Role Summary

The Vice President of Packaging over our Food & Beverage categories is a transformative enterprise leader responsible for shaping the long‑term packaging vision, strategy, and execution that fuels business growth, competitive advantage, and sustainability leadership. As the senior-most packaging authority within the US, this executive elevates packaging as a strategic business lever—driving breakthrough innovation, unlocking consumer‑preferred experiences, accelerating productivity, and defining the next generation of materials, systems, and capabilities.

This leader brings deep technical mastery, strong design‑to‑scale expertise, and the ability to influence across the organization and global network. The VP is the primary strategic partner to the General Manager of our Food & Beverage categories and serves as a highly engaged adviser to Marketing, Supply Chain, Sustainability, R&D, and Executive Leadership. The VP will build, inspire, and mobilize a world‑class team—guiding the enterprise toward packaging excellence, resilience, and future readiness.

Key Responsibilities

1. Enterprise Strategy & Growth Leadership

• Set the enterprise packaging vision and multi‑year strategy for our Food & Beverage categories, integrating consumer insights, business priorities, sustainability imperatives, and operational realities.
• Shape and govern a growth‑driving innovation and renovation pipeline that advances product superiority, brand equity, speed to market, and margin expansion.
• Elevate packaging as a strategic differentiator—defining future‑forward architectures, business models, and capabilities that unlock competitive advantage.
• Translate corporate priorities into clear technical roadmaps, investment strategies, and operating plans with measurable business outcomes.
• Ensure seamless alignment between Packaging, Product R&I, and cross-functional partners to operate as one integrated, high‑impact engine.

2. Packaging Excellence & Future Capability Building

• Strengthen and scale end‑to‑end packaging capabilities, including materials science, consumer experience engineering, prototyping, testing, validation, scale‑up, commercialization, and lifecycle optimization.
• Build future‑ready competencies in advanced and emerging areas such as:
• • Advanced materials, biomaterials, barrier science
  • Circularity, recyclability, reuse/refill, and reverse logistics systems
  • Intelligent and connected packaging platforms
  • Automation, digital simulation, digital twins, and rapid prototyping
  • Sensory‑led experience engineering, ergonomics, and usability design
• Establish, govern, and continuously improve world‑class packaging standards, validation frameworks, and enterprise KPIs.

3. Business Delivery, Performance, & Accountability

• Drive business results through strong portfolio governance, prioritization, risk assessment, scenario planning, and budget stewardship.
• Define packaging strategies that enable emerging channels, evolving supply chains, and new business models.
• Accelerate speed, rigor, and excellence from early concept through commercial scale‑up—ensuring flawless execution in partnership with Manufacturing, Quality, Procurement, and Supply Chain.
• Serve as the senior voice of packaging in strategic decision‑making, influencing at the executive and GM levels.

4. Cross‑Functional, Enterprise, & Global Influence

• Build deep, trusted partnerships with Brand, R&I, Supply Chain, Quality, Sustainability, Procurement, and Regulatory to deliver holistic, business‑aligned packaging solutions.
• Represent the Food & Beverage category within the global packaging network—leveraging global insights, capabilities, scale, and best practices to accelerate U.S. leadership.
• Establish high‑value external partnerships with suppliers, technology innovators, universities, and start‑ups to unlock breakthrough innovation and emerging science.

5. Talent Leadership & Organizational Culture

• Lead, inspire, and grow a high‑performing team of managers, senior engineers, and technical experts.
• Build a culture of innovation, accountability, curiosity, and transparent decision‑making.
• Develop the next generation of enterprise packaging leaders through coaching, mentoring, upskilling, and technical stewardship.
• Strengthen organizational capability through talent planning, future‑skills mapping, and strategic workforce development.

The salary range for this position is $240,000-345,000 USD. The exact salary offered will depend on several factors, including the candidate’s relevant experience, geographic location, internal equity, and market conditions.  Danone North America additionally offers a performance-based bonus and has a strong benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Drug Coverage, 401k Plan, Wellness Program, Life Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement, Flexible Time Off, and Paid Parental Bonding Leave, among other benefit plan options. To give our employees flexibility, Danone is a hybrid work environment.

You are a visionary, enterprise‑minded packaging executive with a proven ability to shape the future of packaging in food, beverage, or CPG. You combine world‑class technical depth with strategic influence, business acumen, and the ability to drive transformation at scale. You consistently raise the bar on consumer experience, sustainability, operational excellence, and competitive advantage.

What You Bring

• A demonstrated track record of end‑to‑end packaging leadership—from concept creation through scale‑up, launch, and lifecycle stewardship.
• Proven success delivering packaging that wins with consumers while driving business impact, including growth acceleration, margin improvement, and operational efficiency.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Science (Packaging, Mechanical, Chemical, Materials, etc.); Master’s degree in Packaging, Environmental Science, Materials Engineering, or related fields preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in packaging, R&D, engineering, or materials science—ideally within food, beverage, or CPG.
• Experience leading complex, cross‑functional initiatives and working closely with Marketing, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, R&I, Procurement, Quality, Design, and external partners.
• Executive‑level decision‑making capability in ambiguous environments, using data, consumer insights, and sound judgment.
• Deep understanding of products, processes, and end‑to‑end manufacturing with strong appreciation for plant‑floor realities.
• Strong technical curiosity, future‑focused mindset, and the ability to challenge teams to explore new technologies and design possibilities.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to integrate market dynamics, sustainability regulations, consumer trends, and competitive insights.
• Exceptional communication, influence, and storytelling skills—able to simplify complexity and inspire at all levels.
• High autonomy, strong judgment, and the ability to lead up, across, and down with transparency and accountability.
• Willingness to travel approximately 25% for plant visits, supplier engagements, consumer immersions, and global collaboration.

Life at Danone

With approximately 5,000 employees and 13 production locations across the U.S., our vibrant culture and endless growth opportunities are just a couple of the reasons our employees call themselves “Proud Danoners.” 

Learn more about Life at Danone

Our Brands

When you join us, you’ll work with some of the best-known food and beverage brands in the world, including Activia®, DanActive®, Danimals®, Dannon®, evian®, Follow Your Heart®, Happy Family® Organics, International Delight®, Light + Fit®, Nutricia ®, Oikos®, Silk®, So Delicious® Dairy Free, STōK® Cold Brew Coffee ®, Too Good & Co™, and YoCrunch®.

Our Purpose

We’re committed to making a positive impact on our world. Rooted in our mission to bring health through food to as many people as possible, we’re proud to be the world’s largest B Corp.

Learn more about our mission.

Our Benefits

Our commitment to making the world healthier starts with our employees. 

• Physical Wellbeing: We pay for the majority of your medical benefits – which include medical, dental and vision – with our competitive 80%/20% cost-sharing model.
• Mental Wellbeing: Danoners receive fitness discounts, unlimited flexible time off and hybrid work schedules. We also have a range of programs that support mental health and substance abuse.  
• Financial Support: We offer a performance-based bonus, a 401(k) plan, tuition reimbursement, employee discount programs and voluntary perks.
• Family Care: We offer caretaker benefits, 18 weeks of parental bonding, fertility, surrogacy, adoption benefits and pet insurance.

Learn more about our benefits.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Danone North America is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. It is our policy to give equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to legally protected characteristics, or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state/provincial and/or local law. For our EEO policy statement and your EEO rights under law click here.

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