How to hire a senior packaging engineer

How to hire a senior packaging engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior packaging engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior packaging engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior packaging engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior packaging engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior packaging engineer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a senior packaging engineer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A senior packaging engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior packaging engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of senior packaging engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior Packaging Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Packaging Engineer	Industrial engineers find ways to eliminate wastefulness in production processes. They devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service.	$35-63
   Process Engineer Internship	A process engineering intern performs various tasks for an organization. These include collaborating with the technical team on cost savings, process efficiency improvements, and technology advancement, attending meetings with leadership teams, and participating in customer trials... Show more	$14-24
   Industrial Engineering Internship	An industrial engineer intern is a student working in a company to do industrial engineering tasks. Industrial engineering interns assist industrial engineers... Show more	$13-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Package Development
   • FDA
   • Package Design
   • ASTM
   • CAD
   • ISO
   • ISTA
   • GMP
   • Technical Support
   • PET
   • Troubleshoot
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • RF

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create and manage GPO's that affect corporate workstations.
   • Create and manage OU's for departments for users, locations and workstations, group policies.
   • Manage in-house process, which include art direction, copy/editorial development, photography, and print production management for domestic/international market.
   • Configure MDT settings to deploy patches, hotfixes through WSUS during deployment.
   • Execute packaging testing using current ASTM and ISTA standards to verify performance and package integrity.
   • Point of contact for DHCP reservations ...

   More senior packaging engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior packaging engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior packaging engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior packaging engineers' average salary in vermont is 38% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior packaging engineers 44% less than senior-level senior packaging engineers.
   • Certifications. A senior packaging engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior packaging engineer's salary.

   Average senior packaging engineer salary

   $100,060yearly

   $48.11 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior packaging engineer salary

   $74,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average senior packaging engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$125,509	$60
   2	Arizona	$111,303	$54
   3	Georgia	$109,399	$53
   4	Maryland	$108,166	$52
   5	Colorado	$104,766	$50
   6	New Jersey	$102,555	$49
   7	Massachusetts	$99,078	$48
   8	Texas	$98,834	$48
   9	District of Columbia	$94,707	$46
   10	Missouri	$93,350	$45
   11	Minnesota	$92,036	$44
   12	North Carolina	$91,539	$44
   13	Tennessee	$91,124	$44
   14	Illinois	$88,265	$42

   Average senior packaging engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Revlon	$143,475	$68.98
   2	Zoox	$133,140	$64.01	18
   3	Dermalogica	$132,075	$63.50
   4	Walmart	$131,144	$63.05	1,065
   5	Amazon	$129,342	$62.18	168
   6	NVIDIA	$127,019	$61.07	20
   7	Avon Product	$122,018	$58.66
   8	Mattel	$121,307	$58.32	1
   9	The Honest Company	$120,228	$57.80
   10	CyberCoders	$119,772	$57.58
   11	Xilinx	$118,968	$57.20
   12	Abiomed	$118,484	$56.96
   13	Genentech	$118,015	$56.74	14
   14	Novartis	$115,837	$55.69	1
   15	ASR Group	$114,934	$55.26	19
   16	Amd	$114,560	$55.08	8
   17	Edwards Lifesciences	$114,528	$55.06	6
   18	The Home Depot	$113,706	$54.67	6
   19	Broadcom	$112,834	$54.25	10
   20	Stephen Gould	$112,515	$54.09

4. Writing a senior packaging engineer job description

   A job description for a senior packaging engineer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a senior packaging engineer job description:

   Senior packaging engineer job description example

   Zimmer Biomet is a world leader in musculoskeletal health solutions. Our team members are part of a company with a heritage of leadership, a focus on shaping the future, and a mission dedicated to alleviating pain and improving the quality of life for people around the world.
   
   The Senior Packaging Engineer I will be responsible for the supporting and/or managing various packaging projects, including the designing, developing, and validating a wide variety of package designs to support the development of orthopedic implants and associated devices that are of a complex nature. He or she will also be responsible for developing and coordinating the requirements and specifications for new packaging equipment. He or she will work in a matrix/cross functional product development environment. Coordination of internal and external/contractor resources to develop solutions required to solve complex engineering problems will be a primary focus. Experience with new technologies that will drive packaging innovation resulting in competitive advantages across global platforms is desired. Strong communication, teamwork and organizational skills are essential. A thorough understanding of ISO13485, ISO11607, 21 CFR 820 and Process Validation is a must.
   Principal Duties and Responsibilities
   
   * Assists/leads the design of new packages and improvement of legacy designs and manufacturing processes or serve as a key member on a project team.
   * Review and understand equipment specifications as supplied by equipment vendors. Management of capital projects from feasibility concept through installation and validation.
   * Supports/directs the generation of prototype samples to evaluate new materials and/or design concepts.
   * Assists/leads the Risk Analysis role for the package design, process design and process FMEA's.
   * Assists with and develops comprehensive validation plans, generates protocol and reports.
   * Supports/manages collaboration across multiple international facilities.
   * Identifies new technologies that will provide innovation and product differentiation.
   * Support/manage as required Packaging Development related quality improvement initiatives.
   
   Expected Areas of Competence
   
   * Advanced knowledge of ISO13485 (Design Controls) and ISO11607 (Packaging Validation).
   * Advanced knowledge of packaging and regulatory standards that drive the medical device industry.
   * Ability to analyze and develop new testing criteria and requirements.
   * Identify customer requirements for a new package designs.
   * Demonstrated ability to lead and influence all parts of the organization.
   * Microsoft Office Suite and Project; Demonstrated ability to learn and apply multiple skill sets as outline by the engineering review board (i.e. manufacturing, design, materials and testing).

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right senior packaging engineer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior packaging engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit senior packaging engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with senior packaging engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior packaging engineer

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior packaging engineer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior packaging engineer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a senior packaging engineer?