Pilot Plant Operator

Leprino Foods Company•Denver, CO

1d•$24 - $26•Onsite

About The Position

Within our Corporate R&D/Pilot Plant team in Denver, Leprino is seeking a Pilot Plant Operator to support our Nutrition side product development and pilot plant trials. In this role, you will set up and operate processing equipment, support experiments, collect samples, and help research teams turn new ideas into scalable manufacturing processes. This position plays a hands-on role in developing new nutrition products and processes while keeping trials safe, accurate, and moving efficiently from experimentation toward commercialization. At Leprino, starting hourly compensation for this role typically ranges between $24.31 and $26.34. This position has an annual target bonus of 3.5%.

Requirements

A high school diploma or GED.
A working knowledge of standard manufacturing equipment, including pumps, valves, piping, or similar mechanical systems.
A basic mechanical aptitude for operating, adjusting, and troubleshooting processing equipment.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in food, dairy, beverage, nutritional ingredient, pharmaceutical, or other sanitary manufacturing operations.
Experience operating filtration, evaporation, drying, UHT, or similar processing equipment.
Experience with CIP, COP, or other sanitary equipment cleaning systems.
Experience supporting pilot plant, research and development, product development, or small-batch production trials.

Responsibilities

Set up, operate, and clean pilot-scale filtration, evaporation, drying, UHT, and reaction equipment.
Support nutrition trials that help Leprino develop new products, processes, and equipment for future manufacturing use.
Prepare experiments by setting up equipment, unloading materials, and coordinating trial requirements with research scientists.
Operate pumps, valves, piping, filtration systems, dryers, and related processing equipment during scheduled trials.
Monitor operating conditions and adjust equipment to maintain product specifications throughout each experiment.
Troubleshoot equipment and process issues, helping trials stay on schedule and produce accurate results.
Collect samples and record production data, operating conditions, and trial information accurately.
Label, package, and prepare finished nutrition products for storage following established procedures.
Complete production logs and follow trial plans to provide reliable information for research and development teams.
Clean and sanitize processing equipment using clean-in-place (CIP), clean-out-of-place (COP), manual, and scheduled sanitation methods.
Follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and established food safety requirements.