Principal Product Development Engineer

Role: Principal Product Development Engineer

Location: Haverhill with travel to different sites where required

Full time - Permanent

Salary: £50,000 - £65,000 per annum

About Us:

Klura Ltd is an innovative biotech company transforming the food system from the ground up. Our mission is simple but massive: change how we preserve food, extend shelf-life, and drastically reduce global food waste, contributing to global food security.

Our technology bridges the gap between sustainability and profitability. We help growers and retailers see less waste and higher ROI, while empowering consumers with fresh produce that actually lasts. We are a team of forward-thinkers, scientists, and problem-solvers rewriting the rules of food preservation. Join us and help make a measurable impact on the planet every single day. 

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly capable and hands-on Principal Product Development Engineer with significant industrial experience in polymers, materials, packaging, manufacturing, and product development.

This role will serve as a senior technical lead across multiple company programmes, owning the scale up of R&D prototypes through to commercial manufacture. The successful candidate will work closely with R&D, Operations, Manufacturing, Regulatory, Commercial, and external partners to solve technical challenges and deliver commercially successful products.

Key Responsibilities

1. Product Development & Innovation

• Lead product development from prototype hand over through to hand over for commercial launch.
• Optimise formulations for industrial-scale packaging formats (films, labels, liners, bags) to improve performance, cost, and sustainability.
• Define development plans and translate customer, commercial, and manufacturing requirements into clear product specifications.
• Simultaneously manage technical workstreams across multiple development projects.

2. Experimental Design & Technical Validation

• Design and execute structured trials; analyse test data to drive product and manufacturing decisions.
• Develop product specifications, validation criteria, and robust technical documentation backed by scientific data.

3. Manufacturing Scale-Up & Industrialisation

• Partner with manufacturing team to transition laboratory products to commercial scale, optimising compounding, extrusion, coating, converting, and assembly.
• Identify scale-up risks and troubleshoot plastic/polymer issues during manufacturing trials.
• Establish robust manufacturing specifications, process parameters, and technology transfer protocols in collaboration with manufacturing team.

4. Cross-Functional & Commercial Support

• Provide subject matter expertise to Regulatory, Operations, Commercial, and IP teams (including supporting IP generation).
• Participate in customer meetings and translate complex technical data into actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders.

Experience & Qualifications

Essential

• Education: Degree in Polymer Engineering, Materials Engineering, Polymer Science, Chemistry, or a related discipline.
• Industrial Experience: 7+ years in product development, polymers, packaging, or manufacturing industries.
• Commercialisation: Track record of leading technical projects from initial concept through to commercial launch.
• Manufacturing & Supply Chain: Experience working within manufacturing environments and collaborating with external suppliers.
• Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of polymer processing, material performance, and robust analytical/troubleshooting skills.
• Communication: Strong technical reporting skills with the ability to convey complex data to diverse stakeholders.

Preferred Technical Expertise

Experience with one or more of the following:

• Polyolefins (PE, PP), Polyester (PET), compounding, masterbatch technology, adhesives, laminates, and functional/active packaging.
• Film extrusion, coatings, surface treatments, product industrialisation, and manufacturing process optimisation.
• Food-contact materials, recyclability, and sustainable packaging solutions.

Personal Attributes

• Practical, hands-on problem solver who takes total ownership of projects and drives them to completion.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced startup environment while balancing technical excellence with business priorities.
• Highly organised, self-motivated, and driven by strong technical curiosity.
• An excellent communicator capable of bridging the gap between technical and non-technical teams.

What We Offer

• Competitive Compensation: A highly competitive base salary paired with performance-based bonuses and equity options, ensuring you share in our long-term success.
• Green Benefits: Access to our Salary Sacrifice Electric Car scheme, helping you lower your carbon footprint outside of work, too.
• Growth & Innovation: Work in state-of-the-art laboratory facilities with dedicated funding for your continued professional development.
• Real Global Impact: The unique opportunity to be an early, influential part of a high-growth scale-up actively disrupting a multi-billion-dollar sector and fixing the global food system.

If you are an innovative, collaborative Product Engineer who wants to make a genuine difference in the global food system, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and excels working autonomously, we would love to hear from you. Please apply at recruitment@klura.com