Packaging & Label Designer (long-term)

Most packaging jobs on here are one box, one label, one time. This isn't that. We have eight dog brands and a product pipeline that doesn't stop. Supplements, grooming, enrichment toys, raised beds, collars and leads, dog apparel, fitness and rehab gear, and training accessories. Every one of those needs labels, packaging, dielines and print-ready artwork — and then needs it again when a SKU changes, a size gets added, or a new market opens. We're looking for one designer to own that, properly, for the long term. About us We're a group of dog product brands under one parent company — physical products and digital products that work together as one ecosystem. Products are manufactured overseas and sold internationally, direct-to-consumer. We have brand identity, colour and type already established across the portfolio, plus in-house brand and illustration people you'd work alongside. What you'd be designing Supplement labels and packaging — the most demanding part of the range, and the part we care most about getting right Labels across every other category — grooming, food-adjacent, enrichment, accessories Boxes, cartons, sleeves, hang tags, inserts and outer packaging Print-ready production files — dielines built correctly, bleeds, spot colours, varnish and foil layers, artwork set up to each manufacturer's spec Ongoing SKU work — variants, sizes, flavour and formulation changes, refreshed artwork, new lines Occasional branded merchandise and print — the pens-and-flasks end of the job Supplements is the big one If you've done supplement or nutraceutical packaging before, say so loudly in your application. It's the category with the most artwork, the most regulatory detail, and the least room to be wrong — and it's the single strongest thing you can bring to this role. We sell worldwide Our products go into multiple markets, which means the same product often needs different label content depending on where it's sold — different mandatory panels, different claim rules, different formats. We're not expecting you to be a regulatory consultant, and we don't hold you responsible for legal sign-off. We are looking for someone who has designed for more than one market before, who knows that a label has non-negotiable elements, and who builds artwork so a market variant is a straightforward change rather than a rebuild. You're a great fit if you Have real packaging and print production experience — not screen design with a packaging mockup on top Build clean dielines and hand printers files that come back right the first time Have worked with overseas manufacturers, and are comfortable with their specs, their proofs and their occasional strange requirements Can work inside an existing brand identity and keep eight brands looking like they belong to one family without looking identical Are organised. Eight brands and a growing SKU list means file naming, version control and an artwork library that someone else can navigate. Are reliable and communicative over a long engagement. We'd rather have one person who knows our brands for two years than five people who each learn them once. Nice to have Supplement, pet food or human food packaging experience Structural packaging / 3D mockup ability Photography or product-render skills for listings and marketing You have a dog. Not required. It helps. Practical Hourly, ongoing, long-term. This is a standing role, not a project. We want someone who embeds. We start with a paid piece of real work rather than a free test — you get paid for it either way. We work UTC+2. Overlap with a South African working day makes this easier, but we're flexible for the right person. You'll get our brand guidelines, existing artwork and manufacturer specs on day one. To apply Start your proposal with the word KIBBLE so we know you read this. Then: Your packaging portfolio — real products that went to print, not concept pieces. Supplements first if you have them. Tell us about a supplement, food or other regulated product you've designed packaging for. What did the compliance side involve? How do you set up print-ready files? Walk us through your dieline and prepress process in a few sentences. Have you designed the same product for more than one market? How did you handle it? Your availability, hours per week, and time zone. Please don't send a generic proposal. We read the ones that clearly aren't first. Upwork screening questions Link to packaging work that went to production. Supplements or regulated products first if you have them. Describe your process for building a dieline and preparing print-ready artwork for a manufacturer. Have you designed a product's packaging for multiple markets with different labelling requirements? What changed between versions? What are your hours per week and time zone, and what does a long-term engagement look like for you?