Pilot Plant Worker

Actalent; Tennessee; On-site; USD 20,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401(k) plan

Life insurance

Disability benefits

HSA

Transportation benefits

Time off

Job summary

Actalent is hiring a Pilot Plant Worker in Thompson's Station, TN to support production in a clean manufacturing environment for pet food products. The role emphasizes sanitation, basic manufacturing tasks, and assisting compounder operators with daily operations.

You will handle raw materials, perform basic lab sampling, weigh ingredients, and prepare items for the dry ingredients area. Training will cover forklift operation, safety procedures, and collaboration with the pilot plant and

Qualifications

• Minimum experience in manufacturing and/or sanitation in a production or warehouse environment.
• Ability to perform thorough cleaning and sanitizing of equipment, floors, walls, and production areas.
• Capability to handle raw animal products such as livers, chicken, and beef scrap while following safety and hygiene protocols.
• Basic skills in weighing materials and accurately recording data for production and quality purposes.
• Comfort working in a facility that produces pet food, including exposure to strong food-related smells during production runs.
• Ability to perform basic computer data entry for recording inbound materials and inventory information.
• Willingness and ability to learn forklift operation and follow safe material handling practices.
• Capacity to support mixer and blending operations, including handling dry ingredients and assisting machine operators.
• Attention to detail and adherence to quality and sanitation standards in a manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Perform extensive cleaning and sanitizing of floors, machines, walls, components, and other production areas to maintain a clean room manufacturing environment.
• Assist advanced-level compounder operators with daily production operations, following established procedures and safety guidelines.
• Mix cleaning solutions according to instructions and sanitize machines between production runs to ensure proper hygiene and equipment readiness.
• Handle and stage raw materials and ingredients such as whey, protein, corn, flour, liver, chicken, and beef scrap for use in production.
• Weigh materials accurately and record sample data to support quality and production tracking requirements.
• Conduct basic lab sampling and pulling of product and ingredient samples and transport them between the pilot plant and the analytical lab area.
• Receive dry ingredients and other materials inbound into the Dry Ingredients area and record receipts using a computer system.
• Assist with warehouse activities, including organizing and moving incoming pallets and materials as needed.
• Train on and safely operate a forklift to move pallets and materials within the facility once training completed.
• Support mixer and blending operations by preparing ingredients, monitoring processes, and communicating any issues to operators.
• Follow all quality, sanitation, and safety procedures and report any deviations or hazards to appropriate personnel.
• Collaborate with team members to ensure smooth production runs and timely completion of cleaning and material handling tasks.

Skills

Manufacturing experience

Sanitation

Material handling

Forklift operation

Data entry

Attention to detail

Collaboration

Quality standards

Tools

Forklift

Job description

Job Title: Pilot Plant Worker

The Pilot Plant Worker supports production in a clean manufacturing environment that produces dog and cat food and treats. This role focuses on sanitation, basic manufacturing tasks, and assisting compounder operators with daily operations, including handling raw materials, performing basic lab sampling, and supporting dry ingredient receiving and recording.

Responsibilities

• Perform extensive cleaning and sanitizing of floors, machines, walls, components, and other production areas to maintain a clean room manufacturing environment.
• Assist advanced-level compounder operators with daily production operations, following established procedures and safety guidelines.
• Mix cleaning solutions according to instructions and sanitize machines between production runs to ensure proper hygiene and equipment readiness.
• Handle and stage raw materials and ingredients such as whey, protein, corn, flour, liver, chicken, and beef scrap for use in production.
• Weigh materials accurately and record sample data to support quality and production tracking requirements.
• Conduct basic lab sampling and pulling of product and ingredient samples and transport them between the pilot plant and the analytical lab area.
• Receive dry ingredients and other materials inbound into the Dry Ingredients area and record receipts using a computer system.
• Assist with warehouse activities, including organizing and moving incoming pallets and materials as needed.
• Train on and safely operate a forklift to move pallets and materials within the facility once training is completed.
• Support mixer and blending operations by preparing ingredients, monitoring processes, and communicating any issues to operators.
• Follow all quality, sanitation, and safety procedures and report any deviations or hazards to appropriate personnel.
• Collaborate with team members to ensure smooth production runs and timely completion of cleaning and material handling tasks.

Essential Skills

• Minimum experience in manufacturing and/or sanitation in a production or warehouse environment.
• Ability to perform thorough cleaning and sanitizing of equipment, floors, walls, and production areas.
• Capability to handle raw animal products such as livers, chicken, and beef scrap while following safety and hygiene protocols.
• Basic skills in weighing materials and accurately recording data for production and quality purposes.
• Comfort working in a facility that produces pet food, including exposure to strong food-related smells during production runs.
• Ability to perform basic computer data entry for recording inbound materials and inventory information.
• Willingness and ability to learn forklift operation and follow safe material handling practices.
• Capacity to support mixer and blending operations, including handling dry ingredients and assisting machine operators.
• Attention to detail and adherence to quality and sanitation standards in a manufacturing environment.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in production, manufacturing, or warehouse settings, especially involving food or ingredient handling.
• Background in mixer or blending operations, including working as a mixer operator or blending operator.
• Experience with dry ingredient handling, weighing materials, and documenting inventory or production data.
• Familiarity with machine operation, quality checks, and sanitation procedures in a manufacturing environment.
• Ability to work collaboratively with compounder operators, machine operators, and lab staff to support pilot plant activities.

Work Environment

The role is based in a clean manufacturing facility that produces dog and cat food and treats, with a strong pet food smell present during most production runs. The environment is a clean room setting, but requires frequent and thorough cleaning and sanitizing of floors, equipment, walls, and other surfaces. Work includes handling raw animal products such as livers, chicken, and beef scrap, and occasionally working in a freezer area where jackets and warm gear are provided. The position involves time in production areas, dry ingredient receiving, warehouse spaces, and movement between the pilot plant and analytical lab. Team members follow established sanitation, quality, and safety procedures and use equipment such as mixers, blending machines, and forklifts once trained.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Thompson's Station, TN.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $18.00 - $18.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Workplace Type This is a fully onsite position in Thompson's Station,TN. Application Deadline This position is anticipated to close on Sep 24, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.