Structural Packaging Engineer / Folding Carton Designer for Innovative Paperboard Package

We are a consumer products company developing a new paperboard package for a powdered household product. We already have a proprietary packaging concept and preliminary visual concepts. We are looking for an experienced structural packaging designer / packaging engineer to help turn the concept into a functional, manufacturable package. This is primarily a structural packaging engineering project, not a branding or graphic-design project. The package will contain approximately 16 oz of powdered product and has several important dimensional and manufacturing constraints. Most importantly, the finished package needs to remain under 0.75 inch thick. The package also incorporates a custom consumer-operated dispensing/closure feature that will need to be structurally engineered into the paperboard carton. Details of this mechanism will be shared privately with shortlisted candidates. We would prefer to accomplish the design using paperboard and standard folding-carton manufacturing techniques wherever practical, while keeping the package economical for high-volume production. We need someone who can take an early concept and determine how to make it actually work in production. Scope of work includes: Evaluate our existing packaging concept for manufacturability. Develop and refine the structural design. Determine appropriate carton dimensions, board grades, material thicknesses, clearances and tolerances. Engineer the proprietary dispensing/closure mechanism. Simplify the design where possible to minimize manufacturing and assembly cost. Design the package so it can be reliably die-cut, scored, folded, glued, filled and assembled at production scale. Create production-ready dielines for the carton and any necessary paperboard components. Clearly identify cuts, folds, scores, glue areas, perforations or other converting operations where applicable. Produce 3D CAD/renderings and engineering illustrations showing the package construction and operation. Produce exploded views, cutaway views and cross-sectional drawings where necessary so that a packaging manufacturer can understand the construction. Ideally assist with prototype development and revisions after physical testing. Provide final files that can be sent to folding-carton manufacturers for quotation and production review. Ideal Candidate We are specifically looking for someone with experience in areas such as: Folding cartons, structural packaging design, paperboard engineering, carton dielines, dispensing packages, closures, moving paperboard components, die cutting, scoring, folding/gluing, packaging CAD and production engineering. Experience designing unusual or patented/proprietary packaging mechanisms would be especially valuable. Software experience with ArtiosCAD, Impact CAD, EngView, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator or comparable packaging/CAD software is preferred. Important The package incorporates a potentially proprietary design feature. The public job posting intentionally does not describe the mechanism in detail. Shortlisted candidates will receive additional drawings, images and specifications after confidentiality arrangements are in place. When applying, please send examples of structural packaging work, not simply graphic packaging design. We are particularly interested in examples involving custom carton structures, dispensing systems, closures, internal paperboard components or other mechanically functional packaging. Please also describe your experience taking a packaging concept through dieline, prototype and manufacturing stages. Deliverables Final deliverables are expected to include production-ready dielines, dimensional drawings, structural specifications, 3D models/renderings, exploded/cutaway illustrations, prototype-ready files, and revisions based on testing or manufacturer feedback. We are interested in developing an ongoing relationship with the right packaging engineer, as we manufacture multiple consumer products. One other thing I would put into Upwork's screening questions is: "Are you willing to sign an NDA before receiving the detailed product concept?" That lets you advertise for the talent you need without publicly explaining what is potentially the valuable part of the invention.