Principal Lab Scientist

About the role

Accelerate the possible by joining a winning Amcor team that’s transforming the packaging industry and improving lives around the world.

At Amcor, we unpack possibility through our innovative and responsible packaging to provide solutions that benefit our customers, our people and our planet. More than 10,000 consumers worldwide encounter our products every second and rely on us for safe access to food, medicine and other goods. We value their trust by making safety our guiding principle. It’s our core value and integral to how we do business.

Beyond this core principle, our shared values and behaviors unite us as we work together to elevate customers, shape lives and protect the future. We champion our customers and help them succeed. We play to win – adapting quickly in an everchanging world – and make smart choices to safeguard our business, our communities and the people we serve for generations to come. And we invest in our world-class team, empowering our colleagues to unpack their potential, because we believe when our people grow, so does our business.

Role Overview

The Amcor R&D Lab delivers chemical and materials testing in support of technology research, product development, regulatory compliance, and customer needs across North America and globally.

The Lab Scientist owns key analytical instrumentation, leads method development, manages data interpretation and communication, and coordinates testing support across AFNA, Core R&D, and other business units. The role also drives best‑practice sharing across the global network and contributes to lab safety initiatives.

What You Get to Do

• Develop expertise and perform testing across a broad range of analytical instruments.
• Conduct chemical and polymer analysis to characterize raw materials and support R&D, customers, and industry/regulatory partners.
• Lead method development, protocol creation, statistical validation, and documentation of analytical test methods.
• Prepare and communicate comprehensive lab reports and interpret data for internal and external stakeholders.
• Serve as technical expert and equipment owner for HPLC, ICP, GC‑MS and additional instruments as needed.
• Oversee instrument maintenance, troubleshooting, and vendor coordination.
• Identify opportunities to improve lab capabilities, methods, efficiency, and service quality.
• Correlate analytical results to end‑use performance and understand method/instrument limitations.
• Support purchasing of supplies and new lab equipment in collaboration with procurement.
• Participate in industry groups, external labs, and customer interactions to advance analytical capability.
• Transfer methods and best practices to other Amcor sites and maintain global knowledge‑sharing forums.
• Develop research proposals aligned with business needs and evaluate new instrumentation.
• Create orientation materials and conduct onboarding for new R&D employees and co‑ops.
• Support EHS activities including risk assessments, hazardous chemical inventory/disposal, and NMAP hazard reviews.

What We Value

• Safety Leadership: Models safe behaviors and strengthens safety culture.
• Customer Focus: Prioritizes effectively and communicates clearly with lab customers and R&D partners.
• Results Orientation: Delivers accurate, thorough, and timely results; identifies alternate analytical strategies when needed.
• Collaboration: Builds strong networks and engages with internal/external experts to solve analytical challenges.
• Innovation: Publishes or shares research on method development and analytical techniques

What You Bring

• Graduate degree in Chemistry, Materials Science, or Engineering with 5+ years related experience; or bachelor’s degree with 15+ years industry experience.
• Background in related fields such as polymer processing, inks, adhesives, or materials.
• Demonstrated experience in method development and statistical tools (e.g., DOE, Gage R&R).
• Proficiency with HPLC, ICP, and GC‑MS.
• Strong knowledge of polymers, processing, and packaging terminology

Our Expectations

We expect our people to be guided by The Amcor Way and demonstrate our Values every day to enable the business to win. We are winning when:

• Our people are engaged and developing as part of a high-performing Amcor team
• Our customers grow and prosper from Amcor’s quality, service, and innovation
• Our investors benefit from Amcor’s consistent growth and superior returns
• The environment is better off because of Amcor’s leadership and products

Equal Opportunity Employer/Minorities/Females/Disabled/Veterans/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity:

Benefits

When you join Amcor, you will have access to a comprehensive benefits and compensation package that includes:

• Medical, dental and vision plans
• Flexible time off, starting at 80 hours paid time per year for full-time salaried employees
• Company-paid holidays starting at 8 days per year and may vary by location
• Wellbeing program & Employee Assistance Program
• Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
• Life insurance, AD&D, short-term & long-term disability, and voluntary benefits
• Paid Parental Leave
• Retirement Savings Plan with company match
• Tuition Reimbursement (dependent upon approval)
• Discretionary annual bonus program (initial eligibility dependent upon hire date)