Microbiologist

Baldwin Richardson Foods•Pennsauken Township, NJ

25d•Onsite

About The Position

Baldwin Richardson Foods is focused on enriching the flavor of life. As a full-service liquid products supplier and strategic partner to the food and beverage industry, Baldwin Richardson Foods combines its formulation expertise and unique packaging options with robust processing capabilities to produce high-quality sauces, toppings, syrups, fillings, and shelf-stable beverages for the world's most iconic Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs), Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands, and food service companies. Its state-of-the-art Innovation & Culinary Center transforms trends and culinary inspiration into legendary products through an award-winning commercialization process. The company also manufactures and markets Mrs. Richardson's dessert sauces and Nance's mustards/condiments in addition to producing finished goods for the private label sector. BRF maintains its headquarters and a manufacturing facility in Macedon, New York; with a Culinary Innovation Center in Westmont, Illinois; and offices and manufacturing facilities in Williamson, New York; Pennsauken, New Jersey; and Corona, California. This role reports into our Pennsauken, New Jersey manufacturing plant. The Schedule for this role is: 6:00am - 2:30pm EST, with rotating Sundays. The Microbiologist is responsible for supporting food safety and quality assurance programs through microbiological testing, environmental monitoring, data trending, and investigation of microbiological deviations and nonconformances. This role ensures compliance with internal standards, customer requirements, and regulatory expectations (FDA, SQF), while supporting continuous improvement efforts related to sanitation effectiveness, pathogen control, and finished product release.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology or Biology is required.
Minimum four (4) years microbiology experience in food manufacturing or a regulated laboratory environment.
Strong understanding of microbiological testing methods and aseptic sampling practices.
Knowledge of food safety programs including GMPs, HACCP, preventive controls, sanitation, and EMP.
Ability to interpret and trend microbiological data to support risk-based decisions.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Proficient in Microsoft Excel and reporting tools.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in high-risk food environments (ready-to-eat, dairy, beverages, aseptic/ESL, refrigerated foods).
Familiarity with SAP or other ERP platforms.

Responsibilities

Perform microbiological testing of finished products and raw materials as needed.
Conduct testing for indicator organisms (APC, yeast/mold, coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, etc.)
Prepare media, reagents, and lab supplies according to approved methods and procedures.
Operate and maintain laboratory equipment (incubators, autoclaves, PCR systems, pipettes, etc.).
Ensure accurate documentation of results in laboratory systems.
Perform microbiological testing as needed in support of investigations, process and packaging validations, equipment validations, or other internal studies.
Execute and support the facility Environmental Monitoring Program, including Zone 1–4 sampling.
Trend environmental results and identify recurring contamination risks.
Support corrective actions and verification activities following positive results.
Ensure proper sample collection techniques, handling, storage, and chain-of-custody practices.
Trend microbiological data and generate weekly/monthly reports for QA & QC leadership.
Support product release decisions by ensuring all microbiological criteria are met.
Identify abnormal trends and escalate concerns to management.
Maintain laboratory documentation in compliance with GMPs and audit standards.
Ensure testing methods and records meet SQF, customer, and regulatory requirements.
Lead or support investigations related to microbiological failures, presumptive positives, and environmental hits.
Support root cause analysis (RCA), CAPA development, and effectiveness checks.
Assist with sanitation validation and verification activities, including ATP correlation and swab studies.
Support hold/release decisions and risk assessments when microbiological deviations occur.
Ensure compliance with applicable food safety regulations.
Support internal audits, third-party audits, customer audits, and regulatory inspections.
Maintain readiness of microbiology-related documentation for inspection and audit review.
Assist with validation documentation and verification records related to microbial control programs.
Recommend improvements to lab methods, sample plans, and environmental monitoring strategies.
Participate in cross-functional teams supporting sanitation improvements and preventive controls.
Support training for operators and sanitation teams on contamination control and hygienic practices.
Serve as the primary technical microbiology resource for the QC Laboratory, providing hands-on training in aseptic technique, rapid method operation (Mérieux BacT), and the nuances of low-acid/high-acid microbiology.
Design and execute annual proficiency testing and "shadowing" sessions to verify laboratory personnel’s techniques, ensuring they meet SQF training requirements and prevent false-positive results during testing and environmental swabbing.
Train and supervise the microbiology laboratory to ensure all laboratory activities are performed with absolute consistency, maintaining a "Gold Standard" that can be replicated across other facility locations.