About Estée Lauder Companies
The Estée Lauder Companies is a global leader in prestige beauty, founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder and built on an enduring belief in creativity, high-touch service, and entrepreneurial spirit. As an employer, the Group offers talent the scale of an international house with the energy of distinctive brands across skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care. Its culture values innovation, inclusion, learning, and responsible growth, inviting professionals to shape consumer experiences from laboratory to counter, digital platform to boardroom. Employees join a purpose-led organization where heritage, artistry, and scientific excellence meet to define the future of luxury beauty.
Estée Lauder Companies seeks a Manager, Packaging Development to lead complex packaging programs while strengthening organizational capability. This technical and business leader combines deep packaging expertise with commercial thinking and cross-functional leadership to deliver innovative, sustainable, and commercially viable packaging solutions across multiple brands and product categories.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead multiple complex packaging development programs independently from concept through commercialization, managing technical specifications, engineering documentation, testing, validation, tooling strategy, and supplier development
- Translate business strategy and brand vision into technically robust packaging solutions that protect brand identity, enhance consumer experience, improve sustainability, and optimize total cost of ownership
- Balance quality, innovation, manufacturability, sustainability, timing, investment, and consumer experience in technical recommendations and value engineering initiatives
- Develop project strategies aligned with business priorities and portfolio objectives, managing resource prioritization and addressing competing project demands
- Lead FMEA development and proactive technical risk management, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement and capability strengthening
- Partner closely with cross-functional teams including Marketing, Design, Product Development, R&I, Brand Value Chain, Global Supplier Management, Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, Sustainability, and Material Science to facilitate alignment and influence technical decisions
- Coach, mentor, and develop Packaging Development Analysts and Senior Analysts, providing technical guidance, project leadership, and career development support
- Operate with excellence within ELC digital ecosystems, leveraging AI-enabled technologies for technical research, engineering analysis, and decision support while coaching team members in responsible AI usage
- Ensure compliance with Company engineering standards, regulatory requirements, and sustainability commitments; review technical specifications, drawings, and engineering deliverables for quality and consistency
Qualifications
- Minimum Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging Science, Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design, Materials Engineering, or related technical discipline
- CIPT or IOPP certification
- Five or more years of direct experience in cosmetic package development within the beauty or related industry
- Advanced proficiency in computer systems including Package Definition Systems, MS Excel, Word, Outlook, and timeline management systems
- Technical competency in analysis of geometric objects in 2 and 3 dimensions, including understanding of clearances, fit, and finish of packaging components and subcomponents
- Comprehensive knowledge of materials and manufacturing technologies for primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging, including injection molding, extrusion, metal forming, glass forming, vacuum forming, pump and airless dispensing systems, folding carton, and rigid box design
- Knowledge of decorating techniques and materials used on primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging
- Demonstrated knowledge of test methods used to validate component and package performance
- Proven ability to work cross-functionally and influence technical and business decisions across organizational boundaries
Skills
Experience
Five or more years of direct experience in cosmetic package development, with proven ability to lead complex technical programs independently. Experience in the beauty industry or related sectors with demonstrated packaging development expertise across multiple brands or product categories.
Education
Minimum Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging Science, Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design, Materials Engineering, or a related technical discipline. CIPT or IOPP certification preferred.
Workplace
This position is based in New York, New York, USA.
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Compensation
The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 87,550 to USD 143,800 per annum.
Benefits
Health insurance coverage (medical, dental, and vision insurance), wellness and family support programs, life and disability insurance, retirement savings plans, paid leave programs, education-related programs, paid holidays and vacation time, highly competitive bonus program with possibility for overachievement based on performance and company results. Many benefits are subsidized or fully paid by the company.
Culture
The Estée Lauder Companies fosters a collaborative, inclusive workplace where creativity, entrepreneurial thinking, and a passion for prestige beauty are deeply valued. As a global house of distinctive brands, it offers employees an environment that encourages innovation, professional growth, and a shared commitment to excellence and consumer inspiration.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Estée Lauder Companies, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Packaging Development Manager», «Senior Packaging Engineer Manager», «Packaging Innovation Manager», «Technical Packaging Manager», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.