Technical Operations Specialist

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the primary technical liaison between R&D and Manufacturing for new, revised, and transferred liquid products.
• Serve as the technical owner and subject matter expert for plant trials, process verification, and validation, establishing the systems, standards, and technical requirements needed to ensure robust and reproducible manufacturing processes in partnership with cross-functional teams.
• Translate laboratory formulas and pilot procedures into executable commercial processes, including equipment selection, ingredient order of addition, mixing and shear requirements, processing times, temperatures, in-process controls, hold points, transfer conditions, filtration, and filling parameters.
• Draft, review, and revise manufacturing directions, master manufacturing records, process specifications, SOPs, work instructions, setup guides, troubleshooting aids, and technical reports. Ensure instructions are clear, accurate, practical, and usable by floor personnel.
• Assess manufacturability and scale-up risk before production, including equipment capacity, mixing capability, heating and cooling, pumping, transfer, filtration, homogenization, deaeration, product hold time, and filling compatibility.
• Provide on-floor technical leadership during pilots, scale-up batches, engineering runs, first production lots, process changes, and investigations. Work directly with operators and supervisors while respecting established Quality and Manufacturing authority.
• Troubleshoot processing issues such as poor dissolution or dispersion, agglomeration, foaming, entrained air, sedimentation, separation, viscosity variation, pH or Brix variation, heat exposure, slow heating or cooling, filtration or transfer difficulty, product retention, yield loss, and inconsistent filling performance.
• Determine whether issues are primarily associated with formulation, raw materials, equipment, processing methods, environment, documentation, or execution, and coordinate the appropriate cross-functional response.
• As needed, develop and execute structured trials with defined objectives, variables, measurements, acceptance criteria, sampling requirements, and documented conclusions.
• Collect and evaluate batch data, process observations, in-process and finished-product results, cycle time, downtime, deviation history, yield, rework, and waste to identify improvement opportunities.
• Develop and implement process improvements that enhance first-time-right performance, consistency, throughput, yield, equipment utilization, and manufacturing reliability without compromising product quality or compliance.
• Provide technical support for deviations, nonconformances, yield discrepancies, rework evaluations, and root-cause investigations. Recommend corrective and preventive actions and evaluate effectiveness after implementation.
• Support R&D, Quality, and Purchasing in evaluating new or alternate raw materials when differences in solubility, dispersibility, viscosity, particle size, density, moisture, flavor, color, potency, or other attributes may affect processing.
• Partner with Engineering and Maintenance to evaluate equipment capabilities, operating limitations, setup improvements, and potential capital needs.
• Train manufacturing personnel on new or revised processes, critical steps, operating ranges, in-process controls, and product-specific risks. Capture operator feedback and incorporate approved improvements into documentation.
• Follow all applicable cGMPs, SOPs, safety procedures, sanitation requirements, change-control practices, and data-integrity expectations. Escalate safety, quality, compliance, or product-integrity concerns immediately.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Working knowledge of liquid compounding and filling operations in dietary supplements, foods, beverages, or a comparable regulated environment.
• Understanding of laboratory-to-commercial scale-up and liquid-processing operations, including mixing, high-shear dispersion, hydration, dissolution, heating, cooling, recirculation, homogenization, filtration, deaeration, transfer, holding, and filling.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and ability to understand how equipment configuration and operating conditions affect product quality and process performance.
• Demonstrated troubleshooting, structured problem-solving, root-cause analysis, and continuous-improvement skills.
• Ability to interpret technical formulation requirements and convert them into clear, controlled, and executable manufacturing instructions.
• Ability to perform calculations involving batch size, concentration, dilution, potency, percentages, ratios, yield, density, specific gravity, unit conversion, and the metric system.
• Strong technical writing, documentation, organization, data analysis, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, manage changing priorities, and collaborate effectively with operators, scientists, engineers, Quality personnel, and management.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and applicable manufacturing, quality, and document-management systems.
• English fluency required; bilingual English/Spanish capability preferred.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, food engineering, food science, chemistry, pharmaceutical science, manufacturing engineering, or a related technical field, with at least five years of relevant process engineering, technical operations, manufacturing support, scale-up, or commercialization experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in liquid dietary supplement manufacturing and filling, cGMP operations, manufacturing investigations, and new product commercialization is strongly preferred.
• Experience with vitamins, minerals, botanical extracts, suspensions, emulsions, oils, gums, fibers, proteins, flavors, colors, acids, sweeteners, preservatives, or other sensitive active ingredients is preferred.

PHYSICAL AND WORK ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to spend substantial time in laboratory, warehouse, processing, and manufacturing-floor environments and to stand or walk for extended periods.
• Ability to bend, reach, crouch, climb stairs or processing platforms, inspect equipment and transfer systems, and wear required personal protective equipment.
• Ability to work around operating machinery, wet-process areas, elevated noise, strong odors, cleaning chemicals, heated equipment, and hot or cold process conditions.
• Ability to safely lift or move materials and equipment within company-established limits and to work occasional early, late, or off-shift hours to support production activities.

DISCLAIMER

This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed and is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, or working conditions. Responsibilities may be modified and additional duties assigned based on business needs.