Packaging Technologist (Food)

Full time |40 hrs p.w.| Mon – Fri |Based in Buxton, Derbyshire (SK17 9RZ)

Bradburys is a leading UK food business that provides quality cheese to consumers, sourced from regions of the United Kingdom and around the globe, and is highly regarded amongst the retail and foodservice customer base. The key to our success can be attributed to the winning combination of industry knowledge and experience over our 140-year history coupled with continuous innovation to meet future customer trends and demands.

Our Food Packaging Technologist bridges the gap between science, design, and manufacturing. The primary objective is to deliver packaging that protects food quality, ensures safety, meets regulatory standards, optimizes shelf-life, and minimizes cost and environmental impact.

The successful Food Packaging Technologist will be responsible for:

• Build relationships with internal teams and packaging suppliers.

• Work with NPD to develop and trial new packaging formats.

• Support production and engineering to ensure smooth manufacture and resolve issues. As well as supporting internal teams to optimise process flow.

• Improve packaging performance, commercial value and waste reduction with suppliers.

• Drive sustainability by improving recyclability and reducing packaging waste.

• Own packaging data to ensure material compliance.

• Maintain packaging specifications, certificates and supplier approvals.

• Trial new materials from concept to launch.

• Own cutter guide maintenance and sign-off.

Core Technical Responsibilities

• Select materials with the right barriers to protect shelf life.

• Design MAP structures to maintain gas blends for fresh foods.

• Ensure food-contact compliance and manage migration testing.

• Test packaging robustness through drop, vibration and compression trials.

• Set sealing parameters for high-speed automated lines.

Operational & Cross-Functional Impact

• Improve line efficiency by ensuring packaging runs smoothly.

• Write specifications to support alternative sourcing.

• Work with NPD and marketing to industrialise new pack concepts.

• Reduce packaging impact through lighter, recyclable and recycled materials.

Core Technical Levers

Material Down-Gauging: Reduce film or tray weight to cut cost and tax.

Mono-Material Shifts: Move to recyclable mono-PE or mono-PP materials.

Pack Rightsizing: Reduce excess pack space to improve pallet density and freight cost.

PCR Integration: Use recycled content in suitable non-food-contact layers.

Component Removal: Remove unnecessary components through smarter pack design.

Factory & Logistics Efficiency

Pallet Optimization: Maximise pallet patterns to reduce freight and carbon impact.

Format Standardization: Standardise pack sizes to reduce SKUs and improve buying power.

Line Yield Improvement: Optimise sealing to reduce waste and improve material yield.

Benefits

Competitive salary ; 33 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) ; Company pension; Full EAP system ;Cycle to work scheme ; Discounted Gym membership; Store discounts; Company staff shop and Free on-site parking

The successful Food Packaging Technologist will have:

• Work authorisation: Existing UK work authorisation is required/ Please note there is no visa sponsorship available for this role

• A minimum of +2 years relevant experience.

• Education: a minimum of GCSE

• Packaging Technology Diploma (preferred)

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present confidently and persuasively.

• Good time management skills, a common sense approach, proactive attitude, problem solving skills, self motivation and team ethic

• IT Skills – Excel, PowerPoint, Word