Project Coordinator

The National Food Lab is a fast-growing company with a vision to be the destination for tailored solutions for the food industry - beginning to end.   Our mission is to provide services that help food, beverage, and supplement companies deliver safe, healthy and successful products.  We seek to make a positive impact in the advancement of food safety, quality and nutrition, fulfilling our corporate promise - to improve health and improve lives.

The National Food Lab's best-in-class consumer and sensory research capabilities are the result of the acquisition and combination of two long-standing and respected organizations, the former Food Perspectives, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN) and National Food Lab (Livermore, CA).  Using a variety of quantitative and qualitative consumer and sensory research techniques we help our clients make products consumers love.  We help our clients:

• Develop new product ideas
• Re-energize a well-established product
• Assess product-concept fit or packaging effectiveness
• Understand the product, brand and category competitive landscapes
• Present objective results to management

Eurofins Scientific is an international life sciences company which provides a unique range of analytical testing services to clients across multiple industries. The Group believes it is the world leader in food, environment and pharmaceutical products testing and in agroscience CRO services. It is also one of the global independent market leaders in certain testing and laboratory services for genomics, discovery pharmacology, forensics, advanced material sciences and for supporting clinical studies. In addition, Eurofins is one of the key emerging players in specialty clinical diagnostic testing in Europe and the USA.

In over just 30 years, Eurofins has grown from one laboratory in Nantes, France to over 50,000 staff across a network of more than 900 independent companies in over 50 countries and operating more than 800 laboratories. Eurofins offers a portfolio of over 200,000 analytical methods to evaluate the safety, identity, composition, authenticity, origin, traceability and purity of biological substances and products, as well as providing innovative clinical diagnostic testing services, as one of the leading global emerging players in specialized clinical diagnostics testing.

Job Description:

• Create preparation and serve plans for a variety of foods, to include consideration of product rotation and proper serve temp for up to 30 consumers at once.
• Exhibit leadership during test planning and execution by acting as in-the-moment resource for the Field Operations Leads (execution team). 
• Solve a variety of problems quickly and effectively & demonstrate the utmost in customer service to clients, internal departments & test respondents.
• Anticipate potential derailers as early as possible and create plans for resolution through questions or meetings with project team
• Resolve conflicts and mitigate risk to resolve unforeseen project challenges between employees, clients, and partners in a timely manner.
• Provide direction to execution staff regarding documents and test preparation steps. 
• Follow up with consistent feedback and process improvements including a "review" at close of each test on which they act as Project Coordinator
• Ensure timeline is met for all test execution requirements
• Provide consultation to Client Service Team and/or bidding (planning) team in test design process, act as subject matter expert in all areas related to test execution.
• Be available day of test for in the moment problem solving and troubleshooting.
• Continually assess and improve all aspects of the planning and fielding process.
• Work with Operations Manager on departmental process improvements
• Participate in any designated company initiatives to increase company efficiencies
• Maintain focus on cost, time and client satisfaction throughout all test planning
• Confer with other departments to ensure all testing activities and related materials are complete prior to the first day of testing, including screening and recruiting respondents, procurement and preparation of test stimuli (usually food products) and evaluation activities, project planning and execution.  Facilitate discussions with appropriate team members to rectify problems.
• Collaborate with various departments on project logistics, survey development, A/V installation, scheduling, and product procurement and quantities.
• Handoff test plan to Field Operations Leads prior to test day
• Act as mentor to team of Field Operations Leads
  • Coach and model effective use of oral and written communication.
  • Be an enthusiastic proponent of change; manage process change initiatives from inception to acceptance.
  • Discuss project intricacies to develop effective problem solving & root cause analysis behaviors.
• Provide open door and mind for in the moment brainstorming and problem solving
• Create understanding for the organization about the cause-and-effect relationship of changes to overall performance of projects and duties; solve root causes in a number of creative ways.
• Should maintain current Food Handlers Certificate (FPI provides yearly renewal class) -
• Cross-train in all ops roles; provide assistance when required to keep projects on-track
• Monitor and manage inventory of global products coming in and out of the warehouse. Return unused client products utilizing UPS and FedEx shipping software.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree, preferably with a concentration in Food Science, Hospitality/Food Service Management or Project Management or Research
• A self-starter with the ability to grasp concepts quickly and demonstrate initiative
• Able to effectively manage a variety of situations simultaneously using disciplined project management processes and working with various cross-functional team members
• Demonstrate experience with driving efficiency and quality results in environments with highly complex business logic and client or customer interactions
• Be willing to take appropriate risks, while also exercising sound judgement
• Adjust easily to new and changing situations and deals well with ambiguity and stress
• Consistently apply potential problem analysis and coach team to proactively consider all options
• Utilize critical thinking to envision all possible outcomes of a conversation or situation.
• Show teamwork-based and collaboration-focused leadership abilities, specifically strong decision making and conflict resolution skills
• Possess superb verbal and written communication skills; proficient in documentation and communication software such as: SalesForce, OneNote, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.  Working knowledge of cloud-based applications and the internet are required.
• Authorization to work in the United States indefinitely without restriction or sponsorship

Additional information:

Position is Full-Time, First Shift, with additional hours as needed.  Candidates currently living in a commutable distance to Plymouth, MN are encouraged to apply.

What we Offer:

• Excellent full time benefits including comprehensive medical coverage, dental, and vision options
• Life and disability insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid vacation and holidays

Eurofins is a M/F, Disabled, and Veteran Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer.

Your data: 
As part of any recruitment process, the company collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants. The company is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that data and to meeting its data protection obligations.

Eurofins is a M/F, Disabled, and Veteran Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer.