Quality Technician

POSITION SUMMARY

The Quality Technician is responsible for supporting fish production, food safety, and operational excellence throughout the facility. This role enforces biosecurity practices, and production standards to help ensure fish health, personal wellness, product quality, and regulatory compliance.

The technician conducts routine inspections, collects and analyzes water quality, fish quality attributes, operational data, performs process verification activities, and identifies opportunities for continuous improvement. This position works closely with production teams to ensure standard operating procedures are followed consistently and provides training on food safety, sanitation, HACCP principles, SSOPs, and operational best practices.

A key responsibility of this role is supporting employee development through onboarding, hands-on training, and reinforcement of operational standards. The technician assists in developing training materials, conducts training sessions, verifies employee understanding and competency, and works with supervisors to identify and address training gaps. This position helps foster a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and adherence to established procedures throughout the facility.

The role also supports food safety and quality programs by conducting internal audits, environmental monitoring activities, product evaluations, and compliance checks aligned with HACCP plans, SSOPs, and other regulatory requirements. The technician maintains required records for traceability, communicates non-conformances and improvement opportunities to operational leadership, and assists with corrective action follow-up.

Success in this role requires strong attention to detail, effective communication skills, and the ability to work collaboratively across fish production, harvest, processing, and quality teams to promote fish welfare, food safety, operational consistency, employee development, and continuous improvement. Good time management skills are necessary to be successful.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS

• Education:

  • High School Diploma, required

  • General undergraduate coursework or equivalent, preferred

• Experience: Knowledge of laboratory sciences and having worked in a laboratory or related field, preferred

• Licenses or Certifications:

  • Driver’s License

POSITION DETAILS

• Status:

  • Full-Time

  • Non-Exempt

• Schedule Expectations:

  • Flexible and willing to work extended hours when necessary.

  • Participate in weekend rotations and holidays.

  • Located in remote/rural environment.

  Benefits:

  • 401(k)

  • Dental insurance

  • Employee assistance program

  • Employee discount

  • Health insurance

  • Health savings account

  • Life insurance

  • Paid time off

  • Relocation assistance

  • Vision insurance

• Location: Hixton, WI and Albany, IN

Job Functions

1. Collect and analyze water quality samples across the site.

2. Conduct fish quality sampling, including welfare indicators and flesh quality.

3. Conduct environmental sampling for common foodborne illness pathogens and trend data overtime to look for trends using swabbing and other applicable sampling techniques.

4. Maintain water quality standards in systems across the site, including well, treatment and drinking water.

5. Support blood sampling programs and related collection activities.

6. Prepare and ship samples of feed, water and fish for analysis at external labs.

7. Conduct water and fish sampling for off-flavor testing and coordinate submissions to external labs.

8. Facilitate audit preparations, ensuring documentation and practices meet standards and complete traceability exercises.

9. Support third-party audits including Safe Quality Food (SQF), DATCP and USDA Organic by preparing required documentation such as Approved Supplier Programs, Incoming Shipment Logs, equipment calibration records, product specification sheets, etc.

10. Conduct internal audits to aquacultural and food safety quality standards, HACCP plan audits, record any variances and report to appropriate management.

11. Conduct hazard assessments to identify and evaluate potential food safety and operational risks.

12. Facilitate training on various food safety and quality procedures to entire team.

13. Support NPDES (wastewater) permitting and potable drinking water systems.

14. Enter data into various databases and information collection systems. Examples being Excel, Mercatus and Whole Chain.

15. Ensure databases are maintained with timely and accurate data and information

16. Operate and maintain laboratory equipment including spectrophotometers and handheld sensors this includes routine cleaning, calibrations, and basic repairs related instruments.

17. Remain up to date with all certification standards held by the company

18. Track and trend data from the company’s FSQA/Lab program, communicate risks and participate in CAPA.

19. Create SOPs, work instructions and other job aids to support compliance and general operational standards

20. Maintain Superior Fresh knowledgebase of experiment records, relevant documents, articles, and consultant provided resources.

21. Identify areas for improvement and support business objectives with initiatives and projects as directed/approved by management.

22. Maintain confidentiality of proprietary systems and information with both internal and external groups. Exhibit a high degree of professionalism, in accordance with Superior Fresh’s core values.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Knowledge of basic lab equipment

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Microsoft Office competency

• Effective time management and organizational skills

• Data analysis

• Work with others as part of a team

• Analytical and problem-solving skills

• Attend onsite classes to understand the practices of Superior Fresh

• Perform under strong demands in a fast-paced environment