Packaging Engineer
Posted Sep 29, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a design you created that looked good on paper but caused problems in production. What did you change?
What they are checking: Designing for manufacturability and learning from the shop floor rather than defending the drawing.
Tell me about a time you worked directly with a customer to figure out what they actually needed.
What they are checking: Customer-facing skill, since this role coordinates directly with customers on requirements.
You'll have a lot of discretion over your own priorities. How do you decide what to work on first with several projects open?
What they are checking: Self-direction and prioritizing by customer impact and deadline, with little supervision.
What would you do
A customer wants to cut packaging cost by 15 percent without more damage claims. How would you approach that?
What they are checking: Creative tradeoffs between material, design and protection, which the posting calls alternative designs.
Sales promised a customer a delivery date, and your design isn't ready. How do you handle it?
What they are checking: Managing expectations across sales, customer and operations without overpromising.
How would you help a production team run your design more efficiently?
What they are checking: Partnering with production on efficiency, which the posting lists as part of the role.
About the work
Walk me through how you'd take a new customer's packaging need from first conversation to a finished design in SolidWorks.
What they are checking: Whether they can manage the full development process, not just the CAD work in the middle.
How do you build a bill of materials and costing for a new pallet or crate design?
What they are checking: Ability to price a design accurately, since UFP needs designs that are profitable as well as functional.
What do you consider when choosing between wood, corrugated or other materials for a packaging solution?
What they are checking: Material knowledge and the ability to match strength, weight, cost and customer handling needs.
How do you make sure your drawings and specs can be built by operations with no questions?
What they are checking: Clarity in documentation, because unclear specs lead to bad builds and rework.
How would you handle an engineering change once a product is already in production?
What they are checking: Understanding of change control and corrective action so changes don't confuse the floor.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by UFP Industries.