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, food service, 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.

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.

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.

• 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.

• Identify and execute cost-saving opportunities through material optimization, light weighting, 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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…