Program Release Manager Jobs in Wisconsin (NOW HIRING)

About Us:

Trilliant Food & Nutrition is a leading 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 and cutting-edge equipment, 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 Co-Manufacturing Program Manager acts as the assigned Trilliant/Horseshoe program owner for a portfolio of external manufacturing partners. This is a technically-oriented individual contributor role responsible for driving disciplined program execution across the full co-manufacturing lifecycle - from strategy and technical transfer through site readiness, launch, stabilization, and long-term steady-state stewardship. The role applies structured project management practices (RAID management, gate discipline, milestone tracking, evidence-based sign-offs) to complex external manufacturing programs in a regulated CPG environment.

The Program Manager partners with Commercialization Program Managers at the demand-to-supply handoff, drives Trilliant-side program execution through the Launch and Stabilization Plan, and takes program ownership through steady-state operations under a defined governance model. The role owns each assigned program end-to-end - technical transfer, launch, ramp, stabilization, and ongoing performance - and is expected to grow the portfolio's operational maturity through continuous improvement and expansion work as programs progress through the lifecycle. The role does not have direct reports; success depends on program discipline, technical fluency, and cross-functional influence.

Responsibilities:

Own Trilliant-side program execution for assigned co-manufacturing partners through Technical Transfer, Site Readiness, Launch, and Stabilization phases.

Drive the Master Lifecycle Checklist and gate discipline (Gates 3, 4, 5) for assigned programs, ensuring evidence-based sign-offs at every gate.

Coordinate cross-functional readiness activities across Quality, R&D, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Operations, and IT/Data - hold owners accountable to milestone commitments and evidence requirements.

Manage the intensive monitoring window post-launch (typically 30/60/90 days), including elevated Tier 1 cadence, daily KPI reporting, daily quality release reviews, and rapid issue resolution.

Own the Commercialization-to-Co-Manufacturing handoff gate: verify evidence package completeness, stabilization criteria attainment, and readiness for steady-state governance transition.

Coordinate with Commercialization Program Managers for warm handoffs at Gate 4 ? Gate 5 and post-launch demand changes on assigned programs.

Apply structured RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies) management across assigned programs; escalate through defined governance paths with clear ownership and target dates.

Maintain the single system of record for each assigned co-manufacturer (SharePoint site: specs, contracts, scorecards, issue log, CQV status, evidence packages).

Use standardized templates and SOPs from the Co-Manufacturing Onboarding Playbook to ensure execution consistency across the portfolio.

Interpret production data, yield calculations, and quality metrics to inform program decisions and partner action plans.

Take end-to-end program ownership through steady-state operations, running weekly Tier 1 operational forums and monthly Tier 2 tactical performance reviews for assigned programs.

Maintain the co-manufacturer scorecard, risk register, and issue log for the assigned portfolio; drive closed-loop CAPA and continuous improvement work to completion.

Identify and drive cost, yield, service, and quality improvement initiatives within assigned programs; own initiative charters and closure to measurable outcome.

Support additional-SKU introductions, line extensions, and network capacity expansions on assigned partners using the same program management discipline applied at initial onboarding.

Partner with the Co-Manufacturing Supply Chain Manager on production scheduling, invoice accuracy, PO/vendor setup, and inventory reconciliation.

Partner with the Quality - External Manufacturing team on audit readiness, deviation management, CQV validation sign-offs, and quality event escalation.

Partner with Operations Accounting (Co-Manufacturing Finance Business Partner) on cost-to-serve reporting, yield reconciliation, and financial close support.

Coordinate with Commercialization Program Managers on demand handoffs, launch changes, and demand-planning implications for assigned programs.

Interface with the Co-Manufacturing Performance & Analytics function on KPI data quality, dashboard content, and portfolio reporting.

Maintain the SharePoint system of record as an audit-ready, current, and single source of truth for each assigned co-manufacturer.

Feed the monthly Co-Manufacturing Steering & Performance Review with program-level data and narrative.

Support Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and Annual Strategic Reviews with performance narrative, benchmarks, and recommendations.

Qualifications:

5+ years combined experience in program management, technical program management, external manufacturing operations, or tech transfer within a regulated CPG, food, beverage, pharmaceutical, or nutraceutical environment.

PMP, PgMP, or equivalent project/program management certification strongly preferred; Lean/Six Sigma certification a plus.

Demonstrated ownership of complex, cross-functional programs with formal gate discipline, structured RAID management, and evidence-based decision-making.

Working knowledge of GFSI/SQF, HACCP, cGMP, allergen controls, and Commissioning/Qualification/Validation (CQV) principles.

Strong analytical fluency - able to read and interrogate KPI dashboards, yield/shrink/OTIF/cost data, and BOM-based production data; translate variances into partner action plans and business cases.

Track record of delivering measurable cost, yield, or service improvement outcomes in a manufacturing environment.

Proven ability to lead through influence, drive corrective actions and improvement initiatives to closure, and hold internal and external stakeholders accountable to program commitments.

Demonstrated partner-management orientation with ability to own long-cycle external relationships end-to-end.

Excellent written and verbal communication; comfort presenting to Director- and VP-level stakeholders.

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Food Science, Operations, Supply Chain, Chemistry, or related technical field required; advanced degree a plus.

Willingness to travel 30-40% to co-manufacturing sites.

Hours, Location and Pay:

We offer a competitive base pay rate and benefits package for full-time employees. This role works primarily at our Little Chute, WI manufacturing facility with regular travel to co-manufacturing sites.

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.