Senior Structural Designer

Hood Container Corporation is seeking a Senior Structural Designer to join our design team at our Nashville Design Center in Lebanon, TN. This is a senior-level role for an accomplished professional ready to take ownership of a wide range of design challenges — from multi-component POP displays and retail-ready packaging for major national retailers to creative structural projects spanning both local and national accounts, all grounded in a strong understanding of the production environment.

In this role, you will lead projects from concept through production, serve as a technical resource and mentor to other designers, and work directly with sales, operations, and customers to deliver solutions that win business and run efficiently on our equipment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the structural design of complex POP displays, retail-ready packaging, and industrial packaging using ArtiosCAD, from concept development through production release.
• Collaborate as part of the design team on high-visibility projects, including work for major national retailers with strict vendor and display guidelines (e.g., Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco, Lowe’s, Home Depot).
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to other designers; lead design reviews and help raise the capability of the design team.
• Interpret design specifications, engineering drawings, testing requirements, and retailer guidelines, and translate them into manufacturable, cost-effective structures.
• Create prototypes, mock-ups, and samples for customer validation and approval; present design concepts in customer meetings alongside sales.
• Partner with production and converting teams to ensure designs are optimized for our equipment, resolve design-for-manufacturing issues, and drive cost and material efficiency (value engineering, board grade optimization, layout efficiency).
• Develop pack-out, distribution, and in-store setup instruction sheets for customer use.
• Maintain accurate design records, specifications, and revisions.
• Manage design materials and supplies (samples, mylars, mock-ups, etc.).
• Ensure design outputs and creative execution meet manufacturing specifications, performance requirements, and budgets.

Experience & Qualifications

Required:

• 6 years of experience in structural packaging design, with significant corrugated experience.
• Demonstrated expertise designing POP displays (temporary and semi-permanent) and retail packaging.
• Advanced proficiency in ArtiosCAD (or equivalent, e.g., Impact CAD, with the ability to transition quickly).
• Strong understanding of corrugated materials, board grades, converting equipment, and manufacturing processes, including design-for-manufacturability and cost implications.
• Proven ability to work directly with customers and sales teams, including presenting design concepts and responding to technical questions.

Preferred:

• Experience with CAPE Pack or TOPS for palletization and unitization analysis.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop) and familiarity with 3D modeling/rendering tools (e.g., Blender, SolidWorks).
• Knowledge of ISTA, ASTM, or other packaging test standards.
• Familiarity with major retailer display and vendor compliance guidelines.
• Experience mentoring or leading other designers.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• If available, a link to your design portfolio or samples of produced work (displays and packaging) is welcome and helpful, but not required.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Science, Industrial Design, Engineering, Graphics, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience. Demonstrated industry expertise is valued as highly as formal education for this role.

Why You’ll Love Working at Hood Container

• Competitive Pay & Benefits: Competitive compensation aligned with senior-level experience, bonus opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package including healthcare, retirement plans, and paid time off. Relocation assistance may be available for the right candidate.
• Impact & Ownership: Your designs, your customer relationships, your technical judgment — senior designers here have real ownership and direct influence on winning and keeping business.
• Collaborative Culture: Work closely with a cross-functional team of sales, operations, and design professionals in a supportive, team-oriented environment.
• Stable & Growing Industry: Join a top ten U.S. paper and packaging company in a sustainable, essential industry. Consider a Future in Corrugated Packaging

About Us

Hood Container Corporation is a family-owned, Mill to Market company specializing in containerboard and kraft paper, corrugated boxes, high-graphic displays, and contract packaging. Our commitment to customer satisfaction, employee well-being, environmental stewardship, and operational excellence drives our business. Over the last decade, Hood Container Corporation has grown to become one of the top ten paper and packaging companies in the United States.

Our goal is to have a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens and customers we serve. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.