Mechanical Engineer-Advanced Equipment Development

Hartsville, SC, USA March 16, 2026 Full Time Workday

From a small family business to a multi-billion-dollar global company, Sonoco has been changing the face of products and packaging since 1899 — all while keeping the heart of “People Build Businesses” alive.

Our talented people are at the core of our growth, constantly reinventing the Sonoco wheel with brilliant solutions every year. Today we are a world leader in global packaging solutions with diversified operations in over 34 countries. We're extremely proud of our portfolio of brands, our achievements in sustainability and industrialization and the groundbreaking work accomplished by our people.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Technology, you will join a lean, high-impact team dedicated to transforming our manufacturing landscape. As a key contributor, you will drive the development of next-generation equipment, processes, and products. This role requires a hands-on approach—transitioning seamlessly from CAD modeling and prototyping to conducting live trials in our development facility. We are looking for an engineer who thrives on initiative, inventiveness, and independent judgment.

Based at our Corporate Headquarters in Hartsville, SC, you’ll enjoy the mild South Carolina winter weather and the charm of a smaller town—home to the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM), ranked the #1 Best Public High School in SC and #4 in the nation. Plus, you’re perfectly positioned for weekend escapes: just 2 hours from the coast at Myrtle Beach and 4 hours from the Great Smoky Mountains.

What you'll be doing:

·Understand the end user’s needs, define design success criteria, design the machine/equipment accordingly and optimize the design through the design iteration process.

·Use prototypes and trials to improve and optimize designs and to explore new concepts

·Work in a team environment with other engineers and technical professionals

·Search for most effective fabrication methods and create innovative designs accordingly. The goal is typically to achieve best performance to cost ratio

·Work with suppliers and design firms to design, construct specialized equipment or machines

·Coordinate and support construction, installation, and debugging phases for projects. These activities will require infrequent travel both domestic and international. They also require infrequent occurrences of weekend work.

·Direct and guide designers and technicians as appropriate to achieve your objectives. These may be internal or external resources.

·Prepare and manage project budgets and schedules.

·Work closely with vendors to help ensure parts and machines are as specified and projects remain on schedule

·Make suggestions for new products & processes by identifying improvements or other opportunities.

·Take initiative to recommend new and better ways to make Sonoco more effective and competitive.

·Plan, submit and manage capital jobs of various sizes.

We’d love to hear from you if:

·You have BSME or masters level degree in mechanical engineering or a related field

·You are proficient in CAD modeling software (Autodesk Inventor is our standard CAD modeling software)

·You have 5 or more years of related working experience

·Experience with and knowledge about AC motors and control, general electrical components/system control, PLC, electronics, etc., is a plus

·Be able to effectively work with and communicate at all levels including teaching and mentoring others.

·Always be open to learning and exploring better ways of doing things

·You are curious and willing to dig deep to find the root causes for problems

·You are open to new concepts and seek creative solutions to problems

·You are willing to evaluate many ideas/concepts first without running with the first solution identified.

·Can easily adapt to new approaches to doing things without being burdened by legacy knowledge

·You are patient and able to stand the rigor of selecting and shaping design concept through multiple design iterations

·You have good time management skills and are able to stay focused on most important items

·You like to work with an innovate team in an environment that supports and encourages meaningful innovation.

At Sonoco Products Company, we offer a comprehensive total rewards package, including competitive pay and benefits. *Benefits listed below are for employees located in the U.S. Specific benefits and wellbeing programs may vary depending on your location (within the U.S. or global), or if you are a union employee.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, including FSA and HSA options
401(k) retirement plan with company match
Wellbeing tools and resources to support holistic health, including an Employee Assistance Program with a variety of services
Paid time off and holidays to recreate, rejuvenate and care for the health of yourself and family
Variety of company paid and voluntary employee-paid insurance plans including life, personal accident, and disability insurance
Tuition reimbursement

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any legally protected characteristic.

How to Get Hired at Sonoco Products

Apply directly through Sonoco's Workday portal at sonoco.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com and build a complete candidate profile — with only ~many open openings, each application gets meaningful recruiter attention, so a thorough profile gives you a real advantage
Quantify your manufacturing impact using metrics Sonoco cares about: OEE improvement, downtime reduction percentages, safety incident rates, waste reduction, and production throughput — vague descriptions of responsibilities won't differentiate you

Read the full guide

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Mechanical Engineer-Advanced Equipment Development

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