Manager - Packaging Design

Role Overview

The Packaging Manager role serves as a key bridge between regulatory packaging requirements, such as source/waste reduction and reuse, CAA’s materials strategy, and producer/industry design initiatives. This role ensures alignment and harmonization of packaging design approaches and best practices across jurisdictions, in keeping with the needs of CAA’s producer members.

The role serves as a technical subject matter expert on packaging transition feasibility, producer operational realities, and packaging functionality, translating complex technical and engineering concepts into actionable guidance for regulatory, policy, legal, and program teams. 

The Packaging Design Manager will:

• Contribute to overarching packaging design strategy.
• Develop tools, guidance, and other beneficial resources that will help producers integrate eco-design principles into packaging solutions, in keeping with CAA’s design-driven eco-modulation strategy. 
• Prepare design-related submissions to regulators (such as comments on proposed regulations, exemption requests and other submissions that will facilitate compliance with state-level legislative and regulatory objectives)
• Engage with producers, industry, and end markets to socialize the impacts of EPR laws on packaging and motivate change, including webinars.

The Manager will also contribute to the development and evolution of CAA’s design-driven eco-modulation strategy and support CAA’s broader materials strategies related to reduction, reuse, recyclability, and compost-ability; and in this regard may engage with producers, converters, reclaimers, and other interested parties directly to understand system needs and inform design solutions.

This role sits on the Circularity & Packaging Design team within the national Program Planning and Operations department, which also includes Data & Analytics, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs, Emerging States, End Markets, and Collection & Processing.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop tools, guidance and other beneficial resources that translate regulatory and materials management objectives into practical packaging design actions, and that support regulatory compliance, circular economy objectives, and alignment across multiple EPR jurisdictions.
• Prepare regulatory submissions on technical matters (such as comments on regulatory/legislative proposals, applications for exemptions, and appeals for rule or regulatory changes to existing programs).
• Provide technical input into state-level program plans.
• Monitor and evaluate evolving packaging design standards from a producer perspective, identifying trends, innovations, and best practices to inform program strategy and producer guidance.
• Support the development and implementation of holistic material reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting material strategies.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure packaging design considerations are integrated into broader materials management, recycling, and stewardship strategies, including strong end market and demand solutions.
• Contribute to the creation, review, and continuous improvement of eco-design tools including but not limited to eco-modulated bonus and malus incentive mechanisms. 
• Engage packaging designers, producers, and other industry interest holders to promote adoption of eco-design best practices and understand and respond to evolving eco-design expectations and requirements.
• Other job-related duties as assigned.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of the role of packaging design in driving environmental outcomes and enabling efficient and productive recycling systems (collection, sorting, reclamation and conversion).
• Strong understanding of producer performance requirements for product packaging including product protection and use, shelf life, branding, marketing and merchandising. 
• Experience developing and implementing packaging sustainability solutions including initiatives focused on recyclability, source reduction, reuse, material transitions, and circular economy outcomes.
• Ability to engage and collaborate with cross-functional teams and external stakeholders, including packaging designers, producers, and recyclers to advance adoption of eco-design best practices.
• Robust knowledge of packaging materials, covered material categories, and chemicals of concern.
• Understanding of recycling systems and end-market considerations with the ability to translate technical requirements into practical design guidance.
• Familiarity with industry eco-design standards (e.g., reusability/recyclability/compost-ability standards) and emerging sustainability trends.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate design tradeoffs across environmental, operational, regulatory, and market considerations.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, including the ability to develop, review, and maintain technically accurate guidance and program materials.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, or equivalent experience. 
• 5+ years of experience in sustainable packaging, material design and engineering, material strategy, or circular economy roles.

Compensation & Other Information

• Location: Remote from the United States of America 
• Pay Rate: Based on a variety of factors in accordance with applicable law including the successful candidate’s relevant experience, skills, knowledge, and experience.
• Reports To: Interim VP of Circularity & Design with future reporting to Senior Manager– Packaging Design.

Circular Action Alliance is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), national origin, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. If you require accommodation as part of the application process, please contact careers@circularaction.org.