Quality Assurance Technician

About ABARTA

ABARTA Coca-Cola Beverages is a family-owned company committed to being a visible, engaged partner to the customers and communities we serve. We value diversity and individuality and when you thrive, we thrive. ABARTA offers the perks of a large corporation with the personalized touch of a smaller company. We are a workplace that encourages sharing ideas in a supportive environment, growing professionally, maintaining a healthy work/life balance, and interacting with all levels of the organization. We would love for you to become a part of our family to help make our vision of Quenching the Thirst of Our Neighbors a reality!

Work Schedule:  Monday through Friday, starting at 5:30 AM.

Summary

The QA Laboratory Technician conducts qualitative and quantitative testing of beverages, syrups, water, packaging, and raw materials throughout the production process. This role supports product quality, food safety, regulatory compliance, water-treatment operations, microbiological testing, environmental monitoring, and accurate quality documentation.

Responsibilities

• Perform and document laboratory analyses of syrup, beverage, and water attributes according to approved procedures.
• Monitor and maintain the water treatment system to ensure water quality meets established production, food-safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct routine water-treatment testing and operational checks; document results and promptly report deviations.
• Perform microbiological testing of finished products, raw materials, water, environmental samples, and other applicable samples in accordance with approved procedures.
• Collect, prepare, incubate, evaluate, and document microbiological samples and test results.
• Conduct Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) activities, including collecting environmental swabs from designated production, equipment, and facility areas.
• Maintain EMP records, trend environmental-monitoring results, and communicate positive findings, adverse trends, or other concerns to QA leadership.
• Support investigation and corrective actions related to microbiological results, environmental-monitoring findings, and other quality deviations.
• Inspect and audit container rinsers, air blowers, filters, coding equipment, and other production-line systems to verify proper operation.
• Conduct package-quality inspections and routine quality audits throughout production.
• Identify, document, and isolate nonconforming product in accordance with site quality procedures.
• Receive, sample, inspect, and test carbon dioxide (CO₂), high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), nitrogen, and other incoming raw materials before production use.
• Complete SAP transactions accurately and on time, including raw-material receipts, quality holds, inspection results, inventory adjustments, product releases, and other assigned quality or production transactions.
• Maintain accurate laboratory records, inspection results, water-treatment logs, microbiological-test results, EMP documentation, SAP transactions, and corrective-action records.
• Follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), food-safety procedures, safety requirements, and quality-system standards.
• Maintain a clean, organized laboratory and production environment to help prevent microbial contamination.
• Communicate quality concerns, water-treatment deviations, microbiological findings, environmental-monitoring results, equipment issues, and out-of-specification results promptly to QA leadership and production personnel.
• Support continuous-improvement initiatives related to product quality, food safety, environmental monitoring, water use, and process performance.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in food science, chemistry, biology, microbiology, physical science, environmental science, or a related field preferred.
• One to three years of general work experience required; quality assurance, laboratory, microbiology, environmental monitoring, water treatment, food-and-beverage manufacturing, or industrial-production experience preferred.
• Ability to perform basic laboratory, water-quality, and microbiological testing; accurately record results; and follow written procedures.
• Experience conducting environmental monitoring, collecting swabs, or handling microbiological samples preferred.
• Experience using SAP or a comparable enterprise resource planning (ERP) system preferred.
• Working knowledge of GMPs, sanitation practices, food safety, microbiological controls, water-treatment principles, and quality-control processes preferred.
• Ability to read and understand Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) and safely handle laboratory chemicals and production materials.
• Ability to operate or learn manufacturing, laboratory, water-treatment, and quality-inspection equipment.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, problem-solving, data-entry, and communication skills.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-speed manufacturing environment.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, and occasionally lift materials as required by the position.

Additional Information