Quality Technician

Summary

The Quality Technician plays a critical role in ensuring product integrity and compliance with regulatory and company standards. This position is responsible for performing detailed inspections, testing, and documentation to support food safety, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement initiatives. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, proactive, and passionate about maintaining high-quality standards in a fast-paced, regulated environment.

Essential functions

• Performs CCP verifications
• Completes COA's needed for each day's shipments
• Performs quality checks and enters data into database.
• Enters data into supplier sites (United/Ingridion etc.)
• Observe and perform pre operation inspections
• Assists in customer complaints and investigations
• Calibrates lab equipment and instruments per schedule
• Handle customer sampling requests as per customer schedule
• Handle sales sample shipments to support new business efforts.
• Places all non-conforming products on hold and notifies team and management
• Understands product flow and production equipment.
• Identifies areas to reduce waste, rework, and other inefficiencies with a focus on continuous process improvement
• Maintains overall cleanliness and housekeeping of the lab.
• Conducts inventory of supplies and re-stocks the lab.
• Trains production team members to perform analytical tests and data entry of results
• Performs accurate microbiology testing using approved methods.
• Performs and interprets microbiological tests, generates, and maintains accurate/legible/understandable lab data.
• Initiates product hold process when product contamination is noted and completes re-sampling/retesting process
• Follows SOP's/work instructions for all testing methods to ensure accurate, repeatable results
• Reviews SOPs/Policy for accuracy, compliance and effectiveness as per schedule
• Conducts internal GMP Audits
• Participates in internal audits with audit team, corrective actions and follow up.
• Monitors data and production schedule changes to ensure testing is conducted to meet all food safety and quality program testing requirements such as environmental monitoring and equipment hygiene testing, etc.
• Contributes to ensuring lab SOPs/procedures are documented, accurate and up-to-date to industry and customer standard testing methods
• Properly maintains lab equipment such as pH meters, scales, Refractometers, PLC
• Performs other relate duties as assigned

Supervisory responsibilities

• None

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Effectively communicates information in one-on-one and small group situations
• Ability to follow and implement written or oral instructions.
• Ability to problem solve with limited information.
• Ability to analyze a situation and investigate root cause.
• Critical thinking skills
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office, an ERP system such as SAP
• Ability to read, write and interpret documents in English such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions and procedure manuals.
• Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, and fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

Required education and experience:

• High school diploma or GED
• Minimum 6 months of quality assurance experience
• Ability to obtain HACCP certification (company-sponsored)

Preferred education and experience:

• AAS or Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field
• Experience in regulated environments (food, pharma)
• Familiarity with HACCP, BRC, ISO 9001, FDA, FSIS, USDA standards
• Certifications in HACCP, BRC, or ISO 9001

Work environment and physical demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, use hands, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, and talk/hear, and taste/smell.
• The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, ability to see color, and ability to adjust focus.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to wet or humid conditions (non-weather), work near moving mechanical parts, work in high, precarious places, fumes or airborne particle, toxic or caustic chemicals, outdoor weather conditions, extreme cold (non-weather), extreme heat (non-weather), risk of electrical shock, vibration, and allergens.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually very loud.

Benefits include:

• Direct deposit paid weekly.
• Quarterly performance bonus opportunities!
• Affordable health, vision, and dental insurance plans - Eligible 1st day of the month following 30 days of employment.
• Free health savings account with employer match.
• Fidelity 401(k) with competitive employer match - fully vested from date of hire.
• 3 weeks paid time off plus sick time (pro-rated based on start date).
• 9 paid company holidays and 3 paid personal holidays.
• Boot allowance twice per year.
• Protective equipment and company swag provided.
• Free life insurance up to $150,000.
• Free employer-paid short-term and long-term disability coverages.
• Employee Assistance Programs.
• And more!

Travel required

• The home office for this role is indicated at the top of this job description. Travel to other Ingredients Plus locations may be required as business needs arise.

Affirmative Action/EEO statement

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other category protected under federal, state, or local law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

Other duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.