Sr. Packaging Materials Scientist

No Relocation Assistance Offered
# 162004 - Piscataway, New Jersey, United States

Who We Are
Colgate-Palmolive Company is a caring, innovative growth company that is reimagining a healthier future for all people, their pets and our planet. Focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition, we sell our products in more than 200 countries and territories under brands such as Colgate, Palmolive, elmex, hello, meridol, Sorriso, Tom’s of Maine, EltaMD, Filorga, Irish Spring, PCA SKIN, Protex, Sanex, Softsoap, Speed Stick, Ajax, Axion, Fabuloso, Soupline and Suavitel, as well as Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

We are recognized for our leadership and innovation in promoting sustainability and community wellbeing, including our achievements in decreasing plastic waste and promoting recyclability, saving water, conserving natural resources and improving children’s oral health.

If you want to work for a company that lives by their values, then give your career a reason to smile and join our global team!
 

Job Summary 

The Packaging Innovation team at Colgate Palmolive is the scientific authority for packaging materials development and  packaging sustainability R&D at Colgate Palmolive.  The Materials Development  team is responsible for making the packaging materials strategies, their development, evaluation/screening, recommendation and qualification,  with a focus on the sustainable packaging materials, as well as the commercialization of new packaging technologies. We are looking for a polymer scientist experienced in materials development and excited about developing sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics and packaging. In this role you will be responsible for working with industry innovators to evaluate and develop new packaging materials for use with Colgate Palmolive products. 

Core Responsibilities 

• Responsible for building a pipeline of innovation in packaging sustainability,  new innovations, and sustainability initiatives within defined scope. The new materials pipeline is focused on materials that have a smaller impact on the environment and end-of-life solutions that enable circularity.

• Engage with external organizations to build a broader understanding of packaging trends and definitions related to sustainability, composting, biodegradation and natural polymers. 

• Partner with Global Procurement, Supply Chain, and Divisional Packaging Leadership to define plans to meet Colgate’s Sustainability Targets for 2025 and beyond.

• Develop packaging material solutions to ensure all current and future packaging meets Colgate’s sustainability targets for reduced plastic, recyclable packaging, maximize use of recycled material and free of problematic materials. 

• Partner with Global R&D, Quality and Engineering to perform the root cause analysis on packaging related performance issues and recommend the appropriate solutions.

Key Competencies

• Expertise in material and polymer science 

• Knowledgeable with a wide variety of package technologies, including packaging making processes, packaging qualification, packaging quality control, etc., with a specific focus on non plastic packaging materials. 

• Self-motivation and a proactive worker, working independently and efficiently in the lab for material development and evaluation.

• Critical thinking and problem solving skills, producing and using supportive data to draw conclusions and make recommendations. 

• Deep understandin