What are the responsibilities and job description for the TECHNOLOGIST, TECHNICAL SERVICES position at Bluegrass Ingredients Inc?
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DEPARTMENT: Technical Services
POSITION: Technologist
CLASSIFICATION: Exempt
PRIMARY WORK LOCATION: Glasgow, Ky
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POSITION SUMMARY: The Technical Services Technologist applies advanced knowledge of food science, engineering principles, food manufacturing systems, and regulatory requirements to design, implement, optimize, and continuously improve products, processes, equipment, and production systems. This role serves as a technical subject matter expert responsible for analyzing complex manufacturing challenges, leading process improvement initiatives, supporting product commercialization efforts, and ensuring compliance with food safety and quality standards. While the primary focus of the role is technical and professional in nature, the incumbent must also be capable of providing operational and hands-on support as necessary and when needed to successfully implement, troubleshoot, validate, and sustain manufacturing processes and systems.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Including, but not limited to, the following:
- Implementation: Implement/Commission new products, production lines, equipment, and operating systems.
- Optimization: Analyze and refine current and new production processes to maximize output, minimize costs, and meet quality standards.
- Quality & Safety Control: Implement and monitor quality control procedures, ensuring compliance with food safety regulations and hygiene standards.
- Equipment Design & Maintenance: Develop, select, and assist in training regarding maintaining new machinery for food processing, packaging, and preservation.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure adherence to FDA, USDA, and other relevant food safety and sanitation regulations.
- Collaboration: Work with BGI and Customer Technical, R&D, Quality Assurance and Production Teams to solve manufacturing issues, commissioning new items, and implementing new technologies.
- Documentation: Record process details for future reference, maintenance, and continuous improvement.
- Innovation & Research: Explore new techniques, preservation methods, ingredients and sustainable practices (e.g., high-pressure processing, waste reduction).
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:
- PRODUCTION / SERVICE
- Provides technical oversight, guidance, and support to Technical Services personnel and project teams to ensure successful execution of technical initiatives.
- Initiates, prioritizes, and monitors maintenance and engineering work requests necessary to support process reliability, equipment performance, and technical improvement initiatives; partners with Maintenance to develop and enhance preventive maintenance programs, analyzes production records and operating parameters to optimize throughput and minimize downtime, and applies technical troubleshooting and process improvement methodologies to improve overall manufacturing efficiency.
- Be on call and come into the plant as needed, which may include any time outside of the normal shift and weekends.
- Communicate with operations on specific dryer set up on new and existing products.
- Review production lines to get a better understanding of each BGI manufacturing line.
- Visit with customers assisting with trouble shooting of BGI products in their production systems.
- QUALITY
- Maintain customer satisfaction at all levels.
- Maintain a good working relationship with suppliers, employees, and customers,
- Maintain a high level of appearance and pride within the department.
- Play an active role in inspecting, reviewing, and follow up on all plant and department audits.
- Responsible for identifying and addressing any food safety hazards. If a food safety hazard is identified, the employee is to notify their supervisor, a member of Quality, or a member of the Leadership Team. Employees are empowered to immediately address food safety hazards if they have the ability.
- Responsible for attending all required safety and food safety training.
- Participate in product tasting and cuttings to gain understanding of the gold standard of each product.
- EMPLOYEE RELATIONS/COLLABORATION
- Build and maintain positive working relationships across all levels of the organization through effective communication, professionalism, and mutual respect.
- Coach, support, and provide guidance to project team members while monitoring progress, performance, and development.
- Communicate operational updates, organizational changes, and employee concerns effectively, consulting with Human Resources when appropriate.
- Foster cross-functional collaboration and maintain positive partnerships with internal departments and stakeholders.
- Demonstrate strong listening, presentation, interpersonal, and conflict-resolution skills.
- Provide timely, accurate information and follow through on commitments and outstanding issues.
- Exhibit professionalism, accountability, adaptability, and sound judgment in all interactions.
- Successfully manage projects, establish realistic timelines, and deliver results through initiative, self-motivation, and teamwork.
- SAFETY
- Be an active participant in loss control and food safety.
- Promote safety, support, help solve, and understand all company safety policies and practices.
- On a daily basis, monitor plant conditions to create and maintain a “safe working environment”.
- Conscientiously look for solutions and root causes to first reports of injury and near misses
- Make recommendations for possible engineering controls or any other way to prevent future incidents.
- Enforce all safety policies fair and consistently; investigate fact not fault.
- Update, monitor, and keep current all LOTO, confined space, forklift, and other safety programs.
- Oversee for proper completion of all work comp reports that occur during this shift, investigate, and be the person in charge of taking the employee to the hospital, if needed.
- Be able to prioritize and timely process work orders as they relate to safety concerns.
QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION, AND WORK EXPERIENCE:
- Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food, Chemical, or Mechanical Engineering, or related scientific discipline.
- Five (5) or more years of relevant food manufacturing experience. Equivalent combinations of education, certifications, specialized technical training, and directly related industry experience will be considered. Candidates without a degree should possess progressively responsible experience demonstrating advanced knowledge of food manufacturing systems, process optimization, regulatory compliance, and technical problem-solving.
- Working Conditions: Must be able and willing to work a flexible schedule, including on-call assignments, extended hours, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays, as required to support manufacturing operations, troubleshooting activities, and business continuity needs.
- Technical Skills: Understanding of process design, formula, and production software, modeling tools (e.g., CFD), and demonstrated knowledge of unit operations like pasteurization, drying, freezing, fermentation, and packaging. Willingness to learn.
- Analytical & Problem-Solving: Required to independently evaluate technical issues, exercise sound professional judgment, and develop effective solutions addressing product quality, operational efficiency, safety, regulatory compliance, and business objectives, including troubleshooting manufacturing issues and optimizing workflows.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Understanding of food safety laws, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), quality standards, and sanitation protocols.
The Technical Services Tech must understand (GMP) good manufacturing practices, (HACCP) hazard analysis critical control points, must work well with individuals, must be a team player at all levels of the organization, and must be willing to accept, at the operations level, a main role on the company emergency response team. Prior management experience is preferred, but not required, depending on other qualifications.
Rev10/2026