Day shift Dry Production Operator

Balchem Corp.; Faribault (MN); On-site; USD 25,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Balchem Corporation is seeking a production operator for a 6pm–6am rotating shift in Minnesota. You will set up and operate machines to mix, blend or agglomerate materials in a safe, clean environment and participate in GMP and food-safety practices.

Responsibilities include monitoring equipment, recording data, and supporting continuous improvement while maintaining quality and safety standards. A boiler license within first year is required; forklift certification is a plus.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• 1-4 years related experience preferred.
• Special Boiler License Level 3 within first year.
• Basic math skills required.
• Reliable with strong communication and safety focus.
• Willingness to learn and adapt in a fast-paced production environment.

Responsibilities

• Set up, operate, clean, or tend machines to mix, blend or agglomerate materials.
• Follow all PPE, safety, GMP, and food safety procedures.
• Perform daily GMP audits and safety audits.
• Maintain cleanliness and record production data.
• Meet production and quality standards on a rotating 6pm–6am schedule.

Skills

Safety awareness

Teamwork

Attention to detail

Basic math

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Boiler license Level 3 within first year

Tools

Forklift certification

Job description

Set up, operate, clean, or tend machines to mix, blend or agglomerate materials such as food grade chemicals, liquids, or color pigments. This position is scheduled 6pm to 6am on a rotating schedule. Pay is $22.00 per hour.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Responsible for performing all job requirements in a safe manner using the proper PPE and being a proactive safety role model with co-workers
• Responsible for correcting/reporting unsafe behaviors or equipment to ensure a safe working environment
• Responsible for cleanliness within the work department
• Perform safety audits
• Complete and maintain all safety training
• Follow all Food safety practices and processes applicable to the department
• Perform/execute job duties keeping the company’s commitment to quality in mind
• Monitor and maintain all food safety activities as part of daily tasks
• Enforce food safety plan while producing product
• Perform daily GMP audits
• Level 1
  • Add or mix chemicals and ingredients for processing, using hand tools or other devices
  • Examine materials, ingredients, or products visually in order to ensure conformance to established standards
  • Observe production and monitor equipment to ensure safe and efficient operation
  • Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, and products to ensure conformance to requirements
  • Clean and maintain equipment, using hand tools; display proper use of hand tools
  • Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory testing
  • Record operational and production data accurately on specified forms
  • Test samples of materials or products to ensure compliance with specifications, using test equipment
  • Transfer materials, supplies, and product between work areas, using moving equipment and hand tools
  • General understanding of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s)
  • Understand location of fire stations and first aid kits
  • Understand wet clean and dry clean procedures
  • Read and understand product specification sheets and testing requirements
  • Forklift certified by video and written test
  • Understand item key format
  • Must be able to write legibly and perform simple math using a calculator
  • Communicate and work with other departments
  • Attend scheduled meetings
  • General understanding of SQF, Dietary Supplement, and MMR process
  • Must be able to fill out Maintenance Work Orders
  • Understand Lock-Out/Tag-Out requirements
  • Displayed comprehension of the agglomeration and encapsulation understanding
  • Display positive attitude
• Level 2
  • Consistently meet and exceed production and cleanup standards
  • Ability to set up and start up a machine after a cleanup
  • Lead a co-worker in a wet and dry clean up or kosher
  • Ability to identify and resolve basic processing issues
  • Assist in training new employees
  • Ability to identify and correct safety and GMP violations
  • Ensuring compliance with company policies and procedures
  • Participation in physical inventories and preparation of customer audits and third-party audits
  • Basic computer skills
  • Ability to perform operator PM
• Level 3
• Assist Technical Service Group with scale-ups and customer trials
• Demonstrate flexibility to cross train in other departments within the company
• Demonstrate willingness to work on other shifts if needed
• Ability to adjust batch size
• Ability to print pick list and pallet tags
• Ability to fill in for the Lead position
• Ability to perform material reconciliations
• Participation in meetings such as Supervisor Meetings and CAPA Meetings
• Ability to close Final Reports
• Assist and participate in any Continuous Improvement Meetings and Group Projects
• All Levels
  • Initiate and support continuous improvement and elimination of waste and variation in processes using established improvement processes
  • Must develop cooperative relationships with co-workers and other departments
  • Display positive attitude and work cooperatively with co-workers as well as other departments
  • All other duties as necessary to the success of Balchem Corporation

REQUIREMENTS

• High School Diploma or GED required
• 1-4 years related experience preferred
• Special Boiler License within first year-Level 3
• Basic Math skills required
• Accurate – Ability to perform work accurately and thoroughly
• Customer Oriented – Ability to take care of the customers’ needs while following company procedures
• Accountability – Ability to accept responsibility and account for his/her actions
• Communication, Oral – Ability to communicate effectively with others using spoken word
• Communication Written – Ability to communicate in writing clearly and concisely
• Reliable – The trait of being dependable and trustworthy
• Ability and willingness to learn, understand, and follow documented work procedures
• Demonstrated ability to function in a fast-paced environment while moving multiple simultaneous projects forward

WORKING CONDITIONS

• While performing the functions of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear
• The employee is occasionally required to kneel, crouch, crawl, bend, ascend and descend stairs and/or ladders
• The employee is frequently required to use hands and fingers to feel, handle, or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms
• The employee may consistently lift and/or move up to 50+ pounds
• Vision requirements include close vision, depth perception, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus
• This job is performed in a production environment in a manufacturing location
• The noise level in the plant is moderate to loud
• There will be exposure to machine noise and food dust when in the plant
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works near moving mechanical parts and with or around various chemicals
• The employee is occasionally exposed to vibration and risk of electric shock
• Production environment includes varying temperatures (heat, cold and moisture)
• While performing certain job duties, employees may be exposed to allergens of the industry such as eggs, wheat, peanuts, dairy products, tree nuts, and soy products, as well as latex and powders
• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job; reasonable accommodations may be made to allow individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

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Balchem is committed to a workplace culture that values and promotes diversity, inclusion, equal employment opportunities, and a work environment free of harassment and hostility.

Balchem Corporation, and its subsidiaries, offers a competitive salary and benefits package and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.