Student Technical Assistant - FST Pilot Plant

OSU Oregon State University; Corvallis (OR); On-site; USD 19,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

Oregon State University’s Department of Food Science and Technology is seeking a Student Technical Assistant to assist pilot plant operations, beverage production, and product development activities. The role emphasizes learning food safety, equipment setup, labeling, documentation, and cleaning; it offers hands-on experience in a real processing facility while supporting research projects.

This entry-level position is ideal for an enrolled undergraduate in FST, focusing on developing core

Qualifications

• Must be enrolled in an FST undergraduate degree program.
• Must be able to communicate effectively in English.
• Preferred: Demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Pilot Plant Manager with preparation for food processing projects, research trials, beverage production, and product development activities.
• Set up, stage, and organize equipment, ingredients, packaging materials, tools, and supplies for pilot plant operations.
• Assist with beverage manufacturing activities, including ingredient preparation, batching, filing, packaging, labeling, cleaning, and documentation.
• Clean and sanitize equipment, utensils, work surfaces, floors, drains, and other pilot plant areas before, during, and after processing activities.
• Assist with receiving, organizing, labeling, and storing ingredients, packaging materials, finished products, and research samples.

Skills

English communication

Detail oriented

Teamwork

Education

FST undergraduate degree program enrollment

Job description

Department: Food Science & Technology

This recruitment will be used to fill 1 part-time (maximum of 24 hours per week) Student Technical Assistant positions for the Department of Food Science and Technology at Oregon State University (OSU).

Be passionate about food: Ready to work hands‑on in a real food processing facility? This position supports a wide range of pilot‑scale food processing projects, including beverage manufacturing, product development trials, research projects, and small‑scale production activities.

Be ready to learn: This position involves many different skills, and prior experience is not required. Be ready to learn about food safety, personal safety, sanitation, equipment setup, beverage processing, pilot plant operations, basic documentation, and general facility maintenance.

Be sharp: Details matter in food processing. This position requires careful attention to setup, cleaning, labeling, record‑keeping, organization, and following instructions accurately.

Problem solving and clear communication are important parts of the work.

Be flexible: The food Pilot Plant is a fast‑paced, project‑based environment. Tasks may change from day to day depending on research needs, client projects, equipment availability, production schedules, and facility priorities.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability, protected veteran, and other protected status.

Criminal History Check Statement (CHC): This position is designated as a critical or security‑sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a Criminal History Check and be determined to be position qualified as per OSU Standard576–055–0000etseq. Incumbentsare required toself‑report convictions andthosein YouthProgramsmay haveadditionalCriminal History Checksevery2years.

Position Duties

• Assist the Pilot Plant Manager with preparation for food processing projects, research trials, beverage production, and product development activities.
• Set up, stage, and organize equipment, ingredients, packaging materials, tools, and supplies for pilot plant operations.
• Assist with beverage manufacturing activities, including ingredient preparation, batching, filing, packaging, labeling, cleaning, and documentation.
• Clean and sanitize equipment, utensils, work surfaces, floors, drains, and other pilot plant areas before, during, and after processing activities.
• Assist with receiving, organizing, labeling, and storing ingredients, packaging materials, finished products, and research samples.
• Assist with basic food quality checks, sample preparation, weighing, measuring, labeling, and other routine project support tasks.

Transferable Skill Development: OSU is committed to ensuring students are prepared for success after graduation through intentional skill development as student employees. The competencies students develop while working at OSU are defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) as the essential skills employers seek in their hires. In this position, students learn and build vital career‑readiness skills in the primary areas below: Communication, Critical Thinking, Technology.

Qualifications

Full Employment Eligibility Requirements can be found here: https://hr.oregonstate.edu/student-employment-manual/500-employment-eligibility-requirements

• Must be academically enrolled in a high school, community college, or university and pursuing a program or course of study.
• Must meet Academic Standing Requirements; students on academic suspension are not eligible for employment.
• Must meet the applicable minimal enrollment standard.
• High School student: Regularly enrolled in a high school or participating in a home‑schooling program.
• Undergraduate and post‑baccalaureate student: 6 credit hours per term.
• Undergraduate international student: 12 credit hours per term*.
• Graduate student officially admitted to Graduate School: 5 credit hours per term.
• Graduate international student officially admitted to Graduate School: 9 credit hours per term*.
• *International students may be allowed to carry fewer hours than specified above and still be considered “full‑time” by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). A reduced course load is approved by the Office of International Services (OIS), and must be provided to the Student Employment Center.

