TruRoots Company is a leading natural and organic food manufacturer rooted in sustainable practices—from farm to fridge—under brands like TruRoots™, R.W.
Knudsen™ and Santa Cruz Organic™.
Our Chico, CA facility is committed to food quality, environmental stewardship, and community impact through waste reduction, water conservation, renewable electricity usage, and maintaining a Zero Waste to landfill production site. Position Summary As a Senior Packaging Engineer at our Chico facility, you will be instrumental in designing, developing, and optimizing packaging solutions that align with TruRoots’ commitment to sustainability, efficiency, safety, and product integrity.
You’ll partner with cross-functional teams—including R&D, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Marketing—to ensure packaging meets both company and regulatory standards. Key Responsibilities Design and develop innovative primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging solutions optimized for durability, production efficiency, and sustainability Create packaging prototypes and conduct rigorous testing (drop tests, climate, material compatibility, distribution testing) to validate performance Partner with manufacturing and operations teams to lead packaging line trials and ensure smooth industrialization and transfer to full-scale production Analyze material options, costs, ROI, and environmental impact to drive cost-efficient and sustainable packaging strategies Manage packaging specifications, CAD designs, drawings, SOPs, and packaging documentation Develop strong vendor and supplier relationships to source innovative and sustainable packaging materials Act as packaging liaison across R&D, QA, Operations, and Marketing, contributing to new product launches and continuous improvement initiatives Stay updated on packaging trends, regulatory changes, and emerging materials or technologies in sustainable packaging Qualifications & Experience Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Science, Mechanical or Materials Engineering, or similar engineering discipline Minimum 5 years’ experience in packaging design and engineering, preferably within the food or beverage industry Proficiency with CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks, Artios CAD) and specification documentation Strong understanding of packaging materials—flexible, rigid, corrugated, film, etc.—and testing protocols Experience conducting distribution, durability, and regulatory compliance testing. Knowledge of Lean / Continuous Improvement methodologies is a plus Proven ability to collaborate effectively with manufacturing, quality, design, supply chain, and marketing teams Excellent problem-solving and project-management skills, with a sustainability-oriented mindset Performance Metrics (KPIs) On-Time Packaging Launch and Industrialization Packaging material cost reduction and waste minimization Packaging quality metrics :
Packaging Engineer • Chico, CA, US