Quality & Lab Specialist

The posting, as Mezzetta wrote it

About Us

Since 1935, we’ve been on a mission to bring a little extra happiness to everyday life and inspire connections over food. We select the finest ingredients the world has to offer, craft premium products made with love, and never settle for shortcuts. We believe that when we share our food, we share a part of ourselves — and that’s the only way we’d put our name on it.

Today, our small family company has grown into a national leader in specialty olives, peppers, and sauces under the leadership of CEO Jeff Mezzetta, and our commitment to quality has never wavered. With an 80-year legacy behind us and a bright future ahead, we’re seeking passionate, driven candidates to help us bring our cherished family traditions to a new generation.

The ideal candidate will have an immediate connection to our Core Ingredients:

• Crunchy Crunchy: We are hungry for excellence.
• Own It: We think and act as an owner – with appetite, initiative, and responsibility.
• Connection: We build authentic relationships that foster trust and open communications.
• Vibrance: We come to work eager and passionate about fulfilling our vision. When we share our work, we share a part of who we are.

The Quality & Lab Specialist is a hands-on role responsible for the day-to-day technical integrity of the lab and supporting quality assurance activities on the plant floor. This position supports the QA Manager by conducting lab operations, State Release coordination, and instrumentation oversight, including calibration schedules, preventive maintenance, and test method review. The role applies strong technical lab expertise to resolve routine issues before they require escalation, helping ensure that company quality standards and applicable food safety regulations, including GMP, SQF, and HACCP requirements, are consistently met. This position is intended as the future Quality & Lab Manager, with future responsibility for managing direct and/or cross-functional resources as the role and department needs evolve. This role may require working on a Saturday and/or other non-regular hours, based on business needs.

Responsibilities

• Conduct day-to-day lab operations and State Release coordination, including review of analytical test results, sample handling, lab documentation, and release decisions, resolving routine issues before they require escalation.
• Coordinate product release from State positive release, ensuring all required lab results and documentation are reviewed and verified prior to release; support the product Hold program, including tracking, dispositioning, and timely resolution of held product.
• Assess lab instrumentation performance and maintain the calibration schedule for all lab equipment, ensuring instruments are qualified, calibrated, and maintained to specification and that records are audit-ready.
• Review test methods and lab procedures on a regular cadence for accuracy, regulatory alignment, and consistency with current GMP, SQF, and

[…]
low-acid and acidified food regulations (21 CFR 113/114) and process control requirements for thermally processed foods highly preferred

• Must be flexible to work on a Saturday and/or other non-regular hours, based on business needs.

Work Environment Information

• Combination food-manufacturing plant and laboratory setting, with regular movement between a climate-controlled lab and an active production floor.
• Exposure to varying temperatures, including cold storage/processing areas and hot thermal-processing zones, as well as elevated noise levels from plant equipment.
• Required use of PPE (hairnet/beard net, safety glasses, closed-toe non-slip shoes, and lab coat where applicable) and adherence to GMP food-safety gowning and hygiene protocols.
• Occasional exposure to lab reagents, cleaning/sanitation chemicals, and food allergens present in the facility.
• Extended periods of standing, walking, and light lifting (e.g., sample handling, lab equipment) throughout a shift.
• Schedule flexibility required to support lab and quality needs across shifts, including occasional early morning, evening, or weekend support for urgent quality/hold issues.

Pay Range
$38.50 — $43.30 USD

Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace

At Mezzetta, we embrace diversity and strive to create an inclusive environment where you know you belong. Part of that commitment includes a zero-tolerance policy and being an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions at Mezzetta are solely based on merit, qualifications, abilities and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, national origin, disability, military or veteran status, family or parental status, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law. All of us share in the responsibility of fulfilling this commitment and creating a culture where our team can thrive.