Required:

• Must be enrolled in an FST undergraduate degree program.
• The candidate must be able to communicate effectively in both written and oral English.

Preferred:

• Demonstratable commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity.

Working Conditions/Schedule:

• May require walking, standing, bending and stooping for extended periods.
• May require maneuvering and transporting heavy objects.
• May require working with or around chemicals, caustic compounds and hazardous materials used in research.

Anticipated Start Date: 2026-11-09

Working for Oregon State University

Working for Oregon State University is so much more than a job! Oregon State University is a dynamic community of dreamers, doers, problem‑solvers and change‑makers. We don’t wait for challenges to present themselves — we seek them out and take them on. We welcome students, faculty and staff from every background and perspective into a community where everyone feels seen and heard. We have deep‑rooted mindfulness for the natural world and all who depend on it, and together, we apply knowledge, tools and skills to build a better future for all.

Facts

• Top1.4% university in the world
• More research funding than all public universities in Oregon combined
• 1of 3 land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the U.S.
• 2 campuses, 11 colleges, 12 experiment stations, and Extension programs in all 36 counties
• 7 cultural resource centers that offer education, celebration and belonging for everyone
• 100+ undergraduate degree programs, 80+ graduate degrees plus hundreds of minor options and certificates
• 35k+ students including more than 2.3k international students and 10k students of color
• 217k+ alumni worldwide

For more interesting facts about OSU visit: https://oregonstate.edu/about

Locations: Oregon State has a statewide presence with campuses in Corvallis and Bend, the OSU Portland Center and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Pacific Coast in Newport. Oregon State’s beautiful, historic and state‑of‑the‑art main campus is located in one of America’s best college towns. Corvallis is located close to the Pacific Ocean, the Cascade mountains and Oregon wine country. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, this beautiful city offers miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a river perfect for boating or kayaking and an eclectic downtown featuring local cuisine, popular events and performances.

Total Rewards Package

• Medical, Dental, Vision and Basic Life.
• OSU pays 95% of premiums for you and your eligible dependents.
• Free confidential mental health and emotional support services, and counseling resources.
• Retirement savings paid by the university.
• A generous paid leave package, including holidays, vacation and sick leave.
• Tuition reduction benefits for you or your qualifying dependents at OSU or the additional six Oregon Public Universities.
• Robust Work Life programs including Dual Career assistance resources, flexible work arrangements, aFamily Resource Center, Affinity Groups and an Employee Assistance Program.
• Optional lifestyle benefits such as pet, accident, and critical care insurance, giving you peace of mind and the support you need to thrive in all aspects of your life.

Future and current OSU employees can use the Benefits Calculator to learn more about the full value of the benefits provided at OSU. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. At Oregon State University, no qualified person shall, solely by reason of disability, be denied access to, participation in, or the benefits of, any program or activity operated by the University. If requested, OSUwill provide reasonable accommodation to applicants in order to provide access to the application, interviewing and selection process. You are not required to note the presence of a disability on your application to receive an accommodation. Please request any reasonable accommodations for disability as early as possible in the application and search process. Requests may be directed to the hiring unit, or to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at (541) 737‑3556. See Request an Accommodation Procedures for the OSU policy.

Oregon State University, in compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, including TitleIX and its regulations, does not unlawfully discriminate and prohibits discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates, including in academic admissions and employment. The university prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin (including ancestry and ethnicity), citizenship, marital or family status, pregnancy or related conditions, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status / service in the uniformed service, or any other status protected by law or OSU policy. Inquiries about TitleIX may be referred to OSU’s TitleIX Coordinator, theU.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (link to https://ocrcas.ed.gov/contact-ocr), or both. OSU’s TitleIX Coordinator is the Executive Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (EOA). For information on OSU’s nondiscrimination policy and procedures, including how to report information about conduct that may constitute discrimination or make a complaint of sex discrimination under TitleIX, contact EOA by phone: 541‑737‑3556, email: [e-mail], mail/location: 330 Snell Hall, Corvallis OR 97331, or visitEOA’swebsite: eoa.oregonstate.edu.

Know Your Rights Oregon Family Leave Act: Department of Labor Family and Medical Leave Act: