Lab Tech

As employees of a farmer-owned cooperative, we come to work every day trying to honor the tireless effort and care these farming families put in every day, all day, 365 days a year. Our farmer-owners tend to think in generations, with some of our farms being run by the same families for over a century. We carry this approach into our business, knowing that each and every one of us makes a difference in allowing these generational traditions to continue, taking pride in knowing that we nourish our friends, neighbors, nation, and even the world with healthy and delicious dairy products.  Our products include milk, flavored milk, yogurt, dip, sour cream, cottage cheese, and ice cream mix marketed under the Upstate Farms®, Bison®, Milk for Life®, and Intense Milk® brands.

The Laboratory technician position is a member of the plants Quality team and will be responsible for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Sanitation Practices (GSP), quality of conformity, and quality of services.  They will participate as a member of the plants Quality and HACCP team and will represent the Quality department at the plant level.  They will support quality programs that include FSMA, SQF, HACCP, ISO, Hold and Recall policies, Pathogen and Allergen testing programs.  They will daily and weekly monitor plant quality.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent
• Must be a minimum of 18 years of age
• Ability to think analytically
• Ability to communicate clearly, verbally and in writing
• Ability to work unsupervised and manage time effectively
• Must possess good math skills
• Good human relations skills and ability to work well with others, and be a team member
• Good computer skills
• Must show enthusiasm, initiative, integrity and pride in work
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret technical procedures, SOPs and Government Regulations

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in Dairy/Food manufacturing
• Prior laboratory experience
• College degree in a science related field
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Daily work list task including: plating, lab analyses, record keeping and calibrations
• Daily plant walk through
• Completion and review of laboratory paperwork
• Generation of daily batch tickets for production
• Maintain laboratory lab files
• Work with production to ensure all quality samples are being saved for analysis
• Daily CIP titrations
• Monitor vitamin program for accuracy
• Enforce GMP, SQF and Safety policies
• Communicate with Quality management about daily product evaluations and ensure results are documented
• Inform management of any out of specification products that may cause customer complaints
• Maintain various monitoring programs
• Receive and conduct analysis on incoming ingredients and raw material
• Ensure that Standard Operating Procedures are accurate and current
• Comply with employee relations policies and programs
• Comply with all safety policies
• Uphold all rules pertaining to confidentiality
• Support of Upstate Niagara commitment to Product Excellence

        The statements included in this position description reflect, in general, the duties and responsibilities of this position and are not to be interpreted as being all-inclusive.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is occasionally required to stand and reach with hands and arms, and also, climb or balance.  The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pound and occasionally lift and/or move up to 55 pounds.  Specific vision abilities include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision and ability to adjust focus

Work Environment

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly exposed to wet and/or humid conditions and is occasionally exposed to moving parts and toxic chemicals.  Noise level exposure is moderate to loud.  The employee is exposed to milk and egg allergens.

Pay: $20-22/hr. 

*The hourly rate as indicated in the CBA.  The posted pay rate reflects just one component of our total rewards package. Other components of the total rewards package may include participation in group health and/or dental insurance, retirement plan, paid time away from work, and paid holidays.  

Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. is committed to equal employment opportunity for all, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic.

Salary : $20 - $22