Senior Innovations Manager - Flexible Packaging

NEW VACANCY! (PK9266) SENIOR INNOVATION MANAGER - FLEXIBLE PACKAGING HYBRID WORKING - GREATER MANCHESTER / DERBYSHIRE BORDER £50K - £60K DOE + 10% Bonus + Company Car + Healthcare + Hybrid Working My client is a leading packaging manufacturer producing high-quality flexible packaging products to the food, beverage and household sectors. An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Innovation Manager to join a leading European-headquartered packaging group. This is a strategic, customer-facing role focused on driving technical excellence, innovation, and value-led solutions across key European accounts. Reporting into a central European leadership team, the successful candidate will predominantly support a major UK-based customer, spending time on-site alongside regular travel to customer locations and remote working. The Role: You will act as the technical and innovation lead for key accounts, working cross-functionally with sales, R&D and operational teams to deliver innovative, sustainable and commercially effective packaging solutions. Key Responsibilities Include: Leading technical innovation and value engineering projects for key customers Understanding and translating customer needs into commercially viable solutions Driving sustainability initiatives, including recyclability and cost optimisation Managing project pipelines and ensuring delivery against agreed targets Coordinating trials, new product introductions and technical developments Acting as a key technical contact for customers, supporting relationships and growth Collaborating with internal European teams across R&D, production and sales Supporting responses to innovation briefs and continuous improvement initiatives Providing technical support during issue resolution to protect brand reputationWorking Pattern & Travel Hybrid role: typically, 1-2 days per week on-site Remaining time split between home working and customer visits Regular UK travel (weekly) to customer sites Occasional European travel (typically up to once per month)Candidate Profile Proven experience within flexible packaging (essential) Strong technical background, ideally within food packaging Experience in product development, innovation, or technical project management Knowledge of materials such as films, adhesives, inks and coatings Understanding of form-fill-seal and packaging manufacturing processes Ability to manage multiple projects and stakeholders across regions Strong communication and customer-facing skills Degree in a technical discipline (e.g. Engineering, Chemistry) preferred but not essentialKey Skills Innovation and continuous improvement mindset Strong analytical and problem-solving ability Commercial awareness, customer focus with the ability to influence & build relationships Project and stakeholder managementThis is a high-impact role offering real visibility within a European structure, ideal for someone looking to combine technical expertise with strategic customer engagement in a dynamic and growing sector