Manager, Nutritional Lab & Analytical Chemist

Who We Are

At Freshpet, our goal is to change the way people nourish their pets forever.  We strive to strengthen the bond between people and our pets so that we both live longer, healthier, and happier lives while being kind to the planet. We believe that if we can create fresh, real foods that pets love and help them live healthier lives that their pet parents will also enjoy the many benefits of a rich life shared with a pet.

We started off with a mission to change the way pet parents feed dogs and cats, but we also wanted to be a company that had a thoughtful approach to how we operate. We wanted to do things differently, make great products but be gentle to the planet, good to the people who touch our business, and leave a positive impact with everything we do. We work hard every day to ensure that the original vision is met, starting with making the highest quality foods in our kitchens to running our business with integrity, transparency, and social and environmental responsibility.  IT’S AMAZING WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU START COMPLETELY FRESH!

What You Will Do

As the Manager of the Nutritional Lab and Analytical Chemist, you will be responsible for developing new analytical methods to help measure nutrients and product attributes to drive continuous improvement activities within the nutritional lab.

How You Will Make An Impact

• Organize and maintain a sanitary and safe Nutritional Lab plus clean work environment
• Calibrate and maintain laboratory instruments. Prepare and calibrate reagents
• Ensure that necessary laboratory supplies and equipment are available
• Prepare samples to perform analyses of products/ingredients as well as data entry
• Conduct analysis (proximate, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, TDF, fatty acid profiles…)
• Organize workload of laboratory team according to business priorities
• Deliver verified analytical results in a timely manner
• Assists with equipment upgrades, new equipment needs, and scheduling 3^rd party support and maintenance of existing equipment
• May at times be required to travel (0-30%) to various training programs, test runs, co-packers or suppliers. Travel mileage and meals will be compensated
• Maintain abreast of relevant laboratory methodology and technology to keep business competitive and support innovation  
• Manage calibration programs for testing equipment, as well as organize any correlation studies with suppliers or co-manufacturers required to develop strong calibrations 
• Support R&D and QA activities related to ingredient and product testing for improvement and specification development, as well as new product development activities 
• Support analytical equipment troubleshooting and liaise with equipment manufacturers as required 
• Assist with consumer complaint investigations 
• Drive continuous improvement activities in sampling and testing programs
• Responsible for managing, training, and personal development of Lab personnel
• Assume additional related responsibilities, as necessary

What You Will Bring

• Bachelor’s or master’s Degree in science-related field (i.e. Food Science, Chemistry), Ph.D. preferred, plus 5 years minimum industry experience working in Food Safety/Quality Systems, in food or pet food manufacturing
• Minimum 5 years of experience in food/pet food analyses required
• General good laboratory practices experience
• Prior R&D innovation and QA experience
• Knowledge of Food chemistry and pet food label regulations 
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and capacity to multitask efficiently
• Ability to work in a team and adapt to dynamic work environment
• Ability to interact effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization
• Responds well to changing project priorities
• Independently carry out assignments and review data for accuracy and trends and communicate any concerns
• Able to work with fresh raw meats and other food ingredients 
• Physically capable of handling or transporting heavy boxes and/or ingredients (up to 40 lbs.) 
• Must have car to be able to ship/collect samples
• Must be able to withstand some occasional cold temperature (40° F), when needed to sort out products in refrigerator (max 3 hours)
• Advanced skills working with quality systems and software programs supporting quality programs (LIMS)
• Strong critical thinking 
• Understanding, compliance, and enforcement of food Good Manufacturing Practices 
• Able to work independently with little direct supervision
• Good interpersonal and communication skills 
• Familiarity with government regulations
• Sound ethics
• People management skills

What We Offer

At Freshpet, we offer a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package, including medical, dental and vision insurance, basic and optional life insurance, short- and long-term disability protection, flexible spending accounts, and a 401(k) plan with company match, paid parental leave, pet insurance, tuition assistance, a generous PTO plan and so much more!

Our Commitment to a Diverse Workforce:

At Freshpet, we embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, sex, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique. 

Freshpet aims to foster, cultivate and preserve a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our employees are our most valuable assets. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and company’s achievement as well. Freshpet is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  

Disclaimers

We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas.

Freshpet is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Freshpet via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of Freshpet. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Freshpet as a result of the referral or through other means.

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