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JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

The Department of Food Science in the College of Agricultural Sciences is seeking a full-time Pilot Plant Research Technologist to manage the Wet and Dry pilot plants in the Food Science Building. The Pilot Plants support the teaching, research and service missions of the Food Science Department and are equipped with a range of sophisticated pilot-scale food processing equipment.

The successful candidate will work with minimal supervision and be responsible for all aspects of pilot plant operation and maintenance, will support teaching, research and outreach activities in the pilot plants, and work with all users of the pilot plant to schedule and execute projects.  The Pilot Plant Research Technologist will:

• Explain and demonstrate equipment capabilities to both internal and external users of the pilot plant and will train users in equipment operation. 

• Develop and implement systems to assure compliance with good manufacturing practices and will develop standard operating procedures and assure users are operating equipment safely. Working both independently and collaboratively, develop new funding sources, collect and analyze data, and prepare reports to sponsors and for publication. 

• Expected to write project proposals, implement the project, analyze the data collected and effectively report the results to sponsors. 

• Supervise wage employees and students. 

• Assist with planning and preparation for annual offerings of the Penn State Ice Cream Short Course and Ice Cream 101. 

The work will take place under the supervision of Dr. Robert Roberts, Professor and Head of the Food Science Department. This is a limited term position funded for one year from date of hire with excellent possibility of refunding. 

Education and Experience:

Minimum requirements include a bachelor’s degree or higher in a field such as Food Science, Agricultural Engineering or a related field and three or more years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. The candidate must have excellent written and oral communication skills; strong organization and administrative skills; excellent attention to detail; ability to take direction but can work independently and identify problem a