Quality Control Technician ll

FlavorSum•Kalamazoo, MI

About The Position

Ensures that raw materials, in-process materials, and finished products meet specified standards and regulatory requirements. Responsible for all activities involving quality control and compliance with applicable regulatory requirements; Reviews/analyzes data and documentation on raw materials and finished products. Familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a quality assurance/control field. Relies on limited experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. Works with minimal supervision. In the absence of the department supervisor can step forward and demonstrate leadership qualities to the team to complete all tasks as needed.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred. Bachelor’s degree in a technical field such as Chemistry, Biology, or Food Science is preferred.
Work Experience: Requires 3-7 years of experience in quality control/assurance or in a related area. Basic lab testing experience is preferred. GC experience is a plus.
Industry Knowledge: Quality Control/Assurance in a food manufacturing environment helpful, but not required.
Accuracy – Ability to perform work accurately and thoroughly.
Accountability – Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions.
Adaptability – Ability to adapt to change in the workplace.
Autonomy – Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
Communication, Oral – Ability to communicate effectively with others using the spoken word.
Communication, Written – Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely.
Deductive Reasoning – Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems.
Detail Oriented – Ability to pay attention to the minute details of a project or task.
Energetic – Ability to work at a sustained pace and produce quality work.
Interpersonal – Ability to get along well with a variety of personalities and individuals.
Organized – Possessing the trait of being organized or following a systematic method of performing a task.
Reliability – The trait of being dependable and trustworthy.
Safety Awareness – Ability to identify and correct conditions that affect employee safety.
Time Management – Ability to utilize the available time to organize and complete work within given deadlines.
Personality and Communication (soft skills): Requires organization, great attention to detail, and accuracy. Sense of urgency is required to ensure that deadlines are met. Ability to multi-task and work efficiently in a fast-paced team environment to support the needs of production. Must be able to be flexible, maintain pleasant demeanor, and have patience to handle difficult or stressful situations. Must be reliable and punctual to ensure that we are able to function as a team to deliver the best customer service possible. Requires efficient and accurate problem-solving skills for handling quality issues as they arise.
Hard skills: The ability to differentiate tastes and smells is required. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and color vision. Strong math skills and the ability to convert between varying units of measure are required. Ability to lift up to 15 lbs. regularly and 30 lbs. occasionally is required. A solid working knowledge of Microsoft Office is required and must be capable of learning our proprietary software. Must be capable of completing training in: Safety & HAZCOM GMP Biosecurity and Food Defense Additional trainings as needed

Responsibilities

Perform laboratory analytical testing, data entry, and reporting.
Perform organoleptic testing of raw materials and finished products.
Provides oversight of raw material certificates of analysis, all associated quality paperwork.
Assure correct product labeling and lot coding.
Troubleshoot intermediate ingredient issues such as storage, handling, and undesired reactions within raw materials and finished products.
Supports quality testing of production practices related to food safety needs of business. This includes ATP and environmental monitoring testing of equipment and zones.
Approves and scales up new inventory items and alternate suppliers using data from documentation to keep ERP system accurate and up to date related to quality parameters
Maintains data on current raw material library as updates occur
Thorough knowledge of Quality Technician I functions with the ability to assist in mentoring team on proper practices and procedures required of Quality Technician I roles as needed.
Lead on maintenance and increase efficiency on sensitive laboratory equipment.
Update quality specifications, labels, and regulatory documentation for finished products prior to production use following regulatory requirements.
Manage final products and raw material shelf-life extensions or disposals based on quality assessment.
Ensures accurate positive release of products after quality assessments and effective use of the HOLD procedure for non-conforming products.
Manage inventory and audit needs of the quality lab.
Maintain a clean, sanitized, and organized lab area and all equipment that is used.
Manage retain samples and maintain an organized system: preparing for daily batch comparisons, filing new retain samples daily, and disposing of expired samples.
Ability to utilize research skills to troubleshoot customer and/or formula issues.
Perform all other duties as assigned.