Value Creation Packaging Intern

Location: Nijmegen, Netherlands

Job DescriptionR&D Value Creation Packaging Intern

Start date: January 2027

Duration: 6 months

Platform/Project: Packaging Value Creation Intern

During your assignment, you will be part of the D&EM (Developed and Emerging Markets) R&D team. You’ll be working in a high performing team, alongside peers always trying to reach the next level. You’ll be reporting to Rebecca Macfarlane Mills, Senior Productivity Manager – Packaging.

As a fully integrated team member, we welcome you to take part in the team’s activities such as team meetings, zone connects, and category meetings, which will give you a real feel for the company and the business. Get ready for a lot of exposure to internal senior stakeholders. The delivery of Flexible Resin structures and Product SL studies will be your primary responsibility.

Project brief

You will be supporting developing and understanding different fiber based, plastic flexible structures within our portfolio and upcoming new structures whilst understanding the analytical impacts, the precursors, and understanding impact of product stability across its Shelf life. Taking into consideration keeping Shelf life, product quality parity and supporting cost savings and sustainability goals for the business.  Will gain a greater understanding of alternative barriers and limitations of flexible structures and understanding precursors that have a limiting factor on Shelf life and product quality.

You will work cross functional to develop and initiate technical Shelf-life Study of identified flexible structures and products. This will entail creating a comprehensive review of the past work done across the different Business Units, creating proposals across Flexible Resin categories, reviewing the Flexible Roadmap and aligning them with internal stakeholders across R&D Packaging and Product, and executing small scale pilot plant trials with different structures, conducting analytical test on packaging, Shelf life studies and analytical and sensory assessments.

Key activities

Identify structures and products to conduct DoE study.

Consolidate data into report / technical knowledge base

SL study of different Plastic Flesible structures & Fiber flexible structures

Identify formulations across key identified BUs and start building understanding of interactions of product and packaging.

Solidify the methodology of Shelf-life study. Identifying opportunities for the BUs to fast-track critical decision making of new Flexible structures.

Build analytical data of the flexible resin packaging characteristics and understand correlation of product quality changes over SL. Identifying precursor that initiates the change. Identify both packaging and formulation solutions to support maintaining quality throughout SL.

Perform pilot plant trials with the identified structures and formulations. Initiate SL Studies.

Present to different stakeholders’ status of the project and key findings

Basic Requirements for all

You should have strong communication skills and fluency in English, both written and verbal (Dutch is not a requirement but other languages are a plus) You are enrolled at a university for at least 50% study load for the duration of the internship. Non - EU Students: Need to be enrolled at a Dutch University for the whole duration of the internship.NOTE: EU working rights are required (Either you have EU Citizenship, you are studying in the Netherlands or have relevant student work visa)

Team Specific Requirements

Currently studying:Master’s level in Food or Packaging Technology, Food Packaging Processing Technology, Food Quality or food-related engineering

Knowledge: Flexible Resin Packaging & Ingredient Functionality, Food Processing, Unit Operations, IT savviness.

Ability to Simplify the complexWe like to keep it simple. And to execute fast. Your ability to simplify will be highly appreciated when you provide simple solutions dealing with complex challenges.

Communication Skills

At Kraft Heinz you will easily be exposed to senior management, no matter your level. Therefore, it is important you have excellent communication skills to deal with all kinds of different stakeholders.

Confident / Ability to give pushbackYou are a go getter; you are not easily thrown off your game, not even when you get resistance.

Curiosity, positivity & enthusiasmYou are curious, positive, and enthusiastic. People know you as the driver of the team.

Networking skillsYou are able to be interesting and interested in business conversations, motivating people to want to be in your network. The stronger the network you have, the more easily you can get things done. You, highly aware of that, are constantly expanding your network.

Recruitment process

CV review – We screen applications for key eligibility criteria (e.g., EU working rights).

Online Pymetrics assessment

Screening interview – An initial interview conducted via Microsoft Teams.

Hiring Manager interview

Offer – Successful candidates will receive an offer to join the program.

Please note: The recruitment process can take 4–6 weeks in total, from application to offer.

What we offer you

We take interns seriously. You can expect us to give you 1-on-1 mentorship from one of our experienced colleagues. We will work together on your personal learning goals and are keen to hear all the good ideas you have! We will give you the space and support to make mistakes and grow. Become a part of a close intern community as well as a young and ambitious work environment (including online). As a Kraft Heinz intern, you’ll be the owner of your own projects and especially of your own career. At Kraft Heinz, we provide the playing field. You change the game. Are you up for the challenge?

About Us

The Kraft Heinz Company is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world, with eight $1 billion+ brands and global sales of approximately $25 billion. We’re a globally trusted producer of h