Analytical Lab Technician (Nights)

Michael Foods Inc.•West Jefferson, OH

14h•Onsite

About The Position

Michael Foods, Inc. is a leader in the food processing and distribution industry with business in egg products, refrigerated grocery and potato products. They offer exciting job possibilities throughout their organization. The company's facility in the Village of West Jefferson, OH, is a recent greenfield project focused on producing high quality protein shakes for a global market. Michael Foods is committed to its employees, community, and environment.

Requirements

High school diploma or general education degree (GED) or equivalent
Maintain a positive and engaging attitude towards colleagues at work.
Basic computer knowledge and skills

Nice To Haves

One-year certificate from college or technical school or equivalent combination of education, training and/or experience.
1+ years of food manufacturing or quality assurance preferred
Experience with food manufacturing and GMPs.
Ability to work independently or in a group
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
Ability to communicate effectively with other employees.
Ability to calculate general mathematics.
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in oral form.
Ability to deal with problems involving one concrete variable in standardized situations.

Responsibilities

Adheres to safe work practices, follows GMP’s, maintains sanitary conditions and ensures that product quality is maintained. Reports any conditions or practices that may adversely affect employee safety or food safety/quality to management immediately.
Attends and actively participates in daily shift huddles and handoffs.
Collect in-process and finished-product samples for analytical and microbiological quality checks.
Performs verifications of: Package coding, product weights, packaging integrity, labeling, temperature, sensory, etc. to verify compliance with customer and MFI’s specifications and all others associated regulations for all products.
Assist in drafting, revision, and maintenance of plant standard operating procedures.
Act as a liaison between Production, Distribution, Sanitation, Maintenance, and the Quality Department by communicating quality issues, assisting in corrective action implementation where necessary.
Participate in plant food safety/quality inspections, in-process inspections, mock recall, label audits, HACCP audits.
Perform analytical testing including: Solids Content, pH, Vitamin C, Viscosity, Organoleptic, Hydrogen Peroxide Residual, and Packaging Integrity.
Verify proper set-up of production lines at start-up and shift change: Printer set-up (coding), packaging materials, labeling, quality limits, etc. Ensuring code date information is accurate and distributed to the production team.
Review sanitary condition of production lines prior to start-up by visual and mechanical inspection, performing ATP (adenosine triphosphate / verify surface cleanliness) and APC (Aerobic Plate Count / Verify absence of microbiological organisms).
Perform pH analysis of samples as part of root cause investigations.
Use inventory control software to ensure non-conforming product does not enter commerce.
Assist in investigations in response to customer concerns or other quality related deviations to determine root cause and appropriate corrective actions.
Assist in the management of quality hold activities, including non-conforming product inventories.
Ensure lab equipment, fridges and thermometer etc. are properly maintained and calibrated.
Lead and organize incubation sample collection and processing for investigations.
Maintain and follow MFI micro sample and shelf-life study programs.
Provide packaging integrity training to operations team. Demonstrate a willingness to learn and grow.
Team player who aligns and upholds our values: Teamwork, Accountability, Innovation and Continuous Improvement and passion for customer and consumers.
Attends and actively participates in safety meetings and trainings.
Train new hires as required.
Maintains regular and consistent attendance.
Fosters open communications and a good attitude toward work and fellow employees.
Perform other duties as assigned.