R&D Technician

Description

Ready to be part of something exciting? Join Berner Food & Beverage’s R&D team for a great opportunity to work hands-on with innovative food products, bring new ideas to life, and play an important role in developing products our customers love!

Summary: Produce cheese sauces and dip samples/coffee base beverage samples at the request of sales and customers on time. Create batch sheets and specifications under the guidance of project leaders. Conduct product testing and operate pilot plant equipment, ensuring compliance with all FDA regulations. Work cross-functionally and support production trials and validation testing.

Qualifications and Responsibilities:

· Monitor customer and R&D sample requests and produce samples for shipment.

· Set up formulas and procedures for laboratory samples and plant trials. Review for accuracy.

· Evaluate samples, perform laboratory tests, and maintain all documentation.

· Maintain lab, including sanitation and stocking ingredients & and supplies.

· Adhere to FDA guidelines for Low Acid Canned Food and Acidified Foods

· Ensure and maintain proper equipment (APV Homogenizer/benchtop homogenizer, Crimper, Pilot Capper, Pilot cooker, and pilot homogenizer set-up, operation, and cleaning. Troubleshoot issues and work with Maintenance personnel as needed.

· Create samples using either our small homogenizer for a benchtop batch or using the Pilot cooker and the bigger homogenizer in the pilot lab, which is called a pilot batch.

· Responsible for collecting and ordering ingredients for our batches and ensuring all our ingredients are fresh and that there are no expired ingredients. As well as ensuring the collection and use of the necessary packaging.

· Maintain loggers for keeping up with battery changes and sending loggers off to be calibrated or repaired, and keeping track of this on an Excel spreadsheet.

· Conduct heat pens and set up loggers for a heat pen test, make the product that the loggers will go in, assist in the filling of containers of product that the heat pens will be placed in, take data during the retort process, retrieve retorted samples with the loggers in them, test analytics of the samples before and after process, upload and save data from the loggers, and send the data of the heat pen test to our P.A. Process Authority).

· Assist in trials by taking data from the production line and Q.A. during the trial, as well as collecting samples, and observing the batching and cooking steps to ensure all procedures are being followed.

· Work cross-functionally to set up and lead pilot and production trials for customers and thermal process testing.

· Provide support to the R&D team, cross-train, and seek opportunities to improve R&D processes.

· Conduct thermal processing studies in pilot and production retorts, under the direction of management and Process Authority. 

Maintain detailed documentation.

· Evaluate new ingredients and alternative suppliers for current formulations.

· Provide timely and appropriate product information to support customer requirements.

· Assist in the creation of written SOPs and train R&D as needed.

· Provide technical support to operations at the discretion of the department manager.

 Requirements:

· Minimum Education: High School diploma or equivalent 

· Preferred: Associate degree or higher in a related field

· Experience: Food industrial/manufacturing experience

Skills and Abilities: 

· Mechanical aptitude

· Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously

· Strong in Microsoft Excel, basic math functions, weight & measurement conversions

· Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail

· Follow verbal and written directions 

· Weigh with accuracy using electronic scales and record data

· Takes initiative and can work in a fast-paced environment

Physical Requirements: 

• Must be able to walk and/or stand for 8 hours

• Ability to work with and in both warm and cold temperatures

• May be required to lift or carry no more than 55lbs

• Must be able to stoop, kneel, crawl under, and crawl over objects

Pay Range: $25.00-35.00 an hour based on experience - Full benefits offered (medical, dental, vision, 401K) 

Note: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. An employee may perform other related duties as needed to meet Berner Food & Beverage’s ongoing needs.