Principal Packaging Engineer (f/m/d) - Life Sciences Europe (fixed term)
Ecolab · Monheim am Rhein
Own your future. Impact what matters.
Share our passion for protecting people and vital resources? Ready to harness your talent in ways that matter? Eager to work for a market leading company where your own success fuels that of your customers? For our high-tech R&D center we are currently looking for a Principal Packaging Engineer based in Monheim am Rhein (fixed term contract until December 2027)
Key Focus:
The successful candidate is a subject matter expert in pharmaceutical packaging compliance and validation who can provide strategic leadership while ensuring regulatory compliance, patient safety, product protection, and sustainable packaging innovation across the product portfolio.
Your Responsibilities
Own the technical file responsibilities for pharmaceutical and life science packaging systems, ensuring alignment with global regulatory, quality, customer, and patient safety requirements.
Lead the design, development, qualification, validation, and commercialization of primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging solutions for pharmaceutical, biotech, and combination products.
Define and maintain packaging specifications, standards, and design guidelines that protect product integrity, quality, manufacturability, and supply chain reliability throughout the product lifecycle.
Lead packaging validation activities, including design verification, transportation testing, aging and stability studies, seal integrity testing, and container closure integrity assessments.
Provide packaging expertise and technical documentation to support regulatory submissions, audits, inspections, and customer compliance activities.
Conduct risk assessments, investigations, and root cause analyses related to packaging performance, quality, supplier, and compliance issues.
Provide technical leadership across global, cross-functional project teams and collaborate externally with packaging development partners, suppliers, and industry stakeholders.
Drive packaging sustainability initiatives, including PPWR readiness, material optimization, recyclability improvements, PCR implementation, and packaging minimization strategies.
Monitor emerging technologies, industry trends, and regulatory developments to support innovation, compliance, and competitive advantage.
Partner with Marketing and Sales to translate customer and business needs into practical, compliant, and differentiated packaging designs.
Your Profile
Recognized expertise in pharmaceutical and life science packaging systems, with strong knowledge of regulated packaging design, development, qualification, validation, and lifecycle management.
Strong understanding of GMP, FDA, EMA, ISO, pharmacopoeia, food contact, drinking water, and other applicable global packaging regulations and standards, including GMP 2023/2006, EU No. 10/2011, DWD 2020/2184, NSF 61, ISO 11607, ISO 13485, and ISO 9001.
Demonstrated experience with packaging validation methodologies, including IQ/OQ/PQ, transportation testing, shelf-life and stability studies, packaging process qualification, seal integrity, and container closure integrity.
Deep technical knowledge of sterile and non-sterile packaging systems, sterile barrier systems, tamper-evident solutions, stability requirements, and extractables and leachables considerations.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum 5 years of experience in pharmaceutical packaging, including hands-on responsibility for packaging design, development, validation, and implementation in regulated environments.
Excellent problem-solving, analytical, risk assessment, and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance compliance, innovation, cost efficiency, sustainability, and operational excellence.
Strong leadership and stakeholder management capabilities, with experience leading complex global projects and influencing technical and business stakeholders at all organizational levels.
Clear and effective communicator with a self-reliant, autonomous working style; fluency in English is required.
Proven ability to adapt quickly to new situations and lead innovation, sustainability, and cost reduction initiatives in a regulated business environment.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with packaging line automation, serialization systems, and manufacturing process optimization.
Experience managing packaging suppliers, contract manufacturers, and strategic development partners.
Professional certifications in packaging, quality, or project management are considered an advantage.
Valid EU Driving License
Certifications in Six Sigma, Lean, or PMP are a plus.
Our Offer
Working in a dynamic, cooperative and global environment
Personal and professional growth opportunities and intensive training on the job with a hands-on approach
Attractive salary, extensive benefits and pension plan
Complementary access to our in-house gym, massage chairs and parking lot
Coffee-connect-areas, company canteen and think tanks
About Ecolab:
At Ecolab, we prioritize our talent-first philosophy by creating the most capable and diverse team to excel at our nearly three million customer sites. Building on a century of innovation, our 48,000 associates help deliver comprehensive science-based solutions, data-driven insights and world-class service to advance food safety, maintain clean and safe environments, and optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies and sustainability for customers in the food, healthcare, life sciences, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. Our solutions not only enhance operational efficiency but also contribute to sustainability and public health, making a positive impact on the world. We are committed to eliminating unnecessary complexities and embracing a beginner's mindset, continuously seeking new perspectives and innovative solutions to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world.
Ecolab’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) reflects our longstanding value of working together to integrate diverse perspectives to challenge ourselves, reach our goals and do what’s right.
Apply today and join one of the most ethical companies with over a hundred years of history.
Join Ecolab and help us protect what’s vital.
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Our Commitment to a Culture of Inclusion & Belonging
Ecolab is committed to fair and equal treatment of associates and applicants and furthering the principles of Equal Opportunity to Employment. We will recruit, hire, promote, transfer and provide opportunities for advancement based on individual qualifications and job performance in all matters affecting employment, compensation, benefits, working conditions, and opportunities for advancement. Ecolab will not discriminate against any associate or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, creed, national origin,citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, genetic information, marital status, age, or disability.
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