payout options for any unused paid time off
• Paid time for volunteering and community involvement
• Tuition reimbursement and ongoing professional development opportunities
• Fitness and wellness incentives
• And more.

Daisy Brand is a nicotine-free company. Daisy Brand is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Veterans and disabled encouraged to apply.