Innovation Manager Extrusion Fresh Food in DEK

About adapa Group

• At adapa Group, we're revolutionizing flexible packaging with the motto "Our best for your goods," delivering innovative, high-barrier solutions that protect products in food, tobacco, hygiene, home & personal care, and pharmaceuticals while championing circular economy principles under #futureisdrivenbyaction.
• Founded in 2012 and renamed to adapa in 2022 to embody "adaptive packaging," we've evolved from family owned European businesses into a €520M+ industry leader with 2,000 employees from Austria, Denmark to Italy, Poland, Greece and beyond.
• Join our multicultural, collaborative team - celebrating 20+ nationalities - where your expertise drives sustainability, from in-house recycling facilities to full value chain integration (raw materials to converting), shaping a greener future for global brands amid our 2025 transformation toward lean, agile excellence by 2030.

The ideal candidate is motivated to drive and implement cross-site product innovation projects in the field of blow and cast film coextrusion. He or she works closely with an international team and our customers.

Responsibilities

• responsibility for the local product innovation team at adapa Germany in Kempten with regard to project progress, prioritization, and providing support with issues
• technical and commercial evaluation of customer projects during the approval phase
• application of design-for-recycling principles and ensuring PPWR compliance
• analysis of specific customer requirements and their implementation in collaboration with the innovation teams, e.g., product data sheets, life cycle analysis, product carbon footprint
• ensuring that new products comply with legal regulations or recycling standards, and developing alternative solutions for standard products to ensure their future compliance
• preparing and maintaining cost reports for projects, as well as implementing appropriate KPIs for innovation activities
• actively collaborating and providing support for specific extrusion-related requirements in the fresh food market segment
• work closely with packaging machine manufacturers
• coordinate with application engineering during sample testing, document test results, and ensure product suitability for the customer’s application

Qualifications

• successfully completed technical degree (e.g., food and packaging engineering, plastics engineering, process engineering, chemistry) or a similar education
• 5+ years of professional experience in the product development of packaging films, in extrusion technology, application development, or similar fields
• industry knowledge of film manufacturing and the packaging industry, as well as experience with packaging machines used for packaging fresh foods
• highly customer-oriented with experience dealing with strategic clients
• willingness to travel (~30%)

Our offer

• interesting work in a dynamically growing company with an established market position, in an international environment,
• adapa Academy and the opportunity to grow within adapa,
• participation in local and group/international projects
• afriendly working atmosphere in a committed team

Diversity, Inclusion & Equal Opportunities

adapa is committed to an inclusive workplace and equal opportunities for all. We welcome applications regardless of gender, age, background, disability, religion/belief, or sexual orientation - what matters is capability, potential, and values fit.