Packaging Engineer - Manager

Job Summary:

Manager with advanced engineering skills responsible for leading a packaging engineering team for a line-of-business or region. Informs and aligns stakeholders of functional and operational objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

Provides technical and project management guidance to Packaging Engineers and other stakeholders Prepares and manages packaging inputs into the annual operating plan, including expense, resources, and capital Develops, monitors, and reports packaging improvement project work plans and cost reduction targets Drives continuous packaging improvement in the supply chain, improving total cost and customer/supplier delivered quality Works cross-functionally and with customers and suppliers to identify and deliver improvement strategies to packaging quality, total cost, and waste, in line with organizational goals Identifies organizational packaging training needs and manages development and deployment of the training plan Delivers on the strategy for sustainable packaging and provides guidance to sites in identifying opportunities and the application of best practices Ensures direct suppliers’ conformance to Cummins Global Packaging Standards Provides functional support to Corporate Indirect Purchasing in negotiating agreements specific to packaging material and services Monitors packaging environmental and regulatory requirements and ensures compliance Manages the implementation and operations integration of returnable container management systems and processes Primary contact to regularly interface with the Corporate Planning Packaging Function Represents line-of-business or region on the Cummins Global Packaging Council Applies advanced knowledge of engineering principles and practices across complex projects in design, analysis, and release of packaging and container systems through the product life cycle Coaches, develops, and empowers a team to enable them to execute their work and deliver results. Monitors and measures effectiveness of the team against key process indicators. Ensures project completion to plan.

Cummins is an equal opportunity employer. Our policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, sex, color, disability, national origin, age, religion, union affiliation, sexual orientation, veteran status, citizenship, gender identity, or other status protected by law.
Responsibilities:

Competencies: 
Builds effective teams - Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals. 

Decision quality - Making good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward. 
Develops talent - Developing people to meet both their career goals and the organization’s goals. 
Ensures accountability - Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments. 
Manages complexity - Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. 
Environmentally Sustainable Packaging Principles - Outlines the environmentally sustainable packaging material selection and its life cycle impact by describing selection criteria, performance considerations and application in designing order to achieve the goal to reduce, reuse, recycle or reclaim. 
Industrial Packaging Design - Develops primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging designs for industrial products through the application of engineering techniques to ensure product protection for all touch points of an end to end supply chain. 
Operations Integration in Industrial Packaging - Demonstrates and applies knowledge of manufacturing process, equipment and the physical flows of inbound parts to finished goods to establish industrial packaging methods and equipment that integrate safely and efficiently into the operational environment. 
Packaging Distribution Conditions and Dynamics - Recognizes environmental conditions and dynamic forces placed on packaging in supply chains by explaining the hazards and corresponding requirements that ensure product protection. 
Packaging Material Knowledge - Demonstrates the benefits of using different packaging mediums by articulating their physical properties, types and characteristics to select the packaging materials for the application, product protection, cost and impact on the environment. 
Packaging Testing - Evaluates performance validation tests, standards and reports to distinguish which method to apply; interprets test reports and draws conclusions in order to ensure packaging performance meets transit and handling conditions through end to end supply chain. 
Returnable Packaging Management - Gathers and analyzes financial data, fleet sizing, tracking, maintenance, logistics and performance monitoring requirements to develop a returnable packaging program that delivers savings in material and transportation while reducing waste. 
Values differences - Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization. 
Education, Licenses, Certifications: 
Bachelor degree in Engineering or related discipline is required, MBA preferred. 
Packaging Engineering or Packaging Science degree is highly preferred. 
6 Sigma Green Belt Certification preferred. 
This position may require licensing for compliance with export controls or sanctions regulations. 
Experience: 
7-10 years of Packaging Engineering or related experience is required

Qualifications:

1. Automotive Packaging Engineering 

• Strong experience with Indian OEM standards 
• Expertise in returnable packaging for domestic + export programs
• Design robustness for Indian road, handling, and climate conditions (dust, humidity, rough handling)

2. Cost Engineering & Localization

• Aggressive cost optimization mindset aligned with Indian cost targets
• Localization of packaging materials and vendors without compromising quality
• Ability to balance low-cost expendable packaging vs returnable ROI

3. Supplier & Vendor Development

• Develop and audit Indian packaging suppliers (plastics, corrugation, metal fabricators)
• Negotiation skills in a high-pressure cost environment
• Strong understanding of Indian supplier ecosystem and scalability risks

Supply Chain & Manufacturing Integration

4. Domestic & Export Logistics Packaging

• Packaging for long-haul domestic trucking and port movements
• Export packaging expertise (ISPM-15, VCI, moisture protection)

5. JIT / JIS Manufacturing Support

• Packaging aligned with lean manufacturing and line-side presentation
• Experience with space-constrained Indian plants
• Handling solutions that reduce manual effort and improve safety

Quality, Compliance & Risk Management (India)

6. Zero Damage & Quality Systems

• Transit damage prevention in high-risk logistics environments
• Packaging PFMEA, APQP, PPAP documentation
• Strong corrective action and containment leadership

7. Regulatory & Statutory Compliance

• Plastic Waste Management Rules (PWM), EPR compliance
• BIS standards related to packaging materials
• Import/export compliance and customs documentation awareness

Sustainability & ESG 

8. Sustainable Packaging Leadership

• Drive reusable packaging, returnable pooling models
• Reduction of single-use plastics in line with Indian regulations
• Carbon footprint reduction while managing cost sensitivity

Digital & Process Excellence

9. Systems, Data & Automation

• CAD tools (CATIA, AutoCAD, NX) and pallet optimization software
• Packaging cost tracking and damage analytics
• Exposure to automation-ready packaging for future smart factories

10. Lean, Six Sigma & Continuous Improvement

• Lean packaging concepts for Indian high-volume production
• Kaizen culture across plants and suppliers
• Strong problem-solving discipline ( DMAIC)

Leadership & Stakeholder Competencies

11. Multi-Plant & Matrix Leadership

• Lead packaging across multiple Indian plants + global interfaces
• Influence global teams while managing local execution
• Build strong second-line leadership

12. OEM & Customer Interface

• Direct interaction with Indian OEM packaging, logistics, and quality teams
• Manage audits, approvals, and cost negotiations
• Fast response to launches and engineering changes

Behavioral & Executive Competencies

13. Decision Making Under Pressure

• Manage frequent engineering changes and launch volatility
• Balance speed, cost, and risk in a fast-moving environment

14. Cultural & Operational Agility

• Comfort working across Indian plant cultures and labor environments
• High adaptability and hands-on leadership style

15+ year is Experience in automotive packaging /engineering. Min 7-9 years leadership experience managing complex assignments.