Assistant Manager, Packaging Development

Who We Are

Fuelled by passion, KAYALI was founded in 2018 by beauty mogul and fragrance fanatic, Mona Kattan. Translating to ‘my imagination’ in Arabic, KAYALI provides a modern fragrance experience inspired by Mona’s rich Middle Eastern heritage and the art of layering scents to help you create your mood; where sharing scents is a ritual and smelling good is both an act of goodwill and self-love. Mona collaborates with some of the world’s most renowned perfumers and sources the finest ingredients to create unique juices that are infinitely memorable, long-lasting, and cruelty-free. Each luxurious fragrance is an ode to true craftsmanship and tells a special story, from the addictive notes to the multi-faceted jewelled bottles.

Our Mission

To make everyone feel like the diamond they are! To build a global community of fragrance lovers through the power of scent and by providing them with the most innovative & luxurious fragrances, education and sharing our Middle Eastern fragrance rituals with the world.

Summary

KAYALI is looking for a technically strong and commercially minded Assistant Manager, Packaging Development to lead the downstream packaging development and industrialization across our global manufacturing footprint.

This role will be responsible for ensuring packaging designs are technically feasible, cost-optimized, sustainable, and production-ready. This role will act as the bridge between Packaging Design, Product Development, Procurement, Quality, and Manufacturing to ensure seamless execution from locked-in packaging design through mass production.

The position plays a critical role in supporting NPD launches, supplier qualification, cost optimization, sustainability initiatives, value engineering projects, continuous improvement and change management across global operations.

Packaging Engineering & Development

• Lead downstream technical development of primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging

• Translate creative design intent into manufacturable and scalable technical solutions

• Develop and validate packaging technical specifications for packaging components and fill & assembly specifications for finished goods with support of packaging suppliers and CMOs

• Lead technical discussion with suppliers. Own mould development and approval of technical specifications, technical drawings, die lines, MSDS and packaging master data

• Define and validate packaging BOMs. Act as main point of contact for artwork management with suppliers and participate in artwork approval process.

• Use and maintain defined packaging testing methodologies and packaging development protocols

• Conduct packaging validation testing during homologation and industrialization phases

• Lead internal approval of BAT, PPS and range boards with internal stakeholders and suppliers

• Lead packaging line trials and industrialization at CMOs and filling sites. Support internal approval of line trial finished goods from a packaging perspective.

Manufacturing & Supplier Management

• Partner with Procurement in packaging supplier selection process by acting as SME to provide technical assessments on pre-selected suppliers

• Build and maintain strong relationships with packaging suppliers and CMOs

• Identify and mitigate supply and quality risks within packaging materials

• Manage engineering changes, phase-ins, and phase-outs

Cross-Functional Collaboration & NPD Support

• Partner with Product Development, Packaging Design and Marketing to align technical feasibility with brand requirements

• Support new product launches ensuring packaging readiness against critical path timelines

• Partner with Packaging Design to provide support on complex projects involving new formats, innovative designs or decorations, etc.

• Collaborate with Regulatory to ensure regulatory compliance and reporting are fulfilled

• Partner with Quality on packaging related quality investigations and non-conformities by providing technical guidance

• Ensure packaging sustainability strategy is translated into day-to-day projects

Continuous Improvement and Change Management

• Assess, test and validate packaging changes affecting homologation and industrialization

• Provide suggestions to improve documentation standards, testing methodologies and packaging governance frameworks

• Stay current on emerging trends in cosmetics packaging, materials, decoration technologies, and sustainability innovations

• Ensure master data and BOMs management are up to date and well maintained throughout product lifecycle

• Ensure packaging component and fill & assembly specifications are updated resulting from any change management cycle

• Provide support in executing cost engineering and value engineering initiatives

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related field

• 3–5 years of experience in Packaging Engineering, preferably within beauty, fragrance, or FMCG

• Strong knowledge of packaging materials (glass, plastics, paperboard, aluminium) and packaging decoration techniques

• Hands-on experience with tooling, mould development, packaging testing and validation

• Proficiency in CAD software

• Strong understanding of global manufacturing environments and supplier management

• Experience working across international supply chains preferred

• Analytical, detail-oriented, and solution-driven mindset

• Strong cross-functional communication skills

Preferred Skills

• Experience with sustainability frameworks and lifecycle analysis

• Experience with packaging development ERP or similar software

• Knowledge of cosmetics packaging standards and development testing protocols

• Experience managing complex BOM structures in ERP systems

• Familiarity with luxury packaging standards and aesthetic finishing techniques

Benefits

• Premium Medical/Dental/Vision coverage
• Find your Magic Days
• Volunteer Day
• Birthday Leave
• Egg Freezing Benefits
• Employee discounts on all Kayali products
• Quarterly product gifting

Kayali is committed to building diverse and inclusive teams and upholding an equal employment workplace that is free from discrimination. We hire stellar individuals regardless of their race, color, ancestry, religion, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, medical conditions, disability, or veteran status. If you need reasonable accommodations at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.