Quality Technician

About Us:

Valent BioSciences LLC is a global leader in the research, development, and production of biorational products that support agriculture, public health, and forestry. With over 60 years of experience, our innovative solutions are used in sustainable practices across more than 95 countries. Our mission is to enhance plant quality, productivity, and long-term sustainability. Valent BioSciences is also the parent company of Mycorrhizal Applications LLC, the industry's leading supplier of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi-based products.

Mycorrhizal Applications (MA) is at the forefront of microbial-based technologies that help growers and land stewards improve soil health and plant performance. As the world's leading producer of mycorrhizal soil inoculants, MA provides science-backed, sustainable solutions to the agriculture, horticulture, landscaping, and forestry industries. To meet growing global demand, Valent BioSciences and MA are expanding operations to White City, Oregon, with a brand-new, first-of-its-kind facility dedicated to the production of mycorrhizal fungi. This expansion represents an exciting opportunity to join a company committed to innovation, environmental stewardship, and the future of sustainable agriculture.

General Description:

The Quality Technician supports the company's quality assurance functions with a focus on maintaining and enhancing quality compliance. The primary responsibility of this role is to perform quality inspections on raw materials and finished products used or produced by Mycorrhizal Applications (MA). The Quality Technician works collaboratively across multiple departments within MA and regularly interacts with teams from other Valent Group Companies to support company-wide quality initiatives. This position develops and enforces internal compliance programs to meet legal and industry best practices. The Quality Technician applies knowledge of all products while adhering to environmental regulations and all safety protocols.

Principal Responsibilities:

• Support the MA Quality team with laboratory sample preparation, analysis, and accurate data reporting.
• Perform quality analysis of Finished Goods (FG) and Raw Materials (RM) used in the production of MA products.
• Assist in the review and evaluation of new formulations and raw materials for potential use in MA manufacturing.
• Design, prepare, and execute experiments on FG and RM as required.
• Record and report analytical results in QMS databases with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Contribute to efforts aimed at ensuring maximum customer satisfaction with Finished Goods.
• Coordinate with third-party laboratories and affiliates to obtain and maintain required lab tests and efficacy studies in support of Quality and Regulatory requirements.
• Support the expansion of Quality Programs by increasing inspection frequency for both FG and RM.
• Assist Manufacturing, Quality, and Regulatory teams with corrective and preventive action (CAPA) projects and participate in internal and external audits.
• Conduct pre-production startup inspections, including visual checks and environmental swabbing.
• Monitor and support Environmental and ATP programs by data collection, monitoring, and trending.
• Participate in root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective actions (CA).
• Perform titration of CIP (Clean-In-Place) solutions to verify detergent and sanitizer concentrations.
• Carry out routine plant GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) inspections to ensure compliance with quality standards.
• Assist with ongoing training of operations teams.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Soil Biology, Mycology, Microbiology, Plant Pathology, Agronomy, Horticulture, or a related scientific field.
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant laboratory experience, preferably in quality control or quality assurance, microbiology, or analytical testing environment and/or experience in quality compliance programs.

What We Offer:

You'll enjoy competitive compensation, consisting of base pay plus an incentive program available to all eligible full-time employees, and a comprehensive benefits package including high-quality healthcare options, 401k matching, life and disability insurance, generous time off (with time off to volunteer) and much more

We work together to power our sustainable future. Here's what drives us: Valent North America LLC has a strong commitment to both sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). In fact, being a responsible corporate citizen has been ingrained in our culture since the company's founding. Today, it remains at the forefront of everything we do.

• Valent North America LLC is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation and/or identity, national origin, citizenship, immigration status, disabilities, or protected veteran status.