Senior Packaging Engineer, Drug Product Development

At Elanco (NYSE: ELAN) – it all starts with animals!

As a global leader in animal health, we are dedicated to innovation and delivering products and services to prevent and treat disease in farm animals and pets. At Elanco, we are driven by our vision of Food and Companionship Enriching Life and our purpose – all to Go Beyond for Animals, Customers, Society and Our People.

At Elanco, we pride ourselves on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We believe that diversity is the driving force behind innovation, creativity, and overall business success. Here, you’ll be part of a company that values and champions new ways of thinking, work with dynamic individuals, and acquire new skills and experiences that will propel your career to new heights.

Making animals’ lives better makes life better – join our team today!

About the Role

As a Senior Packaging Engineer, you will support the development and implementation of packaging solutions for Elanco’s global product development pipeline. This role is focused on development-stage products across pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and vaccine portfolios, with regular collaboration across global teams in the and Europe.

You will own packaging development activities for assigned projects, working closely with R&D, Manufacturing, Quality, and Regulatory partners to define, evaluate, and implement appropriate packaging solutions from early development through registration and commercial readiness. This role is well suited for a packaging engineer who enjoys hands-on project ownership, technical problem solving, and working in a regulated development environment.

Your Responsibilities

• Own packaging development activities for assigned projects, defining and implementing appropriate primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging solutions from early development through commercialization.

• Serve as the packaging Subject Matter Expert on cross-functional project teams, with exposure to sterile and non-sterile packaging systems.

• Partner with R&D and Manufacturing to evaluate technical feasibility, processability, and transfer of packaging solutions into commercial production.

• Plan, execute, and interpret packaging tests and machine trials, evaluate data, draw conclusions, and support documentation and registration activities.

• Author packaging registration documents and interact with the registration team as appropriate.

• Evaluate new packaging materials, technologies, and suppliers to support compliant and efficient development solutions.

• Ensure packaging activities align with internal standards, external guidelines, and regulatory requirements.

• Collaborate effectively with global teams and external partners to support development timelines.

What You Need to Succeed (Minimum Qualifications)

• Master’s degree in Packaging Technology or a related discipline, with 5 plus years of relevant experience.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience supporting pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical drug product development.

• Experience with parenteral and/or sterile packaging and associated regulatory expectations.

• Strong knowledge of packaging materials, packaging development activities, and pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.

• Familiarity with GMP principles and regulated development environments.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across cross-functional and global teams.

What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications)

• Experience supporting pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, or vaccine development programs.

• Experience working with sterile manufacturing environments and container closure integrity (CCI) concepts.

• Prior experience authoring or supporting regulatory submissions related to packaging.

• Ability to manage multiple development projects in a global, cross-functional environment.

• Demonstrated adaptability and ability to learn in a dynamic development setting.

Additional Information

• Travel: 10–20% annually • Location: Global Elanco Headquarters – Indianapolis, IN – Hybrid Work Environment