Material Scientist in Milton Keynes

Location: Leamington Spa, GB; Saint Georges, FR; Port Talbot, GB; Rushden, GB; Otwock, PL; Norwich, GB; Reinach, CH; Etten-Leur, NL; Bremervorde, DE; Ellough, GB; Oakham, GB; Gent (BMS), BE; Blackburn, GB; Milton Keynes, GB; Bouxwiller, FR; Cardedeu Barcelona, ES; Orio Litta, IT; Celle, DE; Moirans, FR; Mellrichstadt, DE; La Roche, FR; Poznan (FBS), PL; Kutenholz, DE; Rebkowska, PL; Deeside, GB; Campo Real, ES; Beccles, GB; Eke, BE; Cusset, FR; Mullsjo, SE; Lubien, PL; Firenze, IT; Turku, FI; Offranville, FR; Sant Cugat, ES; Dinklage, DE; Opfenbach, DE; Lohne, DE; Montpont, FR; Pamplona, ES; Neumunster, DE; Marolles, FR; Deventer, NL; Kyjov, CZ; Randers, DK; Plenmeller, GB; Ettlingen, DE; Market Rasen, GB; Corby, GB; Wetteren, BE; Kruszwica, PL; Besancon, FR; Sirone, IT; Finnentrop, DE; Osnago, IT; Bellignat, FR; Theesen, DE; La Genete, FR; Frankenthal, DE; Flitwick, GB; Voghera, IT

Department: R&D/Innovation Management

Full-time/Part-time: Full-Time

Job Type: Employee

Shift: On site

Accelerate the possible by joining a winning Amcor team that’s transforming the packaging industry and improving lives around the world. At Amcor, we unpack possibility through our innovative and responsible packaging to provide solutions that benefit our customers, our people and our planet. More than 10,000 consumers worldwide encounter our products every second and rely on us for safe access to food, medicine and other goods. We value their trust by making safety our guiding principle. It’s our core value and integral to how we do business. Beyond this core principle, our shared values and behaviors unite us as we work together to elevate customers, shape lives and protect the future. We champion our customers and help them succeed. We play to win – adapting quickly in an everchanging world – and make smart choices to safeguard our business, our communities and the people we serve for generations to come. And we invest in our world‑class team, empowering our colleagues to unpack their potential, because we believe when our people grow, so does our business.

DIVISION Global Rigid Packaging Solutions

FUNCTION Research & Development

REPORTING TO Director of Materials Innovation - Global Rigid Packaging Solutions

R&D Core Scope: Support Global Material initiatives by assessing and developing CORE materials that align with our innovation and sustainability objectives. Manage R&D projects focused on CORE material and sustainability. Support collaboration with cross‑functional teams across various sectors, while remaining informed about emerging opportunities. Additionally, support external partnerships with key suppliers and process suppliers to drive the construction of future solution pipelines.

About the team: The R&D team, composed of experienced professionals across multiple geographies, plays a critical role in advancing the company’s innovation and sustainability goals. Their focus spans three strategic pillars:

• Sustainability: Implement and scale sustainable business practices across operations and the value chain, with a focus on reducing environmental impact, maximizing circularity, and enhancing long‑term value creation.
• Product Innovation: Design and develop new and improved packaging solutions that address evolving customer needs across diverse industries and applications.
• Cost Innovation: Drive value creation by optimizing cost structures through material efficiency, process innovation, and design simplification—while maintaining or enhancing product performance and quality.

