R&D Project Manager in Cockermouth

We are DS Smith, together with International Paper, we are a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions and other fibre-based products. We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. We employ more than 65,000 colleagues in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), who are experts in innovation, manufacturing, design, sales, sustainability, supply chain, and much more. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time.

As a R&D Project Manager for Surface & Barrier, you will be responsible for developing, testing, and optimizing barrier solutions that enhance the performance of fibre-based packaging. This role focuses on improving material properties such as moisture, grease, oxygen, and aroma resistance while ensuring sustainability, recyclability, and cost‑efficient production. You will collaborate closely with stakeholders to accelerate innovation and bring barrier technologies from laboratory scale to industrial implementation. This role will develop the needed proof of concepts (PoC) into industrial demonstration. Special focus will be in the development of cost effective and sustainable barriers for paper‑based board designs both for direct food contact and non‑food contact applications.

The successful candidate will have excellent communication and networking skills, the ability to lead projects and track progress, and cooperate closely with other team members in the Group R&D as well as with key stakeholders in the organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop new barrier solutions, surface treatments, and functional layers for fibre‑based packaging
• Screen and evaluate bio‑based, water‑based, polymer, mineral, or hybrid barrier chemistries
• Design and run pilot trials for barrier coating applications (e.g., blade, rod, curtain, extrusion, dispersion)
• Analyse failure modes and identify root causes of barrier performance variation
• Liaise with new suppliers of surface treatment/barrier solutions/technology to validate their offering
• Support and carry out lab studies when needed on barrier property testing (WVTR, OTR, grease resistance, COBB, heat sealability, adhesion, etc.)
• Scale laboratory formulations toward pilot and industrial production readiness
• Develop project framework and project deployment information, preparing projects for hand‑over to the business
• Plan and execute projects as agreed with manager and available steering/reference groups
• Design, plan and execute pilot trials for business demonstrators
• Carry out baseline technical work, designing and developing solutions for project success

About You:

• Educated to a degree level in a technology field (Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or similar)
• Previous experience in an industrial environment, preferably within the Fibre based Packaging or materials industry
• Excellent technical, laboratory and measurement skills; knowledge of coating technologies, material characterisation, printing, packaging or recycling technologies
• Demonstrable success in Project Management, working with teams and managing projects by prioritising workloads and delivering to deadlines and within budget
• Very good knowledge in Excel, PowerPoint, MS Project
• Fluent English, written and spoken
• Critical thinking and problem‑solving skills, open minded, creative and curious
• Excellent organisational, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Flexibility to travel across Europe (1-2 times per month)

To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria.