Director of Laboratory Services - California Dairies : Job Details

California Dairies, Inc. is the leading dairy processing cooperative in California. As a farmer-owned cooperative, we operate several processing facilities located throughout California. CDI employees are highly valued and are provided with competitive benefits packages and career growth plans.

We offer a generous total rewards package that includes:

• Salary Range - $103,805 - $152,248
• Family medical/dental/vision
• Generous company contributions to 401k
• Relocation Assistance
• 10 Paid holidays
• Paid vacation

Job Summary:

The Director of Laboratory Services is responsible for providing guidance for the food safety programs in the cooperative through the appropriate sampling and testing of the products and processes. Coordinating product testing programs and internal or contract laboratory services selection, coordination, and efficiency are part of the responsibility of this position. An awareness of customer quality expectations, regulatory requirements and addressing impending or acknowledged quality issues that require testing or sampling or guidance to plants regarding these situations. Direct contact with customer technical services of test procedures and establishing equivalent procedures in our labs so California Dairies meets or exceeds customer expectations is part of the job. Through review and guidance, this position is responsible for maintaining the costs at the expected levels and in the absence of new or extended testing to reduce cost per hundredweight. The improvement of detection methods to prevent or reduce product off-spec or other issues through timely or appropriate in-plant testing or sampling and testing by contract labs is a responsibility of this position.

Essential Functions:

• Handle multiple tasks, assignments, and deadlines.
• Plan and direct activities in plant laboratories and prepare and present reports of specific issues to plant and corporate staff.
• Monitor public information for impending issues.
• Be active in associations that will provide knowledge or information on current topics or issues.
• Establish corporate quality policies to establish levels of competency in plant laboratories and contract laboratories.
• Investigate specific issues or projects that require in-depth knowledge and long-term solutions.
• Communicate necessary information to cooperative employees or management.
• Work with the plants on product loss controls and environmental or product issues and respond to technical or regulatory questions as needed.
• Work with plant management on recruiting appropriate quality personnel and developing skills or knowledge base of present quality personnel.
• Collaborate with customers and plants on product development projects, new products, or new processes.
• Coordinate the workflow of the central product testing lab and the services it performs for our plants or other services it performs.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Product Control Specialists (4), Compliance and Technical Review (1), Corporate Compliance Manager (1)

Qualifications:

A thorough knowledge of microbiology, chemistry, or food science is necessary to understand or analyze the information presented to perform the job. The ability to communicate clearly with customers, trade associations, and employees regarding technical aspects of product testing is important to the satisfactory performance of this job. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

• Degree in Dairy/Food Science, Microbiology, or Chemistry preferred.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience with at least five years in supervising and managing employees; demonstrated ability to lead a team and achieve results; experience in budgeting, project management, operations, and human resources.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Basic computational skills are required.
• Demonstrated ability in Microbiology and Food Chemistry.
• Experience with aseptically packaged fluid milk products and NIR/FT-IR instrumentation is a plus.

Language Skills:

The demonstrated ability to verbally communicate individually and in groups. Must be able to communicate to the public and in industry meetings.

Reasoning Ability:

Be able to deductively reason sources of microbiological or component issues. Be able to discern when input from other departments or higher authority is needed.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

Must possess a valid California driver's License.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of the job successfully. The company will make reasonable accommodations that do not cause an undue hardship to the company if such accommodation enables individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Sitting/Standing/Walking: The Director of Laboratory Services, during the course of an 8-hour workday, will do all three. They will walk several hundred feet over uneven surfaces, checking production areas as needed.

Lifting/Carrying: The Director of Laboratory Services lifts up to 60 pounds on an infrequent basis.

Pushing/Pulling: Occasional pushing/pulling is done.

Bending/Stooping: Both are done regularly during the course of a workday.

Squatting/Kneeling/Crawling: Squatting, kneeling, and crawling are done occasionally.

Twisting/Turning: Twisting and kneeling are done while doing regular duties.

Climbing/Balancing: Some vertical ladder climbing is required. Balancing on ladders and machinery sometimes is required if assistance is needed if troubleshooting production or mechanical issues.

Reaching: Frequently reaching from floor level should level done during an 8-hour workday.

Grasping/Manipulating: The frequent use of hands and fingers while using hand tools and positioning of instrument or machine parts.

Equipment: The Director of Laboratory Services must have a general knowledge of evaporators, pasteurizers, churns, butter fillers, and powder driers. They must also have a knowledge of operating modern lab instruments, including calibration techniques of Near Infrared and infrared testing instruments. In addition, the ability to operate typical lab instruments such as microscopes, antibiotic testers, acidity testers, and chemical fat and solids testing instruments.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential function of this job. The company will make reasonable accommodations that do not cause undue hardship to the company if such accommodation enables individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. Employees will be subject to temperatures from 34 to above 100 degrees. An employee may come in contact with the following: ammonia, acids, caustics, chlorines, paints, particles, oils and lubricants, steam, pneumatics, fumes, hazardous gases, and sealing compounds.