Quality Control Laboratory Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION

Summary/Objective
Join one of the fastest growing and largest breweries in Iowa! Our Iowa City location is looking to add to the brewery team. The Quality Laboratory Manager position provides leadership in implementing and verifying the effectiveness of Big Grove Brewery’s quality plan, strategies and systems to include safety, regulatory compliance and product quality requirements. This position will be accountable for the safety and quality of our products.

Core Values

Big Grove only hires and retains people who exhibit our core values. Our Core Values are:

1. Set the Tone

2. Thirst for Improvement

3. We Care

4. Practice Candor

5. Passion Driven

You will be given a culture deck explaining these core values. The goal of our culture deck is to show you who we are as a company, and then you can decide if you personally align with us and are excited to begin a career here.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Responsible for scheduling testing for self and team. Must hit deadlines that support the production schedule.

2. LMA to lab technicians. Use our people and performance tools to effectively communicate, manage, check in, support, develop and follow through with the team.

3. Schedule laboratory employees to cover all necessary shifts (7 days/week)

4. Enforce and adhere to proper safety and standard operating procedures in the brewery and laboratory.

5. Review, update and write SOP as needed and determined in collaboration with the Director of QC.

6. Accountable for the completeness of all daily, weekly and monthly tasks.

7. Interpret results to confirm products are within desired specifications.

8. Record and communicate out of spec results with Brewery Manager on Duty

9. Complete data entry and tracking into database and EOS software

10. Work with the Sales team and Director of Quality Control to follow up on product issues within the market.

11. Initiate investigations as needed for Quality Control

12. Coordinate with Cellar Staff to ensure that cellar actions are performed on schedule

13. Perform routine maintenance and calibration on instrumentation and equipment in the brewery and laboratory

14. Work with quality, innovation and production management to develop new analytical methods.

15. Always be looking for improvements; be a continuous problem solver. We will have problems and we need people who don’t stop at the problems, but find the root- cause and take action to solve them.

Competencies

1. Team focused approach

2. Positive Attitude

3. Safety minded

4. Fast Paced

5. Detailed and thorough

6. Ability to prioritize tasks & handle multiple projects

7. Problem Solver

Analytical & Equipment Knowledge

You must know how to use and apply knowledge using the following equipment:

1. Basic laboratory techniques including the use of pipettes, volumetric glassware and benchtop equipment

2. pH

3. Density

4. HPLC

5. GC

6. Titration

7. Sterile Technique

8. PCR

9. Microbial plating & culturing

10. Microscopy

Supervisory Responsibility

Yes, a team of 1-2 laboratory technicians will operate under the supervision of the Lab Manager. Must be able to effectively manage a team.

Work Environment

This position operates in a hospitality/ brewery environment. This role routinely uses cleaning chemicals, works in a space without air conditioning, and works around power equipment. In addition, this position must operate in a laboratory environment using chemicals, including strong acids, bases, oxidizers and organic solvents.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

This position is very active and requires standing, reaching, walking, bending, kneeling, stooping, and crouching all day. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Fine motor skills and manual dexterity are required. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work
This is a full-time position and hours of work/days may vary from week to week. Typical expected hours will be from 7am-4pm, 5 days a week with holiday and weekend coverage necessary. Some flexibility in scheduling will be essential.

Travel

Travel is expected in this position. The Laboratory Manager will be asked to perform tasks at all Big Grove Brewery productions sites (Solon, Iowa City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids & Production Facility). In addition, educational experiences and brewery representation will require some travel.

Preferred Education and Experience

1. Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Chemistry, Food Science or related field

2. Must be able to use basic Math and Algebra skills

3. 1-2 years of related experience or training in a production brewery environment

4. Passionate about craft beer