Lecturer in Packaging

About the position

Enrollment in the packaging program has grown by about a fifth in three years, and a faculty sabbatical in spring 2027 leaves four course sections to cover. The department seeks a lecturer to teach introductory packaging materials and the distribution-testing laboratory, which uses the shock, vibration, and compression equipment shared with the Center for Packaging Innovation.

This is a teaching position with no research expectation. Lecturers attend department meetings, may vote on curriculum, and are represented in shared governance by the academic staff representatives.

Position number

PF-26-0433

Department

Department of Plastics & Packaging Engineering, College of Engineering & Technology

Category

Academic staff (instructional)

Appointment

100% FTE, one-semester appointment for spring 2027, renewable for 2027–28 by mutual agreement and program need

Salary

$30,000–$33,000 for the semester (an annualized rate of $60,000–$66,000).

Anticipated start

January 19, 2027

Benefits

Eligible for health, retirement, and other benefits because the appointment is at least 50% and longer than six months when renewed; see the benefits summary for the waiting-period rules that apply to a one-semester start.

Duties and responsibilities

• Teach four sections in spring 2027: two sections of introductory packaging materials and two sections of the distribution packaging and testing laboratory (12 contact hours per week in total).
• Maintain lab safety practices and coordinate test scheduling with the lab manager.
• Hold five office hours per week and respond to student work within one week.
• Assist with a student packaging-design competition entry in April, if the team qualifies.

Qualifications

Required

• Master’s degree in packaging, materials science, or a related engineering or technology field; or a bachelor’s degree in packaging with five or more years of industry experience.
• Hands-on experience with distribution testing (drop, vibration, compression) or packaging materials evaluation.

Preferred

• College teaching experience, including laboratory instruction.
• Certified Packaging Professional (CPP) or comparable industry credential.
• Experience with food, pharmaceutical, or e-commerce packaging.

Meet the required list? Apply. The preferred list is what separates strong finalists, not a filter applied at the door.

How to apply

Apply through the employment portal linked from Work at Porter, citing position number PF-26-0433. Upload: a cover letter, a résumé or CV, unofficial transcripts, and three references. Review of applications begins October 26, 2026 and continues until the position is filled; applications complete by that date are guaranteed full consideration.

Because of the January start, interviews will run in early November, and the department hopes to make an offer before the Thanksgiving break.

Questions about the position go to the department chair, Dr. Marta Sorensen, Professor and Chair, Plastics & Packaging Engineering, at sorensenm@uwporterfalls.edu or (715) 555–0233. Questions about the portal or an accommodation in the application process go to Human Resources at (715) 555–0216.

Equal opportunity and background check

UW–Porter Falls is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Qualified applicants receive consideration without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, arrest or conviction record (subject to the job-related exceptions in state law), military or veteran status, or any other protected status. See the university’s nondiscrimination statement.

The finalist must complete a criminal background check and a misconduct reference check with prior employers before an offer is final. A conviction record is reviewed for its relationship to the duties of this position and is not an automatic bar. Under state open-records law, the names of up to five finalists may be released on request.