Origins Director, Packaging Development

About Origins

Origins is a prestige skincare and wellness brand recognized for uniting high-performance plant science with a deep respect for nature. As an employer, Origins offers a purpose-driven environment where creativity, scientific curiosity, and responsible beauty converge. Teams are encouraged to champion innovation across product development, retail, education, and customer experience while upholding the brand’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and holistic well-being. With a culture rooted in authenticity, collaboration, and care, Origins attracts professionals who value meaningful impact, refined service, and the opportunity to help shape a more conscious future for beauty.

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead packaging development across an assigned category and support one or more global brands, setting technical direction, portfolio priorities, organizational capability and resource strategies for commercialization.
• Execute the category Packaging Development strategy; set organizational priorities; allocate team resources; develop leaders; prioritize the portfolio; establish technical governance and organizational capability initiatives; and manage direct reports’ performance.
• Influence category business strategy, innovation investment priorities, organizational design, supplier strategy, commercialization planning, sustainability strategy, technology adoption and enterprise Packaging Development initiatives.
• Escalate enterprise organizational decisions, major capital investments, significant business risks, strategic supplier partnerships, cross-category resource conflicts and enterprise-level commercialization issues.
• Translate category strategy into packaging development execution and develop strategies for category growth, innovation, commercialization and long-term brand equity.
• Align development priorities with business objectives, consumer expectations, sustainability commitments, manufacturing capability and financial performance; represent Packaging Development in category leadership discussions.
• Partner with R&I and the Packaging Inspiration lab on new product forms, innovations, concepts and designs.
• Balance innovation, quality, manufacturability, speed to market, investment, sustainability and total cost of ownership; establish priorities that maximize business value and organizational effectiveness.
• Develop category packaging innovation roadmaps with Brand Leadership, Design, Product Development, R&I and suppliers; promote simultaneous product and package development to shorten commercialization timelines while protecting brand identity.
• Guide strategic decisions on materials, manufacturing platforms, dispensing technologies, sustainability, refillability, supplier capabilities and commercialization strategies; promote consumer-focused innovation that improves operational efficiency and business performance.
• Use AI-enabled technologies for innovation evaluation, competitive benchmarking, technical research, strategic planning, portfolio visibility and executive decision support; partner with Packaging Innovation and R&I to accelerate adoption of new technologies.
• Set category portfolio priorities aligned with business strategy; balance resources across brands, innovation initiatives, business priorities and commercialization needs.
• Monitor portfolio health, including technical risk, commercialization readiness, supplier performance, resource allocation, timing, quality and investment; lead decisions on project prioritization, staffing and technical direction.
• Ensure teams deliver projects meeting quality, functionality, manufacturability, sustainability, regulatory compliance and commercial objectives; drive portfolio-level value engineering, simplification, platform strategies and cost optimization.
• Build trusted executive relationships with Marketing, Design, Product Development, R&I, Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, Sustainability, BVC, GSM and supplier leadership; represent Packaging Development in executive business reviews, portfolio discussions and strategic planning.
• Translate technical complexity into clear business recommendations and influence executive decisions through business acumen, engineering expertise, consumer understanding and organizational leadership; strengthen collaborative partnerships that position Packaging Development as a strategic business function.
• Lead, coach and develop Associate Directors, Managers and other Packaging Development professionals; establish organizational priorities, performance expectations and development objectives.
• Build leadership capability through coaching, mentoring, succession planning and career development; align organizational resources with current and future business priorities.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, inclusion, collaboration, continuous learning and technical excellence; strengthen organizational capability through hiring, onboarding, knowledge sharing and leadership development, and build a succession pipeline for future leaders.
• Advance digital excellence and transformation across Packaging Development; ensure effective use of the ELC digital ecosystem supporting Packaging Operations and establish AI-enabled ways of working.
• Improve portfolio management, engineering workflows, knowledge sharing, technical documentation and decision-making through digital technologies; lead responsible AI adoption that improves productivity while maintaining engineering rigor and governance.
• Develop team capability through AI education, coaching and best-practice sharing; champion digital transformation initiatives that strengthen business performance.
• Ensure consistent application of company engineering standards, PPWR expectations, sustainability objectives, technical governance, commercialization requirements and quality expectations.
• Lead complex technical decisions across brands and programs; sponsor continuous improvement to enhance engineering capability, portfolio performance, development speed, technical consistency and supplier collaboration.
• Promote best-practice sharing across Packaging Development teams and technical communities; strengthen engineering capability through investment in learning, technology, supplier partnerships and organizational development.

Qualifications

• Minimum BS degree in Packaging Science, Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design, Materials Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in cosmetic package development.
• Concentrated experience in the prestige beauty industry, with proven development experience in color, fragrance and skin care categories.
• Proficiency with Unique Package Definition Systems, 3D CAD, MS Excel, Word, Outlook and timeline management systems.
• Comprehensive understanding of package function and ability to research consumer usage.
• Technical competency in analyzing geometric objects in two and three dimensions, including clearances and the fit and finish of packaging components and subcomponents.
• Ability to create 3D drawings and assemblies using CAD software, preferably Solidworks, for rapid prototype design reviews.
• Comprehensive knowledge of materials and manufacturing for primary, secondary and tertiary packaging, including injection molding, extrusion molding, metal forming, glass forming, vacuum forming, component assembly, dispensing systems (pump, airless), folding carton and rigid box design.
• Comprehensive knowledge of decorating techniques and materials used on primary, secondary and tertiary packaging.
• Comprehensive knowledge of test methods used to validate component and package performance.

Skills

Experience

10+ years in cosmetic package development; concentrated prestige beauty experience with proven development experience in color, fragrance and skin care categories.

Education

Minimum BS degree in Packaging Science, Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design, Materials Engineering or a related technical discipline.

Culture

Origins fosters a purpose-driven workplace where botanical expertise, scientific innovation, and a deep respect for nature guide everyday collaboration. As an employer, the brand encourages curiosity, wellbeing, and responsible creativity, bringing teams together around high-performance skincare and a commitment to more conscious beauty.

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.