Technology Leadership Development Program (TLDP)

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.

Technology Leadership Analyst - Atlanta, GA

Career Opportunity

The Technology Leadership Development Program (TLDP) is a two-year rotational leadership program designed to develop high-potential early-career talent into future technology leaders. As a Technology Leadership Analyst, you will build broad business and technology experience through multiple rotational assignments while working on meaningful initiatives that solve real business problems.

TLDP is intentionally broader than a traditional entry-level technology role. We are looking for emerging professionals who demonstrate leadership potential, learning agility, curiosity, sound judgment, and the ability to connect technology to business outcomes. You do not need to have your entire career path figured out when you join; the program is designed to help you explore, develop, and discover where you can create the greatest impact.

Throughout the program, you will gain exposure to technology functions and senior leaders, receive technical and professional development, build relationships with mentors and peers, and participate in leadership, team building, and community activities. Following successful program completion, we will support you in looking for your next permanent functional role based on performance, career interest, and business needs

What We Look For

• Leadership potential — you take initiative, accept accountability, influence others, and step forward when something needs to be done.
• Learning agility — you learn quickly, seek feedback, adapt to unfamiliar situations, and apply what you learn.
• Critical thinking and problem solving — you break down complex problems, evaluate options, use data and evidence, and form thoughtful recommendations.
• Technology + business curiosity — you are interested not only in how technology works, but in how it creates value for customers, employees, and the business.
• Communication and influence — you communicate clearly, listen well, and can work effectively with technical teams, business partners, peers, and leaders.
• Collaboration — you build productive relationships, value different perspectives, and contribute to shared outcomes.
• Adaptability and rotational mindset — you are excited to learn across multiple technology disciplines rather than limiting yourself to one narrowly defined path.
• Professional maturity and self-awareness — you demonstrate judgment, resilience, ownership, and a willingness to grow from feedback.

What You Need to Succeed

Bachelor's or master's degree in information technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, Data Science, Business Information Systems, Computer Information Systems, Business Analysis/Analytics, Human-Computer Interaction, Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related field.

Relevant experience through internships, co-op assignments, academic projects, research, employment, entrepreneurship, student organizations, athletics, community involvement, or other leadership experiences.

Strong analytical, problem-solving, written, and verbal communication skills.

Demonstrated initiative, ownership, collaboration, and ability to manage competing priorities.

Interest in technology, innovation, and working in a fast-paced, global organization.

Ability to learn new technologies, processes, and business domains quickly.

Working knowledge of Microsoft Office tools, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.

Willingness to work in Atlanta, GA, and to work in or travel to manufacturing/production environments as business needs require.

Preferred, but not required: A minimum 3.25 GPA;familiarity with IT systems, data, software, cybersecurity, digital products, infrastructure, or technology delivery methods.

How You Will Make an Impact

Rotations may span several technology disciplines. Specific assignments will vary based on business needs, development goals, and available opportunities. Across rotations, analysts are expected to learn quickly, take ownership, collaborate across functions, and connect their work to measurable business outcomes.

Project & Program Management

• Planning & Execution: Help define scope, milestones, deliverables, dependencies, and timelines using Waterfall, Agile, or hybrid approaches.
• Risk, Issue & Change Management: Identify and track risks and issues, support mitigation plans, manage changes through governance, and escalate appropriately.
• Financial & Resource Awareness: Build experience tracking project costs, vendor deliverables, resource needs, and competing priorities.
• Stakeholder Leadership: Engage sponsors, business users, and technical teams; facilitate meetings and communicate clearly to different audiences.
• Reporting & Governance: Develop status updates, dashboards, executive summaries, and decision materials using tools such as Power BI, Excel, Smartsheet, Jira, Azure DevOps, ServiceNow, or similar platforms.

Business Process & Relationship Management

• Business Partnership: Partner with stakeholders to understand needs, document requirements, and translate business priorities into technology opportunities.
• Roadmaps & Prioritization: Support the aggregation and prioritization of demand and development of future technology roadmaps.
• Process & Data Improvement: Help improve business processes, data quality, reporting, and adoption of modern solutions.
• Initiative Leadership: Support or lead defined workstreams and projects, coordinating across business and technology teams.

Customer Relationship Management

• Salesforce Platform: Build expertise in Salesforce by supporting existing capabilities and developing new features and enhancements.
• Business Partnership: Collaborate with sales, manufacturing, and operations teams to understand business processes, challenges, and requirements.
• Product Management: Partner with product managers to evaluate business needs, prioritize enhancements, and shape CRM capabilities.
• Solution Delivery:Participate in the design, testing, deployment, and adoption of CRM solutions that deliver business value.

Data & Analytics

• Analytics & Decision Support: Analyze data and apply quantitative methods to generate insights that improve decisions, efficiency, cost, or business performance.
• Data Preparation & Modeling: Collect, transform, integrate, and analyze data from multiple sources; where appropriate, use tools or languages such as Python, R, or comparable analytics platforms.
• Visualization & Storytelling: Develop dashboards, business cases, technical reports, and executive-ready presentations that turn data into clear actions.
• Solution Delivery: Support development, testing, deployment, and continuous improvement of analytics solutions.

Information Security

• Risk & Awareness: Support cybersecurity awareness, risk management, metrics, and reporting activities.
• Governance & Compliance: Contribute to access reviews, documentation, third-party security assessments, and other compliance activities.
• Security Architecture & Operations: Gain exposure to security reviews, monitoring, identity and access management, and technology deployment considerations.
• Initiative Coordination: Create work plans, trackers, and communications that help move security initiatives forward.
• Innovation and Automation
• Problem Discovery: Work with business teams to identify and define problems and desired outcomes, translating them into clear problem statements using structured discovery methods.
• Solution Road mapping: Refine requirements and help translate ideas into prioritized solution roadmaps aligned to business value and technical feasibility.
• Experimentation & Delivery: Work with technical teams to prototype, test, and validate solutions, iterating based on feedback and defined success criteria.
• Change & Adoption: Support change managementto ensure successful adoption of new capabilities.
• North America Core Systems Strategy and Operations
• Portfolio Reporting: Work with leads to deliver reporting, automations, and strategic insights for the Core Systems portfolio.
• Technology Business Management: Help enable roadmap delivery and the broader community of practice across technical and non-technical stakeholder groups.
• Application Management Services (AMS): Partner with teams to refine and automate reporting for ongoing governance and continuous improvement insights.

Software Engineering

• Product Delivery: Participate in Agile development ceremonies and collaborate with Product Owners, UI/UX, DevOps, QA, and other delivery partners.
• Technical Design: Translate product or business needs into technical requirements and contribute to solution design.
• Development & Testing: Develop, integrate, test, and improve software solutions using appropriate engineering practices and tools.
• Continuous Learning: Build and share knowledge of emerging tools, processes, and techniques while contributing as an active member of the engineering team.

What Success Looks Like in TLDP

• You demonstrate increasing ownership and responsibility across rotations.
• You seek and apply feedback and show measurable growth in leadership capability.
• You build credibility with both business and technology partners.
• You can move from understanding a problem to recommending and helping deliver a solution.
• You communicate with clarity, adapt to change, and contribute positively to teams.
• You finish the program with a stronger understanding of where your capabilities, interests, and the needs of the business intersect.
• TLDP is for candidates who want more than a first job in technology. It is for emerging professionals who want to learn broadly, lead early, solve meaningful problems, and build the foundation for a long-term technology leadership career.
• Candidates are required to undergo a drug screening after receiving a conditional job offer, but before starting employment.