Quality Manager – Aemetis Advanced Fuels Keyes, Inc.

JOB SUMMARY

The Quality Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of all activities associated with the laboratory as well as facilitating the transfer of all incoming and outgoing data from the facility to third party laboratories. The team member in this position monitors plant operations and final product quality via laboratory data and ensures maximum production quantity and final product quality while following procedures relating to production and safety of the plant. The Quality Manager plays a lead role in monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing the fermentation process. The Quality Manager also oversees all quality certification/accreditation programs and is responsible for maintaining the facilities certification status to all quality programs and local, state, and federal regulations.

MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Effectively lead your team by informing, orienting, and training team members. Leadership responsibilities also include delegation, coaching and performance management, and career development to effectively execute departmental strategies and support company objectives.
• Manage all aspects of quality control in the laboratory.
• Be accountable for laboratory team members and lab work that is completed to include sampling procedures and reported results.
• Ensure team members are trained in all aspects of existing laboratory procedures.
• Establish testing protocols that ensure tests can be reproduced with accurate results.
• Ensure compliance with all city, county, state, and federal regulations applicable to laboratory functions.
• Assist in optimizing plant runtime as well as downtime by ensuring a quality end product through support of laboratory operations and sample analyses.
• Manage quality control on all final products.
• Ensure all QC Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), both laboratory and product, are up to date and followed.
• Communicate discrepancies with product quality to the appropriate management team.
• Optimize ingredient usage and yield and maximize the efficiency of the fermentation process by reviewing and analyzing data. This includes working closely with vendors to insure proper safe use and application of critical chemicals used in our processes (i.e. enzymes, antibiotics, yeasts, etc.).
• Monitor fermentation and provide data/reports to the management team to help troubleshoot and optimize the fermentation process.
• Work with operations and management on special testing and research requests.
• Maintain and enforce all laboratory safety programs and procedures.
• Oversee water testing results.
• Ensure quality assurance testing on supporting laboratory equipment is conducted at the required frequency as established by SOP’s.
• Prepare annual budget and manage cost control for the laboratory department.
• Present capital request justifications to management.
• Communicate production and laboratory performance results to the plant team and senior management.
• Ensure ongoing certification to the Fuel Ethanol Quality Assurance Program (EQA).
• Ensure ongoing certification to the FSMA/AFQA program.
• Always promote a culture of safe behavior and environmental compliance.
• Always maintain and promote a team environment.
• Advance Plant excellence through new initiatives and industry best practices.

STRENGTHS OF A SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biology or related science required.
• 3 years lab experience required (minimum).
• Experience in lab operations with a strong background in lab quality control and standard lab practices required. Experience and knowledge of fermentation process preferred.
• Good oral and written communication skills to competently articulate laboratory information and observations
• Prior experience with managing quality programs preferred.
• Prior HPLC, IC and NIR experience preferred.
• Excellent organizational, time management, and communications skills as well as the ability to adapt to change.
• Proficiency in MS Word and Excel.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• This position is largely self-directed and requires an understanding of company policy, procedures, and values. Team members will be required to adhere to all safety requirements in all work environments. This position operates in multiple work environments, including a plant industrial environment, a laboratory environment as well as an office environment. In the lab, the team member will work with a range of analytical instrumentation,