R&D Manager - Printing & Platform Innovation

R&D Manager - Printing & Platform Innovation

Location: Batavia, OH (On-site) OR Lafayette Hill, PA (On-site)

Build Your Career with an Industry Leader

MCC is the global leader in premium labels, helping brands stand out and inspire positive consumer experiences. With over a century of printing expertise, we're focused on the future-developing consumer-driven innovations and sustainable packaging solutions. Join our team and make a real impact.

(Printing Industry Experience Required)

We are seeking a hands-on R&D Manager with deep printing industry experience to accelerate platform innovation and bridge technical understanding across printing, equipment, materials, and production environments. This pivotal role requires a leader who can confidently operate at the intersection of pressroom realities, material science, and structured project execution.

You will partner closely with senior chemists and cross-functional teams to scale proprietary technologies, bring rigor and structure to R&D workflows, and enable seamless transfer of innovations from lab to press. This is a high-impact role where your printing knowledge and project management expertise will directly shape the future of our platforms.

Why work at MCC

• Compensation: Up to $135,000 based on experience and qualifications
• Generous benefits package including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance and 401(k)
• Paid Holidays: New Years, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, plus 2 floating Holidays

Key Responsibilities

Printing & Technical Leadership

• Serve as a printing subject matter expert within R&D, ensuring all developments are optimized for flexographic, digital, rotogravure, or offset printing processes.
• Partner with operations to trial, validate and troubleshoot.

Platform & Technology Scale-Up

• Translate proprietary label constructions into scalable, repeatable processes ready for production and process engineering.
• Support pilot or pressside validations, documenting learnings to strengthen platform robustness.

R&D Structure, SOPs & Documentation

• Create, maintain, and continually improve SOPs, process instructions, experiment templates, and knowledgetransfer documentation.
• Ensure rigorous recordkeeping that supports reproducibility, scaleup, and cross-functional understanding.

Project Management Excellence

• Own project timelines, priorities, and deliverables across multiple initiatives.
• Lead structured project reviews, proactively identify risks, and ensure cross-functional alignment with Operations and Commercial teams.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Build strong partnerships across Operations, Marketing, Sales, and Supply Chain to support technology transfer, customer problem-solving, and commercialization success.

Leadership & Development

• Mentor junior scientists, technicians, and interns, fostering a culture of curiosity, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Communication & Reporting

• Present experimental work, data summaries, and project updates to leadership, project teams, and customers.

Regulatory, Sustainability & Safety

• Support regulatory readiness and sustainability initiatives within R&D.
• Champion safety standards that align with facility expectations and best practices.

Qualifications

Required

• Direct printing industry experience (flexo, digital, gravure, or offset) with strong understanding of press operations, ink systems, curing/drying, tension control, and print quality parameters.
• Bachelor's degree with 5-10 years of R&D or technical printing experience; Master's with 3-5 years; Ph.D. with 1-3 years.
• Proven experience leading projects, managing timelines, and coordinating cross-functional activities.
• Strong proficiency in experimental design, process documentation, and translating R&D work into scalable operations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Working knowledge of inks, coatings, adhesives, substrates, and label construction fundamentals.
• Ability to work hands-on, including time in lab, pilot, and press environments.
• Heavy travel required ~60%

Preferred

• Degree in Packaging Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Printing Technology, or related discipline.
• Experience in the packaging value chain or food & beverage manufacturing.
• Demonstrated ability to build productive cross-functional relationships.

Physical Requirements

This role is primarily office-based or home office-based, requiring extended periods of sitting, computer use, occasional walking or light lifting, and may involve brief visits to manufacturing areas; reasonable accommodations will be provided as needed.