Job Description
***IDEAL CANDIDATE MUST BE AVAILABLE TO START EARLY MAY 2026***
***DAY RATE ONLY***
Love to work at Lily’s Kitchen?
What we’re after: - Interim Packaging Consultant – open to part time vs full time dependent on day rate and experience level
Length of contact: - Early May 2026 - end of 2026 (potential to extend TBC)
Reporting Line: - Head of Product Development
Lily’s Headquarters: - The team is based out of Goodge Street, Fitzrovia, however this role will be remote with very occasional travel to the office at the request of the business.
Equality and Inclusiveness at Lily’s Kitchen: -
At Lily’s Kitchen, we want to build and maintain a values-driven culture of trust and inclusion, one that empowers people safely and comfortably to express every characteristic of their personal identity and experience. We’re committed to supporting and encouraging a diverse and inclusive workforce. That means that whatever your ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age or status as an individual with a disability, you’ll get all the opportunities, respect and support you’d expect from a passionate business that cares about its people (as well as its pets).
We strongly encourage people of colour, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary people, veterans, parents, individuals with disabilities and/or other people from underrepresented groups to apply. Lily’s Kitchen is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes everyone to our team. If you need reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.
In your application, please feel free to note which pronouns you use.
Your Lily’s Kitchen Promise – Pets, People & Planet:-
Every single member of the Lily’s Kitchen team pledges to uphold our B Corp and broader sustainability strategy personally, within their respective departments, and across the entire company. This commitment is demonstrated through actively advancing areas of responsibility within their teams, adhering to sustainability targets set by the company and departments, actively participating in sustainability discussions and decision-making processes, and fostering a team culture that is deeply passionate about the overall wellbeing of people, the planet and of course, pets.
Aligned with our commitment to being a force for good and championing ESG initiatives, financial compensation and reward is driven by annual objectives and performance, including the successful achievement of a social and environmental objective.
Your place at the Lily’s Kitchen Table: -
As an Interim Packaging Consultant, your role will be within the Product team reporting into the Head of Product Development. With expertise across a range of packaging substrates, you will have sole responsibility for the management and ownership of all Lily’s Kitchen packaging and ensuring it is complaint. This includes new development, delivering innovative solutions for NPD as well as taking ownership of all current packaging, reviewing, and renovating as required.
How will I make a difference?
You will: -
* Legislation
* Stay up to date on packaging legislation in any markets that we trade in. Updating the team at the earliest possibility.
* Work directly with the Purina packaging counterparts to understand packaging requirements and legislation to support the Lily’s Kitchen launches
* Become fully aware of Purina rule of sustainable packaging, to ensure LK are clear how to follow when briefing NPD
* Monitor LK accreditation and any packaging rules and endure LK are meeting requirements
* Monitor and review all LK customer packaging guidelines to ensuring we are working to the most up to versions and track our
* Manage, track and oversee all required changes, ensuring they are tracked through the LK pipeline and gate process. Ensuring where possible they align with other pack renovation timings and are fully budgeted and resourced
* Own and manage the process for signing off and ensuring recycling logos are on packaging. Ensuring these are captured on specs and master documentation.
* Represent Lily’s Kitchen at the monthly Flexible Plastic Fund meeting and feedback relevant information to the Product Development team and Head of Sustainability
* Product Development
* Work with the product developers on any packaging projects - to advise, own trials and tests, keeping to CP timings and budgets, signing off the final substrate before proceeding to launch
* Provide expertise and guidance on all packaging issues within the business preferably having experience across multiple substrates – (PePe, carton board, paper etc) using the Purina expertise as and when required
* Input into and approve the packaging element of supplier briefs
* Be the point of contact between Lily's Kitchen and the Purina packaging team, meeting regularly to update on progress and check in on any advice required.Minuting all calls for tracking
* Establish testing required for proposal for new packaging and feed into the CP to ensure this is built into any new product development project from the start
* Work with the product developers the packaging part of NPD projects. Own trials and tests, keeping to CP timings and budgets, signing off the final substrate before proceeding to launch.
* Take full responsibility for owning packaging related projects - machine trials, substrate testing, shelf life, transportation. Work directly with the external technical and engineering teams from packaging suppliers and on site at the co-manufacturers to find solutions that meet the brief
* Oversee any packaging trials at the suppliers and be prepared to be onsite
* Join regular supplier calls when live packaging projects are in progress and support the Product Developers to ensure actions are moving.
* Involvement in the artwork process where required to ensure the artworking gets the best result out of the substrate and sets the files up for the correct printing process e.g. flexo, gravure, off set, digital
* Keep abreast of new packaging innovation, through relevant literature and trade shows etc
* work to reduce packaging costs as a % of total finished goods – by reducing size / removing weight / sharing volume with NPPE
* work with NPP colleagues on opportunities to benefit from collaborating on packaging development & cost structure
* Explore opportunities to use NPPE for sourcing and supply packaging to co-mans (subject to supply chain resource having ability to manage workload)
* Documentation
* Own and maintain all Lily's Kitchen packaging specifications including recycling information for all markets, ensuring they are up to date and version controlled
* Ensure testing is documented and filed so that it can be found and referenced when needed
* Track all supplier packaging projects and RAG on the quarterly meetings to review status
* Take responsibility for creating a quality assurance document for all new packaging and sign off with the supplier to be used for QC checking production
* Ensure packaging information Is correct on our database and ensure the master data team have any updates required
* Lead our monthly cross functional packaging taskforce meetings, ensuring the team are clear on the purpose and output of each meeting
* Sustainability
* Own and manage our packaging strategy, ensuring any changes we make reduces our carbon footprint and is in line with our reduction targets
* Own and manage the annual data collection of our packaging to feed into our online carbon platform, ensuring data is collected on time and in the correct format
How will I contribute to the team?
* Extensive experience in packaging - either brand in-house or supplier side
* Have strong knowledge and passion for all packaging multiple substrates – (PePe, carton board, paper etc) – although you may have more experience in a particular substrate.
* You keep up to date on packaging legislation with regards to food safety, regulatory, environmental and social responsibility across all markets that we trade in.
* Have a passion for sustainability to ensure our packaging is the best it can be.
* Fantastic planning and organisation skills to support the work schedule
* Ability to manage the bigger picture whilst holding and attending to the detail
* Problem solve while working in a fast-paced environment
* You will be comfortable with using Microsoft Office and in particular Excel (intermediate/advance level)
* Have strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop relationships, collaborate and influence at all levels.
* You really own the projects that you are responsible for. Have full accountability and be fully self-sufficient.
* Confident to run meetings and trials with suppliers
* Travel to attend manufacturing facilities – as and when required TBC
Lily’s Kitchen Story
At Lily’s Kitchen we are pet food pioneers. We are changing the game with our mission to provide proper food for cats and dogs all over the world.
Lily’s Kitchen was founded in London in 2009, by Henrietta Morrison who set out to feed her beloved dog, Lily, food she could trust. Lily’s Kitchen is now the No1 Brand in premium natural pet food, still focusing on the mission to inspire pet parents to feed their four-legged friends natural, proper food for pets.
Lily’s Kitchen was a founding member of the UK B Corp movement and the first pet food brand in the world to achieve B Corp status. Determined to use business as a force for good, Lily’s Kitchen has recently partnered with Dogs Trust to support dogs in need and are proud to lend a paw to charitable causes.
We sell our nutritious natural recipes for cats and dogs in over 1,000 stockists, like Waitrose, Tesco, Ocado, organic food shops, vets, independent pet shops and garden centres all over the UK. We also sell internationally and are now sold in more than 30 countries worldwide.