Staff Research Scientist - Packaging Innovation

At Niagara, we’re looking for Team Members who want to be part of achieving our mission to provide our customers the highest quality most affordable bottled water.

Consider applying here, if you want to:   

• Work in an entrepreneurial and dynamic environment with a chance to make an impact.   
• Develop lasting relationships with great people.   
• Have the opportunity to build a satisfying career.

We offer competitive compensation and benefits packages for our Team Members.

Staff Research Scientist - Packaging Innovation

The Staff Scientist of Innovation will lead cross-disciplinary Innovation initiatives that advance Niagara’s products and packaging systems through design science, digital simulation, and consumer-centered innovation. This role will focus on understanding and optimizing product-process-performance relationships at the system level — across bottles, closures, packaging configurations, and manufacturing conditions — to drive sustainability, performance, and user experience improvements. The Staff Scientist will advance product portfolio by translating scientific insights into holistic product solutions that can be scaled through Niagara’s global manufacturing network.

Essential Functions

• Formulates strategy for Innovation growth. Drive system-level optimization that balance performance, sustainability, and manufacturability.
• Apply inventive principles, TRIZ theory or Innovation by association approach to brainstorm ideas, solve problems with out of the box thinking.
• Explore and develop emerging technologies and trends to integrate with Innovation initiatives.
• Lead R&D projects focused on the interaction of design, structure, and performance across packaging systems.
• Advance the use of AI, machine learning, or DOE-based analytics in R&D decision-making.
• Conduct human factors research to quantify usability, ergonomics, and consumer interaction with packaging systems.
• Partner with design, insights, and marketing teams to translate consumer needs into products, engineering and performance requirements.
• Quantify environmental trade-offs and support company-wide carbon reduction initiatives through design improvements
• Ensures project documentation and communication between all stakeholders.
• Initiates, develops, and maintains relationships with suppliers and other external collaborators.
• Present and communicate research results internally and externally and help develop intellectual property.
• Please note this job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.  Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without prior notice.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications:

• 6 Years  – Experience in Engineering, R&D, mechanical or industrial design, instrumentation etc.
  • 6 Years  – Experience in Position, Research laboratory assistant, post –doctoral scholar
  • 4 Years  – Experience working with graduate researchers, interns or lab assistants

*experience may include a combination of work experience and education

• Preferred Qualifications:
  • 10+ Years– Experience in Engineering, R&D, mechanical or industrial design, instrumentation etc.
  • 10+ Years – Experience in Position, Research laboratory assistant, post –doctoral scholar
  • 6 Years – Experience working with graduate researchers, interns or lab assistants

*experience may include a combination of work experience and education

Competencies

Proficiency in, but not limited to:

• Advanced data analysis and simulation capabilities
• Publication quality communication skills (documents and presentations)
• Proven experience with analytical laboratory equipment
• Skills with lab data management or automation software such as LabVIEW, Matlab, Python.
• Microsoft Office Products.
• Problem Solving - identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully.
• Detail oriented and accurate - minimizes mistakes, follows every step in a process and follows through with all tasks
• Oral Communication - speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; demonstrates presentation skills. 
• Written Communication - writes clearly and informatively; presents numerical data effectively; able to read and interpret written information. 

Beneficial, but not required: