Quality Lab Technician | Parkesburg, PA

Quality Technician | Victory Brewing Company - Parkesburg, PA

We’re hiring! Looking for a fun, rewarding place to work? Become a part of our truly unique team!

WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE OFFER

Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV) is a top 10 regional craft alcohol company in the US, made up of 5 long standing, successful craft brands (75 combined years!): Victory Brewing, Bold Rock Cider, Sixpoint Brewery, Southern Tier Brewing & Southern Tier Distilling. We have locations in 5 states (NY, PA, OH, VA, NC) including taprooms, production facilities, & our corporate headquarters.

• Competitive Compensation
• Exceptional Health Benefits
  • No Waiting Period to Enroll
  • Immediate 401K Match & Vesting
  • Paid Family Leave
• Flexible Schedules & Generous Paid Time Off
• Ample Product Discounts
• Opportunities for Growth Across 5 Successful Brands

WHAT WE DO

Victory Brewing is a committed, industry leader who since 1996, has grown to be a world-renowned craft brewery, and the second largest craft brand family in our home state of Pennsylvania.

We find people looking to bring their experience, enthusiasm & desire to work with others to a fun, rewarding place to work as we continue to produce industry changing craft beer. We have growing, empowered and trusted teams in Downingtown, Kennett Square, Parkesburg and Philadelphia.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

The Quality Technician executes all daily quality duties in the areas of packaging, cellar, laboratory, and sensory, ensuring the day-to-day operations of the lab are run according to the Quality SOPs. They ensure quality is a priority across the brewery by focusing on quality control testing, analysis, reporting, and troubleshooting in all areas of production. This includes sterile work for microbiological stability screening, fermentation tracking, chemistry, statistics, sensory, and package testing. They will be trained to be cross-functional in analytical, microbiological, and organoleptic testing. 

Reports to: Quality Manager

• Understands and follows all safety procedures and wears appropriate PPE.
• Executes daily quality duties across the brewery according to the staff rotation plan, including rotating through any shift that needs support as necessary. Able to work with lab team to provide weekend and holiday coverage.
• Ensures that the daily operations of the lab are run according to the Quality SOPs.
• Works with the Quality Manager to continuously improve Quality SOPs, sample workflow, and record keeping.
• Collects, organizes, and reports QA/QC data from raw materials through packaging.  Reviews Quality Records for completeness and accuracy.
• Works independently and closely with laboratory team to complete daily task and longer-term projects. Communicates clearly when handing off a task to another person.
• Escalates issues and out-of-specification results quickly and appropriately to laboratory and brewing leadership.
• Analyzes data and presents findings to brewery leadership.
• Collaborates with other departments and team members to tackle issues as they arise.
• Assists with maintaining consumables and equipment inventory ordering, and recordkeeping in the laboratory area and other Quality workspaces throughout facilities.
• Helps coordinate proper disposal of all laboratory products, including disposables and waste.
• Maintains, calibrates, and verifies accuracy of equipment and instrumentation.
• Maintains clean workspaces including laboratories and all other Quality workspaces.
• Performs chemical and analytical testing on product samples including:
• IBU, color, and acetaldehyde testing on a UV/Vis spectrophotometer.
• Alcohol testing on an Anton Paar Alcolyzer.
• Prepares analytical standards.
• Execute package quality testing including:
• O₂ and CO₂ testing on brite and packaged beer using a Haffman’s c-DGM and Anton Paar CBoxQC.
• Package integrity testing.
• Package line hygiene audits.
• Collection of can, bottle, and keg samples for analytical and microbiological testing.
• Inspects equipment for adherences to GMP.
• Performs microbiological testing on product samples including:
• Using aseptic technique to take sterile microbiological samples from a variety of places.
• Preparing microbiological media.
• Sterile plating of microbiological samples.
• PCR testing.
• Monitors fermentations including performing cell counts, viability and vitality testing, and pH measurements.
• Leads sensory panel for true-to-brand and other sensory tests at the direction of brewery leadership.
• Performs other duties as necessary.

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Ability to work out of the primary location of Parkesburg with availability to work at Downingtown for a 3 week rotation every two months.  
• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Microbiology, Food Science, or other related science field preferred or equivalent experience.
• Experience working in a laboratory strongly preferred.
• Minimum 1 year of QA/QC experience preferred.
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively within the lab and across multiple departments.
• Prior experience with GMP/GLP, HACCP, ISO 9001, Safe Laboratory Operations, and/or a Brewing education is preferred.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of recipes, processes, procedures, and other proprietary information.
• Ability to safely handle and work with potentially hazardous chemicals.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications specifically Excel
• Experience with basic statistics, data analysis, and results reporting.
• Flexibility to travel between brewing locations and provide weekend and evening support. Willing to rotate between 1 and 2 shifts. On rare occasion a 3^rd shift may be necessary.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team to accomplish lab and production goals.
• Strong work ethic, positive attitude, and a high level of professionalism.
• Ability to perform under pressure and prioritize multiple demands.

Physical Demands

• Ability to stand for long periods of time and do physically demanding work is required.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. is required.
• Willingness to work in an environment with high noise levels is required.
• Willingness to occasionally work nights, weekends, or holidays as necessary is required.

Alcohol Responsibility – The candidate must fully understand that they are a representative of not only the company, but of the alcohol beverage industry. They are to conduct themselves within the limits of the law and with concern to the education of responsible consumption at all times. This includes working hours, trade shows, festivals and while entertaining in the name of the company or its affiliates. Any poor reflection or legal matters that may arise due to poor judgment may be dealt with by means of disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position has no supervisory responsibilities. 

Work Environment

The Quality Technician will primarily perform work duties in a laboratory, with frequent trips to the production and warehouse areas. While performing the duties of the job, the Quality Technician is regularly exposed to a damp, wet environment with hot liquids, airborne particles, chemicals and moving machinery. There can be loud noise levels, and protective eyewear is required on the production floor at all times.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time, hourly position. Days of work are typically Monday through Friday. Evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand. 

Disclaimer

This Job Description is only a summary of the typical functions of the job, not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks and duties. 

Artisanal Brewing Ventures is an Equal Opportunity Employer