Student Technical Assistant - Food Pilot Plant Crew Member

Position Details

Position Information

Job Title Student Technical Assistant - Food Pilot Plant Crew Member Appointment Type Student Employee Job Location Corvallis Position Appointment Percent 100 Appointment Basis 12 Pay Method Hourly Pay Period 16th - 15th of the following month Pay Date Last working day of the month Remote or Hybrid option? Min Hourly Rate $15.05 (Standard); $14.05 (Non-Urban); $16.30 (Portland Metro) Max Hourly Rate $21.50 (Standard); $19.50 (Non-Urban); $22.00 (Portland Metro) Position Summary

This recruitment will be used to fill three (3) part-time (a maximum of 24 hours per week) Food Pilot Plant Crew Member for the Department of Food Science and Technology at Oregon State University (OSU).

Be passionate about food: Ready to work hands-on in a real food processing facility? This position supports a wide range of pilot-scale food processing projects, including beverage manufacturing, product development trials, research projects, and small-scale production activities.

Be ready to learn: This position involves many different skills, and prior experience is not required. Be ready to learn about food safety, personal safety, sanitation, equipment setup, beverage processing, pilot plant operations, basic documentation, and general facility maintenance.

Be sharp: Details matter in food processing. This position requires careful attention to setup, cleaning, labeling, recordkeeping, organization, and following instructions accurately. Problem solving and clear communication are important parts of the work.

Be flexible: The Food Pilot Plant is a fast-paced, project-based environment. Tasks may change from day to day depending on research needs, client projects, equipment availability, production schedules, and facility priorities.

This position will hire a student worker in the Department of Food Science and Technology at Oregon State University to assist with food processing projects, beverage manufacturing, pilot plant preparation, sanitation, maintenance, and general operational support. The amount of work is project load dependent, so flexibility is important. Student employees may work up to 24 hours per week during academic terms and up to 40 hours per week during academic breaks, depending on scheduling needs and university employment limits.

Transferable Skill Development

OSU is committed to ensuring students are prepared for success after graduation through intentional skill development as student employees. The competencies students develop while working at OSU are defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) as the essential skills employers seek in their hires. In this position, students learn and build vital career-readiness skills in the primary areas below:

Communication, Teamwork, and Technology.

Position Duties

Duties:

• Assist the Pilot Plant Manager with preparation for food processing projects, research trials, beverage production, and product development activities.
• Set up, stage, and organize equipment, ingredients, packaging materials, tools, and supplies for pilot plant operations.
• Assist with beverage manufacturing activities, including ingredient preparation, batching, filling, packaging, labeling, cleaning, and documentation.
• Perform pre-operational and post-operational checks on equipment, work areas, and facility spaces.
• Clean and sanitize equipment, utensils, work surfaces, floors, drains, and other pilot plant areas before, during, and after processing activities.
• Assist with receiving, organizing, labeling, and storing ingredients, packaging materials, finished products, and research samples.
• Maintain organization of the pilot plant, laboratory spaces, cold storage, freezer areas, dry storage, and processing support areas.
• Inventory production supplies, lab supplies, cleaning materials, and packaging materials; notify the Pilot Plant Manager when restocking is needed.
• Assist with basic food quality checks, sample preparation, weighing, measuring, labeling, and other routine project support tasks.
• Generate and maintain basic production documents, batch records, labels, logs, and project-related paperwork as directed.
• Review assigned records and documentation for completeness, accuracy, and legibility.
• Assist with basic equipment maintenance, cleaning, inspection, and organization.
• Assist with development, review, and updating Standard Operating Procedures, cleaning procedures, forms, and work instructions.
• Follow all food safety, personal safety, sanitation, chemical handling, and facility procedures.
• Communicate equipment issues, safety concerns, supply needs, or project questions to the Pilot Plant Manager promptly.
• Support a safe, clean, organized, and professional working environment in the Food Pilot Plant and related laboratory spaces.

Minimum Qualifications

Full Employment Eligibility Requirements can be found here: https://hr.oregonstate.edu/student-employment-manual/500-employment-eligibility-requirements

• Must be academically enrolled in a high school, community college, or university and pursuing a program or course of study

• Must meet Academic Standing Requirements; students on academic suspension are not eligible for employment

• Must meet the applicable minimal enrollment standard

• High School student: Regularly enrolled in a high school or participating in a home-schooling program

• Undergraduate and post-baccalaureate student: 6 credit hours per term

• Undergraduate international student: 12 credit hours per term*

• Graduate student officially admitted to Graduate School: 5 credit hours per term

• Graduate international student officially admitted to Graduate School: 9 credit hours per term*

• International students may be allowed to carry fewer hours than specified above and still be considered full-time by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). A reduced course load is approved by the Office of International Services (OIS), and must be provided to the Student Employment Center.

Additional Required Qualifications Preferred (Special) Qualifications

• Demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity.

Working Conditions / Work Schedule

• May require walking, standing, bending and stooping for extended periods.
• May require maneuvering and transporting heavy objects.
• May require working with around chemicals, caustic compounds and hazardous materials.

Posting Detail Information

Posting Number P13192SE Number of Vacancies 3 Anticipated Appointment Begin Date 06/04/2026 Anticipated Appointment End Date Posting Date 05/13/2026 Full Consideration Date Closing Date 05/31/2026 Indicate how you intend to recruit for this search Competitive / Student - open to ALL qualified/eligible students Special Instructions to Applicants

When applying you will be required to attach the following electronic documents:

• A Resume
• A Cover Letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position

For additional information please contact: Zachary Wiegand at zak.wiegand@oregonstate.edu

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status.

This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a Criminal History Check and be determined to be position qualified as per OSU Standard 576-055-0000 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in Youth Programs may have additional Criminal History Checks every 2 years.

OSU will conduct a review of the National Sex Offender Public website prior to hire.

Note: All job offers are contingent upon Human Resources final approval

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Documents Needed to Apply

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Optional Documents