Microbiologist

Key Responsibilities

• Routine testing — Perform routine micro testing — aerobic / total plate count, yeast and mold, coliforms / E. coli, Enterobacteriaceae, and other indicator organisms.
• Pathogen testing — Conduct pathogen screening and confirmation (e.g., Salmonella, Listeria) per validated methods.
• Media & technique — Prepare and QC culture media, reagents, and controls; maintain strict aseptic technique and sterility.
• Lab instrumentation — Operate and maintain micro lab equipment — incubators, autoclaves, biosafety cabinet, and plate-reading or rapid-detection systems.
• Method support — Support method verification / validation and the onboarding of rapid microbiological methods.

Environmental Monitoring & Sanitation Verification

• Environmental monitoring — Execute the environmental monitoring program (EMP): zone-based swabbing and sampling, ATP, and air, water, and utility monitoring.
• Sanitation verification — Verify sanitation effectiveness (post-CIP / COP, hygienic zoning) and support the plant hygiene and sanitation program.
• Trending — Trend EMP and verification data to identify hot spots and emerging microbiological risks.

Investigations, Data & Compliance

• Investigations — Investigate out-of-specification (OOS) and atypical results; lead micro root-cause analysis and support corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Data & reporting — Record and trend data in LIMS and generate periodic microbiological reports and dashboards.
• Documentation — Maintain GLP / GMP documentation, sample chain-of-custody, and retains with full data integrity.
• Audit support — Support GMP, FSMA, HACCP, and GFSI (SQF / BRC) audits and customer and regulatory requests.
• Standards — Contribute to microbiological specifications, sampling plans, and SOPs.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. in Microbiology, Biology, Food Science, or a closely related discipline.
• 3+ years of microbiology experience in a food, beverage, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, or related manufacturing QC laboratory.
• Hands-on expertise in microbiological methods (enumeration, indicator organisms, pathogen screening) and aseptic technique.
• Experience executing and trending environmental monitoring programs.
• Strong documentation, data-integrity, and GMP / food-safety knowledge.
• Familiarity with LIMS and data trending.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. in Microbiology or a related field.
• Experience in fermentation / bioprocess or natural-ingredient manufacturing.
• Rapid microbiological methods (PCR / qPCR, automated detection systems) and method validation.
• HACCP or PCQI certification and GFSI scheme experience.
• Experience supporting CIP / sanitation verification programs.