At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative engineering teams to create cutting-edge packaging solutions.
- Company: Join BW Packaging, a global leader in engineering and customer care.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, travel opportunities, and a supportive team environment.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by driving innovation in a people-centric company.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in engineering with strong leadership and project management skills.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
About Us
BW Packaging is driving performance at the intersection of people, technology, and customer care. As part of the privately held Barry‑Wehmiller family, we unite a global team of packaging experts with a clear purpose: People Who Care, Building Solutions that Perform. We take on our customers’ toughest challenges as our own — delivering both innovative and enduring solutions that set the standard for value and performance. Our strength comes from our people and the power of our brands — trusted names in packaging that are known worldwide for engineering excellence, application expertise, and lifetime commitment to customer success. Truly Human Leadership guides our belief that exceptional business results and profound respect for people together provide the foundation of enduring success. We are committed to forging lasting partnerships with our customers, earning their trust through integrity, expertise, and execution. With our full range of packaging solutions and long term partnership and service, we help customers achieve operational excellence today while building the future of packaging together.
Barry‑Wehmiller is a diversified global supplier of engineering consulting and manufacturing technology for the packaging, corrugating, sheeting and paper‑converting industries. By blending people‑centric leadership with disciplined operational strategies and purpose‑driven growth, Barry‑Wehmiller has become a $3 billion organization with nearly 12,000 team members united by a common belief: to use the power of business to build a better world.
Job Description
The Site Innovation Leader is accountable for the technical output of the site innovation engineering team and is responsible for defining work plans as well as mentoring and coaching engineers. This leader is deeply technical and serves as an advisor to project teams, engineers, and product line managers. The role plays a critical part in collaborating with product line leaders to understand market needs and ensuring local teams develop marquee products for target markets. This leader will ensure teams are delivering against design standards and will execute best practices in agile innovation development. Finally, this individual will provide insightful leadership to their team members by encouraging them to discover, develop, and apply their talents, enabling them and the business to reach their full potential.
Responsibilities
- Leading in‑person teams in multiple locations of mechanical and electrical innovation engineers. This is not a remote role.
- Collaborate with product line leaders to understand strategic roadmaps, ensure a robust innovation portfolio, prioritise innovation projects, and gather market requirements.
- Lead innovation project teams in translating market requirements into engineering specifications and oversee project teams in development and launch of innovation projects.
- Work with product line leaders to develop innovation milestones and oversee the execution of milestones and stage gates to deliver commitments in a timely fashion.
- Manage resources through detailed project and capacity planning.
- Implement innovation project management processes and utilise tools for agile, high‑speed output.
- Coach teams in developing products to design standards and engineering excellence, including modularity and configurability.
- Define work plans for teams, ensure process adoption and governance, and ongoing mentoring/ coaching of engineers.
- Continually assess, understand, and present emerging and/or competitive technologies relevant to target markets/customers.
- Lead technical discussions and serve as a subject matter expert as needed, including the provision of input and direction across the engineering organisation and to those outside immediate span of care.
- Recruit and develop talent; manage team performance including goals and objectives.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Education
Bachelor of Science in an Engineering discipline
Experience
10+ years’ engineering experience showing increasing levels of complexity and responsibility
Knowledge, Skills, Competencies
- Excellent project management & organisational skills.
- Deep technical curiosity, courage, and drive for advancing ambitious ideas, while balancing and mitigating associated risks.
- Strong analytical skills and creative problem‑solving approach.
- Strong mechanical and/or electrical aptitude and engineering fundamentals.
- Ability to lead, track, and advance multiple projects concurrently.
- Ability to work under pressure in a fast‑paced, changing environment.
- Adept at setting and balancing goals, objectives, and priorities.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
- Excellent team leader, with proven ability to motivate and inspire team members by creating an environment that promotes respect, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Other
Ability to travel, which may include internationally – up to 25% travel. Must have a valid driver’s license, good driving record, and the ability to obtain a passport.
Preferred Job Requirements
- Global team experience
- Previous experience leading a team
At Barry‑Wehmiller we recognise that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. If your experience is close to what you see listed here, please still consider applying. We know that our differences often can bring about innovation, excellence and meaningful work—therefore, people from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply to our positions. Please let us know if you require reasonable accommodations during the interview process.
Innovation Leader in Nottingham employer: BW Packaging
At BW Packaging, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration. Our commitment to 'People Who Care' ensures that every team member is valued and empowered to reach their full potential, with ample opportunities for professional growth and development. Located in a dynamic environment, we offer a unique blend of technical challenges and supportive leadership, making it an ideal place for those looking to make a meaningful impact in the packaging industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Innovation Leader in Nottingham
✨Leverage Innovation Hubs
Tap into local innovation hubs and research centres. These places often host events and workshops where you can meet like-minded people and industry leaders. Plus, they might have job openings that aren't widely advertised, so keep your ears open!
✨Showcase Your Projects
Turn your past innovation projects into compelling stories. Create a portfolio showcasing your creativity and problem-solving skills. This can give hiring managers a real flavour of what you can bring to the table at companies like BW Packaging.
✨Connect at Industry Conferences
Make it a point to attend industry conferences and seminars focused on R&D and innovation management. These events are fantastic for networking and often have job boards or career fairs where you can connect directly with firms looking for talent.
✨Use Your University’s Resources
If you're fresh out of university, don't forget to tap into your institution's career services. They often have exclusive partnerships with companies seeking new talent in R&D, especially for full-time roles. It's a good shortcut to landing a gig at places like BW Packaging.
We think you need these skills to ace Innovation Leader in Nottingham
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Creative Thinking:In innovation and R&D management, it's all about thinking outside the box. Make sure your CV highlights any projects or experiences that showcase your creative problem-solving skills. Use specific examples to illustrate how you've developed and implemented innovative ideas in previous roles.
Tailor Your Experience to R&D:When you're crafting your CV, focus on your experience in research and development. Highlight any relevant projects you've worked on, including methodologies used and results achieved. This will show us at BW Packaging that you understand the R&D process and can contribute meaningfully to our projects.
Let Your Passion Shine in the Cover Letter:For a full-time role like this, your cover letter should reflect your genuine passion for innovation and development. Share your excitement about the opportunity to work at BW Packaging and touch on how your goals align with our mission. This helps us see your motivation for wanting to join our team!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers speak volumes in R&D! Whenever possible, quantify your achievements in your CV. Whether it’s a percentage improvement in project outcomes, the budget size you’ve managed, or the number of successful products you've launched, these figures will help paint a clearer picture of your impact and capabilities.
How to prepare for a job interview at BW Packaging
✨Show Off Your Innovative Thinking
In an Innovation R&D Management role at BW Packaging, they're going to want to see how you approach problem-solving. Be ready to discuss previous projects where you introduced a new idea or process. Highlight your ability to think outside the box and provide examples where your innovations drove significant results.
✨Familiarity with Tools and Technologies
Make sure you're clued up on the latest tools and technologies related to innovation management, such as project management software and data analysis platforms. Being able to discuss specific tools you’ve used or have experience with will show BW Packaging that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
✨Demonstrate Collaboration Skills
Since this is a full-time gig, emphasising your teamwork skills will be essential. In innovation, collaboration often sparks the best ideas, so be ready to talk about how you've worked effectively within cross-functional teams in your past roles. Have concrete examples at the ready!
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect some scenario-based questions in your interview that reflect real challenges you might face in the role. £At BW Packaging, they might want to see how you handle tight deadlines or manage conflicting ideas within a team. Prepare some responses that demonstrate your critical thinking and decisiveness in high-pressure situations.
