Entry Level Packaging Engineering Manager Jobs
New grad packaging engineering manager jobs welcome recent graduates and entry level candidates with zero to two years of experience, where strong internship work or a hands-on portfolio can carry more weight than years on a resume. Most openings are on-site roles across Manufacturing, Electronics & Hardware, and Consulting & Professional Services, with employers like Nokia, Katalyst Healthcares & Life Sciences, and SYNTEGON hiring at this level now.
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Showing 5 of 30+ Entry Level Packaging Engineering Manager jobs
Packaging Project Manager (Contract)
Start date: 11/23/2026
End date: 5/28/2027
Assignment Overview
Our client, a national retailer, is seeking an experienced Packaging Project Manager contractor to provide project management support for owned-brand packaging initiatives. The contractor will support the planning, coordination, documentation and tracking of packaging projects across the product development lifecycle, from project initiation through post-launch evaluation. The role works with the client’s packaging, product development, creative, brand and sourcing teams, as well as international suppliers and partners in the U.S., China and India. The focus is on executing defined project management activities, maintaining project documentation, monitoring timelines, identifying risks and supporting cross-functional coordination. Client team members keep responsibility for business strategy, resource allocation decisions, project approvals and organizational leadership.
Key Responsibilities
Project Planning, Stage-Gate Coordination and Timeline Management
- Develop and maintain project plans, Stage-Gate documentation and end-to-end Timing & Action (T&A) trackers for assigned packaging projects.
- Gather and document requirements, deliverables, dependencies, constraints and assumptions from stakeholders.
- Maintain schedules aligned with business calendars and approved milestones.
- Track activities, deadlines, action items and deliverable completion.
- Maintain a centralized T&A tracker showing owners, activities and target completion dates.
- Identify schedule conflicts, dependencies and execution risks, and escalate concerns to the client’s project leaders.
- Prepare status reports, dashboards and supporting documentation.
- Document project changes, decisions and lessons learned.
- Analyze project data to find ways to improve project planning and tracking processes.
Project Resource Coordination and Tracking
- Collect and document resource requirements from designated stakeholders.
- Maintain resource allocation trackers and staffing documentation as directed by client project leadership.
- Monitor resource availability, dependencies and capacity constraints.
- Identify and communicate resource-related risks to timelines or deliverables.
- Provide reporting and analysis to support resource planning decisions made by client leadership.
Cross-Functional Packaging Project Coordination
- Coordinate activities across packaging, product development, creative, brand, sourcing and supplier teams.
- Schedule, organize and facilitate working sessions, including cross-functional team meetings and Stage-Gate reviews.
- Prepare agendas, document discussions, capture action items and track follow-up.
- Monitor progress from kickoff through post-launch evaluation against milestones and deliverables.
- Identify, document and escalate risks, issues and roadblocks to the appropriate stakeholders.
- Support issue resolution by gathering information, tracking action items and coordinating follow-up.
- Maintain project visibility in the client’s approved project management systems.
- Support approved process changes by updating documentation, timelines and tracking tools.
- Compile post-launch findings, lessons learned and recommendations for client project leadership.
- Prepare project summaries and status updates for stakeholders.
Required Qualifications
- Four-year degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.
- Experience supporting project management activities, preferably in packaging, product development, retail, sourcing or related industries.
- Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining project plans, schedules and milestone trackers.
- Familiarity with Stage-Gate project management processes and cross-functional coordination.
- Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple activities and deadlines.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
- Ability to identify, document and escalate project risks and issues.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills.
- Experience working with cross-functional stakeholders and geographically distributed teams.
- Proficiency with project management, reporting and collaboration tools.
Preferred Qualifications
- PMP certification, a project management certificate or Agile training.
- Experience supporting packaging development or owned-brand product creation.
- Experience working with global suppliers or international project teams.
- Knowledge of project management systems, dashboards and reporting tools.
- Experience with Timing & Action (T&A) tracking and Stage-Gate processes.
- Experience supporting process improvement and change implementation.
- Familiarity with resource tracking and capacity reporting.
Assignment Expectations
- Complete assigned project management activities within established timelines and deliverable requirements.
- Collaborate with client stakeholders on project-specific activities.
- Provide timely and accurate project status documentation.
- Escalate issues that need business decisions or leadership approval to the designated client resource manager.
- Follow applicable information security, confidentiality and external worker policies.
- Work within the approved assignment scope and authorized systems access.
Packaging Project Manager (Contract)
Start date: 11/23/2026
End date: 5/28/2027
Assignment Overview
Our client, a national retailer, is seeking an experienced Packaging Project Manager contractor to provide project management support for owned-brand packaging initiatives. The contractor will support the planning, coordination, documentation and tracking of packaging projects across the product development lifecycle, from project initiation through post-launch evaluation. The role works with the client’s packaging, product development, creative, brand and sourcing teams, as well as international suppliers and partners in the U.S., China and India. The focus is on executing defined project management activities, maintaining project documentation, monitoring timelines, identifying risks and supporting cross-functional coordination. Client team members keep responsibility for business strategy, resource allocation decisions, project approvals and organizational leadership.