This role is pivotal in shaping the future of rigid packaging by helping to deliver transformative solutions that meet evolving customer expectations, regulatory demands, and environmental imperatives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage R&D projects focused on advanced material development in alignment with the company’s innovation and sustainability goals, that could require new material processing.
• Maintain the sustainable materials innovation pipeline & related programs.
• Know the business well enough to understand overall market needs and to predict future needs.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams across Healthcare, Homecare, Food, Beverage, Beauty, and Wellness sectors to identify and implement innovative solutions.
• Drive the definition and early TRL exploration of new materials that enhance defined KPIs, such as PCR content, portfolio diversification, efficiency and optimization among others.
• Stay abreast of emerging materials and industry trends to ensure the company remains at the forefront of innovation, by taking part in fairs, conducting patents and other newsletter watch.
• Develop and maintain relationships with external partners, including academic institutions, research organizations, and material providers.
• Prepare and present technical reports, proposals, and presentations to senior management and stakeholders.
• Drive ongoing innovation and technology scouting activities in sustainability, particularly materials arena.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Number of CORE material projects successfully developed and implemented.
• Frequency and effectiveness of collaboration meetings with cross‑functional teams.
• Improvement in energy efficiency metrics (e.g., percentage reduction in energy consumption).
• Number of emerging materials and industry trends integrated into R&D processes.
• Participation in industry fairs, patent watches, and newsletter subscriptions (e.g., number of events attended, number of patents reviewed).
• Contributions from external partnerships to R&D projects (e.g., joint publications, co‑developed materials).

Qualifications:

• Education: Master’s Degree or PhD in materials related discipline.
• 4–7 years of experience in R&D, with a focus on advanced material and sustainability.
• Proven track record of leading successful R&D projects from concept to commercialization.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and project management skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment.
• Experience in the Healthcare, Homecare, Food, Beverage, Beauty, or Wellness sectors is highly desirable.
• Experienced program leader relative to material science in a corporate setting able to define, implement, & maintain effective program management practices.

Essential Functions / Skills:

• Must have safety awareness, dependability, clear written and oral communication.
• Proficient and experienced in a wide range of aspects of material science.
• Proficient knowledge of PET & Polyolefins and basic knowledge of alternative materials.
• Combines lateral/creative thinking with scientific knowledge.
• Working knowledge of physio‑chemical material behaviours such as migration and permeability.
• Sufficient business awareness to understand overall market needs and to predict future needs, and willingness to learn this across multiple markets and geographies.
• Manages multi‑dimensional material development programs including alignment of internal stakeholders and indirect leadership of cross‑functional project teams.
• Prescribe the use of appropriate project management & engineering tools for development & implementation of resin solutions.
• Internal expert regarding PCR usage and approaches/methods for increasing amount of PCR in GPRS products.
• Works in partnership with NPD teams and BU’s to address challenges/opportunities in sustainable materials and increase PCR inclusion.
• Requires tact and effectiveness in dealing with a wide variety of stakeholders in everyday working relationships & executive reporting/communication.
• Responsible for completion of work within budget for area of responsibility.

Desirable Skills:

• Collaborative work style exhibiting willingness to learn as well as teach/coach others.
• Applies professional and engineering/design principles to develop an understanding of multi‑dimensional, variable situations that will guide thinking about ways to address challenges and decipher relevant solutions.
• Strong program management skills and experience with ability to lead high‑priority, cross‑functional development programs.
• Proficiency with material requirements for injection, extrusion, thermoforming and blow molding processes.
• Proven ability to work autonomously and adds value in all phases of a project and applies analytical skills.
• Makes own decisions regarding how to approach specific work assignments.
• Holds self and others to appropriate policies and procedures.
• Will seek feedback and correct own performance.

About Amcor: Amcor is the global leader in developing and producing responsible consumer packaging and dispensing solutions across a variety of materials for nutrition, health, beauty and wellness categories. Our global product innovation and sustainability expertise enables us to solve packaging challenges around the world every day, producing a range of flexible packaging, rigid packaging, cartons and closures that are more sustainable, functional and appealing for our customers and their consumers. We are guided by our purpose of elevating customers, shaping lives and protecting the future. Supported by a commitment to safety, over 75,000 people generate $23 billion in annualized sales from operations that span over 400 locations in more than 40 countries.