Sr. Packaging Engineer

About Us:

Trilliant Food & Nutrition is a leading, vertically integrated manufacturer of premium coffees and powdered beverages, proudly headquartered in Little Chute, Wisconsin. With a legacy rooted in quality, innovation, and service, Trilliant delivers branded and private label solutions across retail, foodservice, and e-commerce channels.

Horseshoe Beverage Company, based in Neenah, WI, is a leading ready-to-drink beverage manufacturer dedicated to delivering an exceptional beverage experience. By combining industry-leading talent, cutting-edge equipment, and a vertically integrated supply chain, we drive innovation and consistently deliver the highest quality products to our customers-first and fast.

Our brand portfolio includes Victor Allen's, Dutch Bros beverages and Nurri, our better-for-you protein beverage line. We are passionate about beverages - and about building a team that's just as energized. We invite you to explore opportunities at Trilliant or Horseshoe, to see if your talents and career aspirations may fit with our openings.

Our Core Values:

Diversity and Inclusion at Trilliant and Horseshoe:

We believe talented, great people are the building blocks of our success. We believe in finding the right people, with the right attitude, and providing them with opportunities to excel.

Position Overview:

The Sr. Packaging Engineer / Principal Packaging Engineer will serve as the company's subject matter expert (SME) for all packaging technologies across ready-to-drink (RTD) and powdered beverage portfolios. The position will drive innovation, enhance operational efficiency, and ensure regulatory and sustainability compliance across a growing portfolio of SKUs and supply chain partners. By reducing reliance on suppliers for technical guidance, this role will enable proactive development, long-term capability building, and cost optimization in packaging systems and materials.

Responsibilities:

* Packaging Development & Optimization

• • Lead the design, development, qualification, and commercialization of primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging for new and existing RTD and powdered beverage products.
  • Establish packaging specifications, performance standards, and testing protocols to ensure product protection, shelf-life, and operational efficiency.
  • Drive packaging line readiness, format changeovers, and technical support across internal facilities and co-packer networks.
  
  

* Cost & Efficiency Improvements

• • Identify and execute cost-saving opportunities through material optimization, lightweighting, alternate suppliers, and improved packaging line performance.
  • Benchmark and qualify packaging suppliers for quality, reliability, and cost competitiveness to mitigate risk and drive continuous improvement.
  • Troubleshoot and resolve packaging-related issues to reduce downtime and operational disruptions.
  
  

* Sustainability & Compliance

• • Lead efforts to design and implement sustainable packaging solutions that meet environmental, recyclability, and source reduction goals.
  • Ensure all packaging formats comply with applicable food safety, labeling, and regulatory requirements across markets.
  
  

* Strategic Capability Building

• • Create and implement standardized packaging development processes, documentation systems, and best practices to support long-term category growth.
  • Serve as the central technical contact for packaging, collaborating with Operations, Quality, Procurement, and Marketing teams.
  • Mentor and build internal packaging knowledge to reduce supplier dependency and strengthen organizational capability.
  
  

Qualifications:

* Bachelor's or Master's degree in Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field.

* 8+ years (Sr.) / 12+ years (Principal) of progressive experience in packaging development within the food & beverage or consumer packaged goods industry.

* Strong technical knowledge of packaging materials, converting processes, and packaging equipment systems.

* Demonstrated success in leading packaging projects from concept to commercialization across multiple product formats and supply chain environments.

* Experience implementing cost savings initiatives, optimizing packaging line performance, and qualifying suppliers.

* Familiarity with sustainability strategies, environmental regulations, and global packaging compliance requirements.

* Excellent problem-solving, project management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

* Ability to influence and drive alignment among diverse internal and external stakeholders.

Hours, Location and Pay:

We offer a competitive-based pay rate and comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees. This role works standard business hours Monday - Friday at either our Little Chute or Neenah, WI manufacturing facility.

Physical and Mental Demands:

* While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, hear, use hands to type data, use a personal computer and telephone. This employee may occasionally have to operate business machines and lift and/move up to 50 pounds.

* Specific vision abilities required in this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

* Mental demands include multi-tasking, decision making, problem solving, comparing, copying, computing, compiling, analyzing, coordinating, and synthesizing data.

* Potential for exposure to chemicals, heights, loud noises, mechanical equipment, wet environments, and other potential hazards exists.

Safety Statement:

At Trilliant and Horseshoe, safety is every employee's first responsibility. We expect all employees to adhere to all safety practices, have the moral courage to stop other individuals from performing unsafe acts, and immediately report unsafe conditions.

Disclosures:

* The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

* Responsible for following food safety/regulatory policies and procedures, executing responsibilities as identified in standard operating procedures, and reporting food safety/regulatory concerns to the Production or Quality Manager.

* Trilliant Food & Nutrition and Horseshoe Beverage Company are Drug Free Workplaces. All applicants are subject to a drug screen and background check as a condition of employment.

* Trilliant Food and Nutrition and Horseshoe Beverage participate in the E-Verify process.

* EEO/AA including Vets and Disabled

* If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at HR@trilliantfood.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

* Trilliant Food and Nutrition and Horseshoe Beverage are Equal Opportunity Employers.

* The principles of the OECD and UN have been taken into consideration and used as guidance in our human rights practices and procedures.