Key Responsibilities
Project Planning, Stage-Gate Coordination and Timeline Management
- Develop and maintain project plans, Stage-Gate documentation and end-to-end Timing & Action (T&A) trackers for assigned packaging projects.
- Gather and document requirements, deliverables, dependencies, constraints and assumptions from stakeholders.
- Maintain schedules aligned with business calendars and approved milestones.
- Track activities, deadlines, action items and deliverable completion.
- Maintain a centralized T&A tracker showing owners, activities and target completion dates.
- Identify schedule conflicts, dependencies and execution risks, and escalate concerns to the client’s project leaders.
- Prepare status reports, dashboards and supporting documentation.
- Document project changes, decisions and lessons learned.
- Analyze project data to find ways to improve project planning and tracking processes.
Project Resource Coordination and Tracking
- Collect and document resource requirements from designated stakeholders.
- Maintain resource allocation trackers and staffing documentation as directed by client project leadership.
- Monitor resource availability, dependencies and capacity constraints.
- Identify and communicate resource-related risks to timelines or deliverables.
- Provide reporting and analysis to support resource planning decisions made by client leadership.
Cross-Functional Packaging Project Coordination
- Coordinate activities across packaging, product development, creative, brand, sourcing and supplier teams.
- Schedule, organize and facilitate working sessions, including cross-functional team meetings and Stage-Gate reviews.
- Prepare agendas, document discussions, capture action items and track follow-up.
- Monitor progress from kickoff through post-launch evaluation against milestones and deliverables.
- Identify, document and escalate risks, issues and roadblocks to the appropriate stakeholders.
- Support issue resolution by gathering information, tracking action items and coordinating follow-up.
- Maintain project visibility in the client’s approved project management systems.
- Support approved process changes by updating documentation, timelines and tracking tools.
- Compile post-launch findings, lessons learned and recommendations for client project leadership.
- Prepare project summaries and status updates for stakeholders.
Required Qualifications
- Four-year degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.
- Experience supporting project management activities, preferably in packaging, product development, retail, sourcing or related industries.
- Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining project plans, schedules and milestone trackers.
- Familiarity with Stage-Gate project management processes and cross-functional coordination.
- Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple activities and deadlines.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
- Ability to identify, document and escalate project risks and issues.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills.
- Experience working with cross-functional stakeholders and geographically distributed teams.
- Proficiency with project management, reporting and collaboration tools.
Preferred Qualifications
- PMP certification, a project management certificate or Agile training.
- Experience supporting packaging development or owned-brand product creation.
- Experience working with global suppliers or international project teams.
- Knowledge of project management systems, dashboards and reporting tools.
- Experience with Timing & Action (T&A) tracking and Stage-Gate processes.
- Experience supporting process improvement and change implementation.
- Familiarity with resource tracking and capacity reporting.
Assignment Expectations
- Complete assigned project management activities within established timelines and deliverable requirements.
- Collaborate with client stakeholders on project-specific activities.
- Provide timely and accurate project status documentation.
- Escalate issues that need business decisions or leadership approval to the designated client resource manager.
- Follow applicable information security, confidentiality and external worker policies.
- Work within the approved assignment scope and authorized systems access.
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Entry Level Packaging Engineering Manager Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an entry level packaging engineering manager job?
Focus on internships, co-ops, or academic projects that show hands-on packaging design or materials knowledge. Employers at this level look for familiarity with packaging development processes, CAD or structural design tools, and an understanding of supply chain or manufacturing environments. A portfolio of student or internship projects, even from coursework, gives you a concrete edge over candidates with a resume alone.
Which companies hire entry level packaging engineering managers?
Companies hiring entry level packaging engineering managers right now include Nokia, Katalyst Healthcares & Life Sciences, and SYNTEGON, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Hiring at this level comes from a mix of consumer goods manufacturers, food and beverage companies, and third-party packaging suppliers that build junior talent into their engineering teams.
Are there remote entry level packaging engineering manager jobs?
Yes, though most packaging engineering roles at this level involve hands-on lab or production floor work. About 13% of entry level packaging engineering manager openings are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, so options exist but on-site positions remain the majority at the junior stage of this career path.
Are these new grad packaging engineering manager jobs?
Yes, these listings include new grad, recent graduate, and junior roles that explicitly welcome candidates with little or no professional experience. A new grad-friendly posting typically accepts zero to two years of experience and counts internships, co-ops, or a strong academic portfolio toward the requirement, so a degree in packaging, mechanical, or materials engineering is often the main qualifier.
Which industries hire the most entry level packaging engineering managers?
Entry Level packaging engineering manager roles concentrate in Manufacturing, Electronics & Hardware, and Consulting & Professional Services, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. These sectors drive junior hiring because they depend on constant product development, regulatory compliance, and cost-reduction initiatives that benefit from building packaging talent from the ground up.