Senior Applications Engineer - Fiber Applications and Packaging Design

Sealed Air designs and delivers packaging solutions that protect essential goods transported worldwide, preserve food, enable e-commerce and digital connectivity, and help create a global supply chain that is touchless, safer, less wasteful, and more resilient. We strive to foster a caring, high-performance growth culture that will deliver consistent, sustainable profitable growth and accelerate our performance – a culture where accountability is clear and aligned, and where we reward business outcomes and impact. That culture guides everything we do, including how we partner with our customers and suppliers, how we attract and retain top talent, and how we create and deliver value for our stakeholders. In 2024, Sealed Air generated $5.4 billion in revenue and had approximately 16,400 employees distributing products and services to 117 countries/territories around the world. To learn more, visit www.sealedair.com.

Position Summary

Sealed Air’s Research & Development (R&D) department is looking for a Senior Applications / Design Engineer with an Expertise in Paper to work in our Charlotte, NC campus.

 

The overall role is to support the R&D mission which includes the:

• Packaging design of fiber and customer centric protective solutions
• Development and delivery of innovative, sustainable, robust, differentiated product solutions in alignment with the division strategy
• Development and execution of test plans to validate solutions fitness for use with respect to customer applications

Job Description

• Collaborate with R&D and business leaders to identify and address material technology gaps aligned with innovation priorities. Develop and execute strategies to support growth through advanced material solutions.
• Leverage engineering expertise (chemical, mechanical, electrical, etc.) to support innovation projects by providing technical input, generating new ideas, and leading final validations based on customer needs.
• Design custom packaging solutions to meet protective needs and support customer engagement. Ensure timely delivery of material and product development projects, aligned with R&D leadership priorities.
• Lead cross-functional teams, ensuring effective resource use and on-time project completion. Support new business development through commercialization of innovative products.
• Evaluate new material technologies for feasibility, business impact, and development needs. Test materials and systems rigorously, with a strong focus on customer pain points and operational realities.
• Maintain awareness of competitor technologies and industry trends. Build partnerships within Sealed Air and with external stakeholders including vendors and academic institutions.
• Serve as the key Applications Engineer for an assigned region. Travel to customer sites to understand operational challenges and provide tailored technical solutions.
• Recommend improvements to existing products and support development of new solutions based on materials, systems, and customer processes. Deliver on-site support and collaborate closely with customers, vendors, and internal teams.
• Create and execute test plans and field trials to ensure product reliability. Use customer and internal feedback to guide innovation toward commercialization.
• Conduct root-cause analysis, generate actionable insights, and provide technical documentation to support decision-making.
• Foster strong customer relationships using communication, influencing, and sales skills to drive collaboration and accelerate solution adoption.
• Develop and present clear value propositions and competitive positioning for Sealed Air’s new technologies and innovations.

Qualifications

• BS or MS or PhD in Fiber & Paper Technology, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or Packaging Science
•  Packaging design or custom packaging experience is preferred
• Minimum 5 years of research and development experience in fiber and paper processing. Product development in the packaging industry using paper and fiber is highly preferred.

Major Skillsets

• Strong knowledge of fiber, paper, and additives in paper manufacturing
• Understanding of production processes, coatings, and additives
• Familiarity with re-pulping and sustainability is a plus
• Chemistry background preferred
• Innovative with process