Manufacturing Plant Manager Jobs in Appleton, WI

Description
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:
Position Overview:
The Plant Finance Manager (Plant Controller) serves as the strategic financial leader for a high-volume, high-complexity beverage manufacturing facility. This role partners directly with the Plant Manager and site leadership team to drive operational performance, optimize cost structure, strengthen financial controls, and support long-term strategic planning. The Plant Finance Manager oversees all plant-level financial activities, including budgeting, forecasting, cost accounting, capital planning, and performance reporting.
Responsibilities:
Financial Leadership & Business Partnership
• Serve as the primary financial advisor to the Plant Manager and leadership team.
• Translate operational performance into financial insights that drive decision-making.
• Lead monthly plant performance reviews, highlighting risks, opportunities, and corrective actions.
• Partner with operations, supply chain, engineering, and quality to improve cost, yield, and throughput.
Budgeting, Forecasting & Reporting
• Lead the annual operating plan (AOP), quarterly forecasts, and monthly financial close for the plant.
• Develop accurate volume, labor, overhead, and cost-of-goods-sold (COGS) projections.
• Prepare and present financial results, variance analyses, and KPI dashboards.
• Ensure timely and accurate reporting in accordance with corporate accounting policies.
Cost Accounting & Operational Finance
• Own the plant's standard cost model, including BOMs, routings, labor standards, and overhead rates.
• Analyze production variances (material usage, yield, scrap, labor efficiency, absorption).
• Monitor and improve key operational metrics such as OEE, line efficiency, and waste.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives (Lean, Six Sigma, TPM) with financial analysis.
Controls, Compliance & Governance
• Maintain strong internal controls over inventory, fixed assets, and financial transactions.
• Ensure compliance with corporate policies, GAAP, and audit requirements.
• Oversee cycle counts, physical inventories, and reconciliation processes.
• Implement process improvements to strengthen accuracy, transparency, and efficiency.
Capital Planning & Investment Analysis
• Lead financial evaluation of capital projects, including ROI, NPV, and payback analyses.
• Partner with engineering and operations to track capital spending and project performance.
• Support long-term capacity planning and strategic investment decisions.
Team Leadership & Development
• Manage and develop a team of plant accountants, analysts, and clerks.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and business partnership.
• Provide coaching, training, and succession planning for finance talent.
Qualifications:
Required
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or related field.
• 8-12 years of progressive finance experience, including 5-7 years in manufacturing or plant finance and 2-4 years in a supervisory role.
• Strong knowledge of cost accounting, standard costing, and manufacturing operations.
• Experience supporting high-volume CPG or beverage production environments.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and ERP systems.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional leaders and drive operational results.
Preferred
• MBA, CPA, CMA, or related certification.
• Experience in beverage, food & beverage, or high-speed packaging operations.
• Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies.
• Experience with financial modeling and data visualization tools.
Key Competencies
• Strategic thinking and business acumen
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to simplify complex financial concepts for non-finance partners
• Leadership presence and communication skills
• Bias for action and continuous improvement
• High integrity and commitment to financial stewardship
Hours, Location and Pay:
We offer a competitive base pay rate and comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees. This role works at our Little Chute, 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.