What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lab Technician position at Cline Family Cellars?
SUMMARY:
The full-time Lab Technician: performs routine analysis of grapes, juice, wine, water, and other related material pertaining to the operation of the Winery. Maintains and manages daily wine analysis records and spreadsheets. Performs bottling QC checks, and assists cellar in preparing wine for bottling. Trains interns and other staff when required. Sets up wine trials as needed by winemaking. Maintains a professional attitude and adheres to Cline operating procedures and safety practices at all times.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
General Laboratory::
Harvest::
Bottling::
QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience, Knowledge, and Skills:
Physical Demands:
BENEFITS and PERKS:
Pay Range:: $20 - $24/hour
Cline Family Cellars provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
Please note that we do not: accept unsolicited phone calls, emails, or resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Recruitment Services Agreement, we will not consider, or agree to, payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee. In the event that a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement, we explicitly reserve the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency.
The full-time Lab Technician: performs routine analysis of grapes, juice, wine, water, and other related material pertaining to the operation of the Winery. Maintains and manages daily wine analysis records and spreadsheets. Performs bottling QC checks, and assists cellar in preparing wine for bottling. Trains interns and other staff when required. Sets up wine trials as needed by winemaking. Maintains a professional attitude and adheres to Cline operating procedures and safety practices at all times.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
General Laboratory::
- Perform all lab analyses in a timely manner, including analysis for routine barrel and tank work, bottling, and other cellar samples. Routine chemical analyses: free and total sulfur, pH/TA with autotitrator, alcohol determination with alcolyzer, DO, CO2, turbidity, and enzymatic analysis for acetic acid, glucose/fructose, malic acid with Admeo analyzer.
- Timely and accurate data entry into logbooks, Excel spreadsheets, and NAV database
- Timely communication of key analysis to the Winemaking Team, especially results indicating potential quality issues
- Write and issue routine sulfur addition work orders to maintain wine quality
- Perform daily lab instrumentation start-up and shut-down, updating daily records of equipment calibration and standardization. Report equipment problems to supervisor
- Routine tank and barrel sampling for wine monitoring and monthly analysis
- Composite barrel sampling for winemaker tastings and blending trials
- Create wine blends and additive trials for winemaking team as needed
- Run heat and cold stability trials in preparation for bottling
- Prepare and standardize lab solutions
- Maintain a clean and safe work environment
- Use appropriate PPE and follow safety rules; report any unsafe conditions immediately
- Perform other tasks or analysis as required by the Enologist
- Perform barrel filling and emptying, barrel topping, cleaning and sanitizing cellar equipment, tanks, or barrels as needed
- Make routine and basic additions to wine tanks as needed: KMBS, ML culture, etc.
Harvest::
- Perform analysis on grape samples, including Brix, TA, and pH
- Crush vineyard grape samples for analysis and maintain a clean setup; communicate grape analysis to Winemakers
- Monitor fermentations daily with Brix and temperature checks, as well as sensory analysis
- Assist with harvest cellar tasks as needed, including bin washing and making additions to fermentations
- Weekend and overtime work required during the harvest season
Bottling::
- Assures the bottling tank matches winemaking specifications each morning on bottling days: sulfur targets, dissolved oxygen (DO), and CO2 levels
- Perform bottling QC checks; including line startup, bottle capacity, in-bottle DO and CO2, verify corks and screwcaps are applied correctly and effectively, analysis of wine in-bottle, label and packaging checks
- Assist with bottling tasks on the line if needed, including emptying glass onto bottling line, carrying out QC inspection of wine bottles, packing finished goods into cases, and stacking finished goods
QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience, Knowledge, and Skills:
- Bachelor’s or Associates degree in Chemistry, Fermentation Science, Enology, or equivalent
- Previous harvest experience
- Advanced English communication skills, including reading and writing
- Verbal Spanish communication a plus
- Strong math and analytical skills, willingness to learn wine chemistry
- Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Word and Excel
- Experience with Microsoft Navision (NAV) a plus
- Self-motivation, attention to detail, willingness to ask questions, and the ability to multitask and reprioritize activities in a rapidly changing environment
- Demonstrate dependability, integrity, and flexibility
- Commitment to accuracy, organization, open communication, and safety
Physical Demands:
- Ability to intermittently lift and/or carry 0-50 lbs.
- Ability to intermittently push and/or pull 0-50 lbs.
- Ability to work in an environment that can fluctuate between cold and hot and is noisy
- Intermittent sitting and standing, walking on level surfaces and intermittent walking on unlevel surfaces
- Intermittent bending, twisting, and climbing
- Intermittent reaching above and below shoulder
- Intermittent grasping, squeezing, and fine hand manipulation
BENEFITS and PERKS:
- Medical, Dental, Vision
- Life Insurance
- FSA (Flexible Spending Accounts)
- 401k Matching
- PTO (Paid-Time-Off)
- Paid holidays
- Employee Company Discounts
Pay Range:: $20 - $24/hour
- Please note that actual pay may vary within the range based on factors including, but not limited to, education, training, experience, professional achievement, business need, and location.
Cline Family Cellars provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
Please note that we do not: accept unsolicited phone calls, emails, or resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Recruitment Services Agreement, we will not consider, or agree to, payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee. In the event that a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement, we explicitly reserve the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency.
Salary : $20 - $24
