Packaging Technologist

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Date: 16 Oct 2025

Location: Mitchelstown, IE, P67 E020

Company: Ornua Co-operative Limited

Ornua is a dairy co-operative which sells dairy products on behalf of its Members, Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers.  It is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, exporting to 110 countries worldwide.  Headquartered in Dublin, it has annualised sales of over €2.3 billion and a global team of 2,850 employees.  Ornua operates from 10 business units worldwide, including 16 production facilities, and has sales and marketing teams working in-market across all four corners of the globe.

The Group is structured across two divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients.

Ornua Foods is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands including Kerrygold, Dubliner, Pilgrims Choice, Kerrygold, Avantage, Forto, and BEO.  Markets are served by production facilities and in-market sales and marketing teams in Africa, Asia, Germany, Ireland, the UK, the rest of Europe, the Middle East, and the US.

Ornua Ingredients is responsible for the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products and for the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers across the world.  Ornua Ingredients is also responsible for managing volatility through de-risking and trading strategies. The business is supported by production facilities in Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK, the US and by in-market teams in Africa and the Middle East.

Ornua’s Values

At Ornua, our Values guide us as we work together and care for each other to achieve great things. Our five values, and their underlying behaviours, encourage us to Seek and Embrace New Ideas, Make It Happen, Be Our True Selves, Show You Care and Achieve Great Things Together

 

WHY THIS ROLE IS VALUABLE

We are looking for a dynamic and experienced professional to join our team.  Working in conjunction with Operations, NPD and Procurement you will lead all packaging projects, from leading the development and commissioning of new packaging components  to  day to day packaging operational issues. 

 

The job holder will be responsible for the delivery of packaging projects, working through the packaging development process, they will ensure that packaging solutions meet all legal, functional and customer/consumer requirements.

 

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

Operational & Technical Support

  • Serve as the first point of contact for all packaging-related operational issues on site
  • Troubleshoot line performance, material runability, and packaging equipment compatibility
  • Lead packaging line trials and validations for new materials or design changes
  • Work closely with production, quality, and maintenance teams to optimise pack performance

NPD & Project Delivery

  • Act as site lead for the development and commissioning of new packaging components
  • Support packaging readiness for NPD and product launches
  • Drive factory acceptance of new formats and packaging changes from global or regional projects
  • Collaborate with central/global teams to align design intent with plant capability

Co-Manufacturing Support (working with Foods central packaging team as required)

  • Provide technical packaging support to co-manufacturing sites as required
  • Ensure co-man sites follow approved specifications, materials, and quality standards
  • Assist in onboarding and validation of new co-manufacturing partners from a packaging lens
  • Act as liaison between co-mans, internal functions, and global packaging teams to ensure alignment

Compliance & Audit Readiness

  • Ensure site packaging materials and processes meet global regulatory and compliance frameworks
  • Maintain and update packaging specifications and artwork approvals
  • Support audit readiness through proper documentation and alignment with traceability requirements
  • Monitor and enforce compliance with food safety and environmental packaging standards

Supplier & Procurement Engagement

  • Act as key site liaison with packaging suppliers, ensuring performance and issue resolution
  • Manage local supplier relationships within global frameworks
  • Escalate technical issues and participate in supplier qualifications and trials
  • Collaborate with Procurement on cost optimisation, lead times, and material substitutions

Sustainability & Waste Reduction

  • Support implementation of site-level circularity initiatives (e.g., downgauging, recyclability, mono-materials)
  • Track and report on packaging waste, rework, and root cause analysis
  • Ensure alignment with company and regulatory sustainability goals

Systems, Data & Continuous Improvement

  • Maintain packaging data in local systems (e.g., spec systems, M3, artwork management tools)
  • Support continuous improvement (CI) projects impacting packaging line efficiency and waste
  • Participate in Lean reviews focused on packaging

Cross-Functional & Global Collaboration

  • Represent the site in global packaging forums, NPD stage gates, and compliance reviews
  • Share site learnings, technical feedback, and operational risks to shape future global decisions
  • Align local practices with global packaging strategy, compliance, and sustainability roadmaps

 

KEY REQUIREMENTS AND COMPETENCIES

  • FMCG background, preferably food or pharmaceutical, with experience in packaged consumer goods, and a proven experience of introducing and validating new packaging products and manufacturing processes.
  • Good working knowledge of rigid & flexible packaging items such as tubs, pots and fiber-based products and films and their materials and manufacturing processes.
  • Able to interpret and create technical drawings, ideally with 3D CAD experience.
  • Experience of working  through stage and gate style product development processes.
  • Proven ability and aptitude to apply technical knowledge within a commercial environment.
  • Able to leverage interpersonal skills to form strong relationships and build networks

 

 

ORNUA COMPETENCIES:

 

  • Curiosity: Open to asking questions, and willing to learn and drive continuous improvement.
  • Forward-Looking: Responds positively to change and looks ahead to anticipate tasks, ensuring benefits to others.
  • Communicative: Communicates openly and clearly, listens respectfully to others.
  • Expertise: To ensure excellence in own work, applies effective professional skill, analysis, problem solving, decision making, prioritising, planning, and reviewing.

 

Closing date: 30th October 2025