Job Title: Quality Control (QC) Laboratory Technician (Food & Beverage)
Job Description: Element Staffing is recruiting for a Quality Control (QC) Laboratory Technician for a leading food science and flavor development organization located in the Austin, Texas area. This position acts as a critical line of defense in product quality and compliance, assisting the QC team with the raw material and finished product release cycle. The successful candidate will perform complex sensory, analytical, and physical laboratory testing while coordinating logistically with the shipping and warehousing departments. This is an exceptional opportunity for a detail-oriented scientific professional to deploy advanced analytical instrumentation in a fast-paced, high-standard production facility.
Duties/Responsibilities/Qualifications:
• Sensory & Organoleptic Testing: Conduct and document sensory and organoleptic evaluations of raw materials, manufacturing intermediates, and finished product batches to approve or hold material prior to warehouse release.
• Analytical Instrumentation: Perform flashpoint analysis on liquid products to generate compliant Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and technical product labeling. Operate laser diffraction particle size analyzers and capture microscopic imaging for lot-by-lot verification.
• Non-Conformance & Hold Programs: Implement and manage the QC Hold program for out-of-specification (OOS) batches; collaborate with senior staff to determine root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Microbiological & Allergen Testing: Collect, prepare, and process environmental swabs and product samples for in-house allergen testing protocols and third-party microbiological laboratory analysis.
• Shipping Certification & Documentation: Generate Certificates of Analysis (COAs), Packing Lists, and shipping documentation. Conduct physical inspections of outgoing freight to verify precise order count, labeling accuracy, and transit addresses prior to final carrier release.
• Stability & Inventory Shelf-Life: Compound stability testing sets for finished products, evaluate on-hand warehouse inventory for potential shelf-life extensions, and re-label approved products within the warehouse.
• Lab Upkeep & Sample Retains: Maintain rigorous laboratory organization, execute sanitization schedules, file processing paperwork, and manage the long-term retain sample library for raw materials and finished goods.
Additional Information:
• Years of Experience: 1–3 years of hands-on laboratory experience within a food, beverage, ingredient, or regulated manufacturing environment.
• Education: Minimum B.S. degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, or a closely related scientific discipline.
• Shift/Schedule: Standard production laboratory shifts. Candidates must be fully flexible and open to working mandatory overtime and weekend hours based on critical production campaign demands.
• Requirements: Strong basic mathematical skills (dilutions, percentages, weight checks). Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word) and digital database tracking. Exceptional attention to detail with the multi-tasking capability to adapt to changing floor priorities.
• Compensation: $22.00 – $27.50/hr ($45,760 – $57,200 annualized equivalent) DOE, matching local market scales for skilled food science laboratory personnel in the central Texas region.
• Location: Austin, TX Area (Greater Metropolitan / Central Texas)
For immediate consideration, please send your resume to resumes.westcoast@element-staffing.com.
Keyword Cloud
Skill Areas:
Quality Control Testing, Laboratory Technician, Organoleptic Evaluation, Sensory Testing, Analytical Instrumentation, Flashpoint Analysis, Safety Data Sheets, SDS Generation, Laser Diffraction, Particle Size Analysis, Microscopic Imaging, QC Hold Program, Out of Specification, OOS Batches, Environmental Swabbing, Allergen Testing, Microbiological Sampling, Certificates of Analysis, COAs, Packing Lists, Shipping Inspection, Product Stability Testing, Shelf-Life Extension, Sample Retains, Basic Lab Math, HACCP, cGMP, Quality SOPs.
Industry:
Food Science, Flavor Industry, Beverage Manufacturing, Specialized Ingredients, Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Production Logistics, Laboratory Operations, Scientific Staffing.
Geography:
Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Buda, Kyle, San Marcos, Central Texas, Lone Star State, Austin Tech Corridor, Plant-Based.