Quality Lab Technician | Victory Brewing - Parkesburg, PA
Job Description
Join our passionate community brought together by our love for great beer, cider, craft cocktails, and the process that makes it all happen. Quality is our thing, and so is staying curious—always learning, evolving, and pushing to get better at what we do. We’re fired up by the people who enjoy our pours and the teams that make it all possible. If you’re into collaboration, craft, and being part of a tight-knit crew, we’d love to raise a glass with you.
WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE OFFER
Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV) is a top 10 regional craft alcohol company in the US, made up of 5 long standing, successful craft brands (75+ combined years!): Victory Brewing, Bold Rock Cider, Sixpoint Brewery, Southern Tier Brewing & Southern Tier Distilling. We have locations in 5 states (NY, PA, OH, VA, NC) including taprooms, production facilities, & our corporate headquarters.
Competitive Compensation
Exceptional Health Benefits
- No Waiting Period to Enroll
- Paid Family Leave
Flexible Schedules & Generous Paid Time Off
Ample Product Discounts
Opportunities for Growth Across 5 Successful Brands
WHAT WE DO
At Victory, we’ve always believed that great beer comes from a deep respect for the craft. That spirit inspired our decision to join Artisanal Brewing Ventures in 2016. By partnering with a community that shares our values and supports the behind-the-scenes work—like marketing, operations, and finance—we freed up our brewers to do what they do best: focus on the art of brewing. The result? More time, more creativity, and more opportunity to craft the innovative, flavorful beers that have defined Victory since the beginning.
Quality Lab Technician | Victory Brewing - Parkesburg, PA
The Quality Technician executes all daily quality duties in the areas of packaging, cellar, laboratory, and sensory, ensuring the day-to-day operations of the lab are run according to the Quality SOPs. They ensure quality is a priority across the brewery by focusing on quality control testing, analysis, reporting, and troubleshooting in all areas of production. This includes sterile work for microbiological stability screening, fermentation tracking, chemistry, statistics, sensory, and package testing. They will be trained to be cross-functional in analytical, microbiological, and organoleptic testing.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Understands and follows all safety procedures and wears appropriate PPE.
Executes daily quality duties across the brewery according to the staff rotation plan, including rotating through any shift that needs support as necessary. Able to work with lab team to provide weekend and holiday coverage.
Ensures that the daily operations of the lab are run according to the Quality SOPs.
Works with the Quality Manager to continuously improve Quality SOPs, sample workflow, and record keeping.
Collects, organizes, and reports QA/QC data from raw materials through packaging. Reviews Quality Records for completeness and accuracy.
Works independently and closely with laboratory team to complete daily task and longer-term projects. Communicates clearly when handing off a task to another person.
Escalates issues and out-of-specification results quickly and appropriately to laboratory and brewing leadership.
Analyzes data and presents findings to brewery leadership.
Collaborates with other departments and team members to tackle issues as they arise.
Assists with maintaining consumables and equipment inventory ordering, and recordkeeping in the laboratory area and other Quality workspaces throughout facilities.
Helps coordinate proper disposal of all laboratory products, including disposables and waste.
Maintains, calibrates, and verifies accuracy of equipment and instrumentation.
Maintains clean workspaces including laboratories and all other Quality workspaces.
Performs chemical and analytical testing on product samples including:
IBU, color, and acetaldehyde testing on a UV/Vis spectrophotometer.
Alcohol testing on an Anton Paar Alcolyzer.
Prepares analytical standards.
Execute package quality testing including:
O2 and CO2 testing on brite and packaged beer using a Haffman’s c-DGM and Anton Paar CBoxQC.
Package integrity testing.
Package line hygiene audits.
Collection of can, bottle, and keg samples for analytical and microbiological testing.
Inspects equipment for adherences to GMP.
Performs microbiological testing on product samples including:
Using aseptic technique to take sterile microbiological samples from a variety of places.
Preparing microbiological media.
Sterile plating of microbiological samples.
PCR testing.
Monitors fermentations including performing cell counts, viability and vitality testing, and pH measurements.
Leads sensory panel for true-to-brand and other sensory tests at the direction of brewery leadership.
Performs other duties as necessary.
WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Microbiology, Food Science, or other related science field preferred or equivalent experience.
Experience working in a laboratory strongly preferred.
Minimum 1 year of QA/QC experience preferred but not required.
Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Ability to work collaboratively within the lab and across multiple departments.
Prior experience with GMP/GLP, HACCP, ISO 9001, Safe Laboratory Operations, and/or a Brewing education is preferred.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of recipes, processes, procedures, and other proprietary information.
Ability to safely handle and work with potentially hazardous chemicals.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications specifically Excel
Experience with basic statistics, data analysis, and results reporting.
Flexibility to travel between brewing locations in Chester County, PA and provide weekend and evening support. Willing to rotate between First Shift, 5:45am-2:15pm, and Second Shift, 11:30am-8:00pm
Ability to work both independently and as part of a team to accomplish lab and production goals.
Strong work ethic, positive attitude, and a high level of professionalism.
Ability to perform under pressure and prioritize multiple demands.
Physical Demands
Ability to stand for long periods of time and do physically demanding work is required.
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. is required.
Willingness to work in an environment with high noise levels is required.
Willingness to occasionally work nights, weekends, or holidays as necessary is required.
Alcohol Responsibility – The candidate must fully understand that they are a representative of not only the company, but of the alcohol beverage industry. They are to conduct themselves within the limits of the law and with concern to the education of responsible consumption at all times. This includes working hours, trade shows, festivals and while entertaining in the name of the company or its affiliates. Any poor reflection or legal matters that may arise due to poor judgment may be dealt with by means of disciplinary action up to and including termination.
Work Environment
The Quality Technician will primarily perform work duties in a laboratory, with frequent trips to the production and warehouse areas. While performing the duties of the job, the Quality Technician is regularly exposed to a damp, wet environment with hot liquids, airborne particles, chemicals and moving machinery. There can be loud noise levels, and protective eyewear is required on the production floor at all times.
Disclaimer
This Job Description is only a summary of the typical functions of the job, not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks and duties.
Artisanal Brewing Ventures is an Equal Opportunity Employer.