R&D Lab Specialist

Glanbia Nutritionals, Inc.; Downers Grove (IL); On-site; USD 26,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Prescription Drug Coverage

FSA

HSA

Life & Disability Insurance

19 Days Paid Time Off

6% 401K match

Job summary

Glanbia Nutritionals, Inc. in Downers Grove, Illinois, seeks a hands-on R&D Lab Support Technician to maintain an on-site laboratory environment and support scientists with materials handling, equipment readiness, and compliance for daily scientific work.

You will manage raw materials, assist with pilot and bench-scale activities, ensure safety, and coordinate testing logistics. Allergens are present; tasting may occur, requiring careful attention to detail and a strong service mindset.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience in laboratory, pilot plant, food, nutraceutical, or chemical environments.
• Strong working knowledge of inventory systems, laboratory equipment, sanitation practices, and safety standards.
• Ability to manage multiple operational tasks simultaneously with high attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Maintain R&D laboratory operations to ensure facilities, equipment, and materials are consistently prepared, organized, and compliant for daily scientific work.
• Manage raw material lifecycle including ordering, rush ordering, inventory accuracy, filling, labeling, storage, and proper disposal to minimize waste, delays, and compliance risk.
• Support pilot and bench-scale activities through equipment setup and teardown, sanitation, test batch execution and tracking, stability testing, and assistance with weigh-outs and sample preparation.
• Own equipment readiness including preventive maintenance coordination, calibration, basic troubleshooting, repair coordination, and documentation to ensure reliability and audit readiness.
• Execute and coordinate laboratory safety and compliance activities including hazardous waste disposal, safety shower audits, lab audits, purge and cleanup coordination, dust hazard mitigation, pest control sign-off, and lab coat programs.
• Serve as the primary R&D point of contact for shipping and receiving, third-party testing logistics, internal deliveries, and package handling to improve efficiency and reduce cost.

Skills

Lab operations

Inventory management

Sanitation and safety

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Associate’s Degree or Technical Certification

Job description

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Compensation for roles at Glanbia varies depending on a wide range of factors including but not limited to the specific office location, role, skill set and level of experience. Glanbia provides a reasonable range of compensation for roles that may be hired in Illinois. This range may not be applicable to other locations. The hourly rate for Illinois based employees for this role is starting at$23.00/hour.

Benefits Include: Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Drug Coverage, FSA, HSA, Life & Disability Insurance, 19 Days Paid Time Off and 6% 401K match!

Job Summary

The R&D Lab Support Technician plays a critical role in maintaining an “always-ready” research and development laboratory environment, enabling R&D Scientists and Developers to focus on high-value formulation, testing, and innovation activities. This position is responsible for end-to-end laboratory operational support, including raw material management, pilot and bench-scale equipment maintenance, sanitation, safety compliance, inventory control, and coordination of internal and external testing activities.

This role centralizes numerous currently fragmented lab responsibilities into a single accountable position, improving efficiency, compliance, cost control, and throughput across the R&D organization. The position is hands-on, on-site, making it well-suited for an experienced technical professional seeking impactful contribution without a traditional upward management track.

Note: This is a lab position where all food allergens (milk, soy, nuts, peanuts, wheat, egg, etc…) are present. This person will be involved in tasting a variety of product types and subsequently exposed to them.

Essential Functions

Duties and Responsibilities

Description

% of Time

Maintain R&D laboratory operations to ensure facilities, equipment, and materials are consistently prepared, organized, and compliant for daily scientific work.

20%

Manage raw material (RM) lifecycle including ordering, rush ordering, inventory accuracy, filling, labeling, storage, and proper disposal to minimize waste, delays, and compliance risk.

20%

Support pilot and bench-scale activities through equipment setup and teardown, sanitation, test batch execution and tracking, stability testing, and assistance with weigh-outs and sample preparation.

15%

Own equipment readiness including preventive maintenance coordination, calibration, basic troubleshooting, repair coordination, and documentation to ensure reliability and audit readiness.

15%

Execute and coordinate laboratory safety and compliance activities including hazardous waste disposal, safety shower audits, lab audits, purge and cleanup coordination, dust hazard mitigation, pest control sign-off, and lab coat programs.

15%

Serve as the primary R&D point of contact for shipping and receiving, third-party testing logistics, internal deliveries, and package handling to improve efficiency and reduce cost.

10%

Support sensory testing, sample creation for internal and external use, Food Process Engineering activities (flow, segregation, sampling), laboratory supply management, stocking, dishwashing schedules, common area upkeep, and general lab flow optimization.

5%

Decision Making/Problem Solving

• Prioritizes laboratory operational tasks daily to ensure R&D work is not delayed due to material, equipment, or facility readiness issues.
• Determines appropriate corrective actions for inventory discrepancies, sanitation gaps, and minor equipment issues without direct supervision.
• Coordinates and consolidates shipping, testing, and delivery activities to reduce cost, redundancy, and disruption to R&D staff.

Education

Min/Preferred

Field / Major

Minimum

High School Diploma or GED

Science, Manufacturing, or Technical discipline preferred

Preferred

Associate’s Degree or Technical Certification

Laboratory Technology, Food Science, Chemistry, or related field

Experience

Comments

1

N/A

Experience supporting laboratory, pilot plant, manufacturing, or technical operations environments

Other Experience/Skills

• Hands-on experience in laboratory, pilot plant, food, nutraceutical, or chemical environments.
• Strong working knowledge of inventory systems, laboratory equipment, sanitation practices, and safety standards.
• Ability to manage multiple operational tasks simultaneously with high attention to detail.
• Comfortable working cross-functionally with scientists, developers, safety teams, and external vendors.
• Practical problem-solver with a service-oriented mindset and strong organizational skills.

Physical Demands – Complete on all roles

The work is classified as Light - Medium Physical Demand Level (PDL) by the US Dept. of Labor’s Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Frequencies: Occasional (1-33%); Frequent (34-66%); Constant (67-100%)

Postural Demands

Demand Frequency

Standing Frequent

Walking Frequent

Lifting Demands (up to 50Lbs)

Demand Frequency Designation

Lift up to waist Frequent

Lift on up to shoulder Occasional

Lift on up to overhead Occasional

Carry on up to 25 feet Frequent

Carry on stairs Occasional

At Glanbia, we celebrate diversity, because we know that our individual strengths make us stronger together. We welcome and encourage interest from a wide variety of candidates, and we will give your application consideration, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

At Glanbia our culture will celebrate individuality, knowing that together we are more.