Packaging Process Engineer

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year! Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award-winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka. 

We’re proud of our award-winning culture and distilleries. Our Louisville office has been named one of the “Best Places to Work in Kentucky” four times, and our Buffalo Trace Distillery has earned the title of “world’s most award-winning distillery” through the dedication of our craftsmen for well over 200 years. Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced professional, Sazerac provides extraordinary opportunities for growth with competitive salaries and benefits in an exciting, entrepreneurial industry.

Join a team shaping the future of world-class packaging operations.
As a Packaging Engineer, you will lead and support capital project initiatives across multiple sites, specializing in High-Speed Bottling, Secondary Packaging, Finished Goods Storage, and Pallet Handling Systems. This role provides technical leadership in developing efficient, high-quality production processes while ensuring compliance with industry and regulatory standards.

Partnering with cross-functional teams, you will drive innovation in packaging and finished goods storage and help build capabilities within Sazerac’s Global Engineering agenda. You will also develop, write, and approve Company Functional Design Standards and perform gap analyses across all locations. Mentoring junior engineers and supporting professional growth are key aspects of this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for High-Speed Bottling, Secondary Packaging, Finished Goods Storage, and Pallet Handling Systems.
• Assess existing bottling plants, identify performance gaps, and develop world-class solutions to address them.
• Design and run process simulations and conduct risk assessments to eliminate system constraints and limitations.
• Develop and write Functional Design Specifications (FDS) for systems, equipment, and methods.
• Create Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and competitive bid evaluation tools to identify key execution partners.
• Provide engineering and technical expertise to operations and other engineering disciplines across the organization.
• Support capital projects at Sazerac locations as part of the Strategic Operations Engineering Team (travel required).
• Drive continuous improvement, growth, efficiency, and cost savings through standardized engineering processes and best practices.
• Participate in the Performance Development System (PDS) process, using feedback and learnings to improve outcomes.
• Collaborate with operations leadership to develop long-term improvement strategies and capital project plans.
• Develop project budgets, monitor progress, report status, and resolve obstacles to keep projects on track.
• Support capacity planning and inventory accuracy initiatives by streamlining and documenting planning processes.
• Ensure systems meet OSHA, EPA, and TTB regulatory requirements and take corrective action when needed.
• Troubleshoot operational issues and coordinate resolutions to meet quality, cost, and delivery expectations.

Required Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of engineering within high-speed bottling systems

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills

• Strong organizational and time management abilities

• Ability to collaborate effectively with remote teams

• Bachelor’s degree or higher

• Experience leading capital improvement, change management, and process improvement initiatives

• Willingness to travel up to 50%

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in Process, Systems, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering (or related field)

• 3–5 years of engineering experience, ideally within hygienic process industries (brewing, distilling, food, pharmaceutical, or health & beauty)

• Project management or continuous improvement certification (PMP, PfMP, PgMP, Lean Six Sigma, etc.)

• Experience developing technical documentation and company standards

• Experience in distilled spirits packaging environments

Physical Requirements#LI-KS1

• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Full-time, onsite role with flexibility to work overtime as needed.
• Comfortable working near moving mechanical equipment.
• Ability to work standard 8-hour shifts.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% (primarily within Kentucky, with some travel to Texas & other locations as needed).
• Ability to write, review, and edit technical documentation.

#LI-onsite

#LI-TH1

A career at Sazerac offers you the opportunity to reach your full potential as part of a creative, decisive, high-performance team. Sazerac values the needs and wants of our team members and offers inclusive benefits to attract and retain the best talent. Our culture is built upon the values of hard work, diligence and personal responsibility.

Sazerac Team Members enjoy:

• Competitive Pay
• Comprehensive Benefits from Day One including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
• Family Coverage: Options to cover family members, including domestic partners.
• 401(k) Plan: Immediate access to a matching 401(k) plan.
• Flexible Time Away: Enjoy paid time off (PTO), holidays, and parental leave.
• Mental Health and Wellness: Access to mental health care and wellness incentive programs.
• Educational Support: Benefit from tuition reimbursement and our scholarship program for dependents of Sazerac team members.
• Fun Extras: Enjoy branded apparel, fun events, and a team member bottle purchase program.
• Training and Development: Opportunities for professional growth and development.

Benefits, salary range, and programs may vary by role or location. For roles within our commercial team - the Salary range refers to base salary only and does not include car allowance, annual bonus, fuel or cell phone reimbursement. Please ask your Talent Acquisition Partner for more information about our total rewards package. Sazerac is committed to equality of opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disability or any other legally protected status.