Controls Specialist

Employee Type:

Location:

Job Type:

Job Posting Title:

About Us: 

TreeHouse Foods is a leading manufacturer of private label packaged foods and beverages, operating a network of over 20 production facilities and several corporate offices across the United States and Canada. At TreeHouse Foods, our commitment to excellence extends beyond our products and revolves around our people. We are investing in talent and creating a performance-based culture where employees can do their best work and develop their careers, directly impacting our mission to make high quality, affordable food for our customers, communities, and families. We hope you will consider joining the team and being part of our future.

Named one of America’s Best Large Employers by Forbes Magazine, we are proud to live by a strong set of values and strive to "Engage and Delight – One Customer at a Time." Guided by our values—Own It, Commit to Excellence, Be Agile, Speak Up, and Better Together. We are a diverse team driven by integrity, accountability, and a commitment to exceptional results. We embrace change, prioritize continuous learning, and foster collaboration, transparency, and healthy debate. Together, we set each other up for success to achieve enterprise-wide goals.

What You Gain: 

• Competitive compensation and benefits program with no waiting period – you’re eligible from your first day!

• 401(k) program with 5% employer match and 100% vesting as soon as you enroll.

• Comprehensive paid time off opportunities, including immediate access to four weeks of vacation, five sick days, parental leave and 11 company holidays (including two floating holidays).

• Leaders who are invested in supporting your accelerated career growth, plus paid training, tuition reimbursement and a robust educational platform – DevelopU – with more than 10,000 free courses to support you along the way.

• An inclusive working environment where you can build meaningful work relationships with a diverse group of professionals. Take advantage of opportunities to build on our team-oriented culture, such as joining one of our Employee Resource Groups.

• Access to our wellness and employee assistance programs.

Job Description:

About the Role:

Join our team at our Wayland, MI, facility, home to the production of quality non-dairy creamer products. We are seeking a Controls Specialist to provide hands-on technical expertise supporting plant automation, control systems, and production equipment reliability.

In this critical role, you will troubleshoot, maintain, and improve automated systems across the facility, partnering closely with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and IT to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient plant performance. This position plays a key role in supporting continuous improvement, capital projects, and operational excellence within a food manufacturing environment.

The ideal candidate is a strong problem solver with a passion for automation, controls, and data-driven improvement, who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing setting.

You’ll add value to this role by performing various functions including, but not limited to:

• Analyze, troubleshoot, and resolve issues related to control systems, automation, and production process equipment.
• Support the installation, maintenance, and optimization of automated processing and packaging equipment.
• Provide hands-on technical support for PLCs, HMIs, and industrial networks, with a strong focus on Allen-Bradley hardware and Rockwell software.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Technical Services, and external vendors on control system design and operational issues.
• Support implementation of automation-related operational and cost-efficiency initiatives using data analysis and structured problem-solving.
• Participate in and support root cause analysis (RCA) and continuous improvement efforts to eliminate recurring equipment and control failures.
• Assist with capital projects, including design reviews, Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT), Site Acceptance Tests (SAT), commissioning, qualification, and verification activities.
• Ensure proper change management, backup, and documentation of automation programs and control system files.
• Support training of operators and maintenance team members on automation systems, processes, and standards.
• Ensure automation solutions comply with company cybersecurity, IT, and audit requirements.
• Prepare and maintain technical documentation related to controls, automation, and job activities.

Important Details:

• This is a full-time, on-site role on the First Shift. Occasional flexibility is required to support alternate shifts.

You’ll fit right in if you have:

• Associate degree in Engineering Technology or a related field strongly preferred.
• Minimum of two years of controls or automation experience in a manufacturing environment; food, beverage, or CPG experience preferred.
• Working knowledge of industrial electronics, PLCs, HMIs, drives, sensors, and electrical control systems.
• Hands-on experience with installation, troubleshooting, and repair of automated manufacturing or packaging equipment in a sanitary environment.
• Familiarity with continuous improvement concepts; Lean or Six Sigma experience is a plus.
• Experience using a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS); SAP Plant Maintenance experience preferred.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook).

Your TreeHouse Foods Career is Just a Click Away!

Click on the “Apply” button or go directly to www.treehousefoods.com/careers to let us know you’re ready to join our team!

At TreeHouse Foods, we embrace diversity and inclusion for innovation and growth. We are committed to building inclusive teams and an equitable workplace for our employees to bring their true selves to work to help us “Engage and Delight – One Customer at a Time”. TreeHouse Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination or harassment of any type. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants who require an accommodation to participate in the job application or hiring process should contact disability-accommodations@treehousefoods.com

TreeHouse Use Only: #IND1