Lead Microbiology Lab Tech
About The Position
The Lab Lead coordinates daily laboratory operations and provides technical leadership for microbiological testing of food products, ingredients, and environmental samples. The role serves as a lead resource for testing activities, workflow coordination, troubleshooting, quality compliance, and staff support during assigned shifts. It helps ensure accurate, timely, and compliant testing while promoting operational efficiency, data integrity, safety, and continuous improvement in a fast-paced food testing laboratory. The position performs advanced and non-routine microbiological testing, reviews test data and documentation, supports method implementation and validation, and helps resolve instrumentation, media, and testing issues. It trains and mentors laboratory staff, coordinates daily workflow and sample priorities, supports quality investigations and audits, and identifies opportunities to improve laboratory processes. Schedule: Tuesday–Saturday, 9 a.m. start time.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Microbiology, Biology, Food Science, or a related scientific field.
- At least 5 years of experience in a microbiology testing laboratory.
- Experience in a food and beverage testing laboratory.
- Experience working in a regulated laboratory environment, including ISO/IEC 17025, FDA, USDA, or equivalent quality systems.
- Ability to lead workflow, influence peers, provide technical guidance, and train staff in a lead or senior-level capacity without direct supervisory authority.
- Strong working knowledge of food safety microbiology, pathogen testing methodologies, environmental monitoring programs, and laboratory quality systems.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS).
Responsibilities
- Perform advanced and non-routine microbiological testing of food products, ingredients, and environmental samples, including pathogen and indicator organism analyses.
- Serve as the primary technical resource and escalation point for testing issues, method interpretation, instrumentation concerns, and troubleshooting during assigned shifts.
- Review and verify test data, calculations, and laboratory documentation for accuracy, completeness, and compliance before result release.
- Support method implementation, validation, verification, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Ensure testing follows established SOPs, regulatory requirements, and customer specifications.
- Troubleshoot instrumentation, media performance, and testing deviations to minimize operational disruptions.
- Train, mentor, and provide technical guidance to Microbiology Lab Technician I–III staff on procedures, methods, documentation, and quality expectations.
- Reinforce aseptic techniques, data integrity practices, and laboratory safety standards.
- Support onboarding and cross-training of new laboratory staff during assigned shifts.
- Coordinate daily laboratory workflow, sample prioritization, and testing schedules to meet turnaround-time commitments.
- Monitor staffing coverage, task assignments, and operational efficiency; escalate staffing or workflow concerns as appropriate.
- Communicate workload, testing priorities, and operational updates to laboratory leadership and cross-functional departments.
- Ensure adherence to laboratory SOPs, food safety requirements, quality systems, regulatory standards, and company policies.
- Lead or support investigations involving deviations, nonconformances, out-of-specification results, and corrective/preventive actions.
- Support internal and external audits through preparation, participation, documentation review, and corrective-action follow-up.
- Maintain accurate laboratory records and compliance with data-integrity and documentation standards.
- Identify and recommend opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce errors, optimize workflows, and enhance testing consistency.
- Provide input on SOP revisions, training materials, quality initiatives, and operational process improvements.
- Partner with laboratory leadership on operational excellence, workflow optimization, continuous improvement, and standardization initiatives.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
