Quality Assurance Technician

Actalent; New Holland (Lancaster County); On-site; USD 28,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent in New Holland, PA is seeking a Quality Technician to test finished cream cheese products and ensure compliance with chemical and microbiological requirements. The role involves laboratory analyses on materials, in-process, and finished goods, equipment maintenance, and environmental monitoring to uphold safety and quality standards.

The second shift is based onsite with first-shift training; the role emphasizes teamwork with production and quality to drive continuous improvement in a

Qualifications

• 6+ months of QA experience in food manufacturing.
• Basic knowledge of SQF, FDA, USDA, PMO and customer safety requirements.
• Experience in QA within a laboratory or production environment.
• Foundational understanding of microbiology as it relates to testing and safety.
• Ability to perform chemical and physical tests (moisture, solids, fat, salt, pH).
• Proficiency in data entry into LIMS or similar systems.
• Capable of preventative maintenance and calibration checks on lab equipment.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to food safety.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced food manufacturing setting and follow procedures.

Responsibilities

• Test finished products for chemical and microbiological compliance with standards and legal requirements.
• Perform chemical and physical analyses on incoming, in-process, and finished products.
• Enter analytical data into LIMS and other databases promptly.
• Maintain laboratory testing equipment and perform calibrations.
• Support environmental monitoring by sampling surfaces, air, drains, and water.
• Record and trend microbiological data for quality monitoring.
• Collaborate with production and quality teams to address nonconformances.
• Adhere to safety, sanitation, and GMPs in the lab and plant.

Skills

Quality testing

SQF/FDA/USDA knowledge

Laboratory testing

LIMS data entry

Microbiology basics

Tools

LIMS software

Job description

Job Description

The Quality Technician tests finished cream cheese products to ensure they meet all chemical and microbiological requirements and comply with internal quality standards and legal regulations. This role performs a variety of laboratory analyses on incoming materials, in-process samples, and finished goods, maintains testing equipment, and supports environmental monitoring to help ensure safe, high-quality food products.

Job Title: Quality Technician

Job Description

The Quality Technician tests finished cream cheese products to ensure they meet all chemical and microbiological requirements and comply with internal quality standards and legal regulations. This role performs a variety of laboratory analyses on incoming materials, in-process, and finished product, maintains testing equipment, and supports environmental monitoring to help ensure safe, high-quality food products.

Responsibilities

• Test finished products to verify chemical and microbiological compliance with internal quality standards and applicable legal requirements.
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of SQF, FDA, USDA, PMO, and customer quality and safety requirements and apply these in daily testing activities.
• Perform chemical and physical analyses on incoming, in-process, and finished product, including but not limited to moisture, total solids, fat tests, salt, pH, residual oxygen, leak detection, and titratable acidity.
• Enter analytical data accurately and promptly into LIMS software and other relevant databases.
• Maintain laboratory testing equipment in proper working order by completing preventative maintenance, simple repairs, and calibration checks.
• Perform basic microbial plating, interpretation, and enumeration on in-process and finished product samples, as well as shelf-life retains.
• Record and trend microbiological data, ensuring accurate data entry and contributing to ongoing quality monitoring.
• Support the environmental monitoring program by collecting and testing surface, air, drain, hygiene, pathogen swabs (Zone 14), and water samples.
• Enter environmental monitoring results into the database and assist with trending and interpretation of data.
• Follow established quality control, quality assurance, inspection, and audit procedures to support food safety and regulatory compliance.
• Collaborate with production and quality teams to address nonconformances and support continuous improvement of food manufacturing processes.
• Adhere to all safety, sanitation, and good manufacturing practices within the food manufacturing environment.

Essential Skills

• At least 6 months of experience in a quality-related role such as quality assurance, quality control, quality inspecting, or quality auditing, ideally within food manufacturing.
• Basic working knowledge of SQF, FDA, USDA, PMO, and customer requirements related to food safety and quality.
• Experience in quality control within a laboratory or production environment.
• Foundational understanding of microbiology, biology, or food science as it relates to product testing and food safety.
• Ability to perform chemical and physical tests on food products, including moisture, total solids, fat, salt, pH, residual oxygen, leak detection, and titratable acidity.
• Ability to perform basic microbial plating, interpretation, and enumeration.
• Proficiency in accurate data entry into LIMS software or similar laboratory information systems.
• Capability to conduct preventative maintenance, simple repairs, and calibration checks on laboratory equipment.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to maintaining high quality and food safety standards.
• Ability to work effectively in a food manufacturing environment and follow established procedures and regulations.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience in microbiology, biology, or food science is highly beneficial.
• Experience in food manufacturing quality assurance, inspection, or auditing.
• Familiarity with environmental monitoring programs, including sampling of surfaces, air, drains, hygiene, pathogen zones, and water.
• Comfort working with data trending and basic analysis to support quality and environmental monitoring.
• Interest in career growth within a large, growing food company producing cream cheese and other products.
• Ability to collaborate with cross‑functional teams in production and quality.
• Strong organizational and time‑management skills to handle multiple tests and tasks during a shift.

Work Environment

This role is based in a food manufacturing environment focused on cream cheese production. Work is performed primarily in a plant and laboratory setting with exposure to production equipment, refrigerated areas, and standard food processing conditions. There is one opening on second shift, working Monday through Friday with occasional weekends as needed. The second shift schedule runs from 3:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., with initial training conducted on first shift from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for 23 weeks, depending on the candidate. The environment emphasizes adherence to food safety, sanitation, and quality standards, and offers the opportunity to contribute to a busy, growing operation with potential for advancement within a large organization.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of New Holland, PA.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $20.00 - $23.00/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)

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of New Holland, PA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Nov 13, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in New Holland,PA.

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.