About the Company
Advance American Labs (AAL) is a research, development and manufacturing facility in Stonecrest, GA, just outside Atlanta. The 40,000 sq ft site houses an R&D laboratory and a cGMP manufacturing floor under one roof and compounds, fills and packages hair and skin care products. The chemist who writes a formula and the technician who tests it work the same batch on the same day. AAL is an equal opportunity employer.
About the Job
The Quality Control Technician runs the wet test panel on raw materials and finished product (pH, viscosity, specific gravity, % solids, micro and fill weight) and performs the in-process and first-article checks on the production floor. The role owns the Quality Hold area, retains and the calibration schedule, documents deviations, and keeps records in Formulator and Excel. It also supports R&D with prototype records, batch adjustments, ingredient listings and label review.
There is no separate calibration group, micro lab, document control or regulatory department. Routine testing is done here by this person; challenge and safety testing go to contract labs. The job involves telling a chemist or production lead, face to face and within the hour, that a batch is out of specification, and holding it.
This is a full-time, non-exempt position reporting to the Lead, Quality Assurance. The technician floats between 1st and 2nd shift so that checks are covered on every production shift, including Saturdays as the production schedule requires. The role splits time between the lab and the production floor every day.
Daily Responsibilities
- Run the wet test panel on raw materials, in-process bulk and finished product: pH, viscosity, specific gravity, % solids, fill weight and routine micro
- Perform in-process and first-article checks on the floor; stop the line early when a first article fails
- Judge results against specification limits, place holds on non-conforming material and own the Quality Hold area
- Write deviation and non-conformance records as they happen: finding, quantity, lot, hold location, disposition and root cause
- Run the instrument calibration schedule; when a result comes back out of tolerance, review everything tested since the last good calibration
- Maintain retains and keep test and batch records current in Formulator and Excel
- Plate, incubate and read routine micro samples; prepare and send challenge and safety testing to contract labs
- Support R&D with prototype records, batch adjustments, ingredient listings, sensory assessment and label review
- Communicate out-of-spec findings directly to Production and R&D and follow them through to disposition
Requirements of the Role
- 2 or more years of hands-on wet-chemistry quality testing in a regulated manufacturing environment (personal care, cosmetics, food and beverage, nutraceutical, OTC or pharmaceutical)
- Has personally run pH, viscosity, specific gravity, % solids and fill-weight testing and can name the instruments and methods used
- Has written and signed at least one deviation or non-conformance record
- Able to evaluate individual units against specification limits, not lot averages
- Able to float between 1st and 2nd shift, including Saturdays and hours outside the standard schedule, as production requires
- Comfortable working on the production floor daily, not in a bench-only role
- Standing for up to 10 hours a day; lifting up to 30 lbs; occasional bending and squatting
- Able to work around fragrances, surfactants, solvents, heated processing and occasional hydroxides, and to wear a lab coat, safety glasses, gloves, safety shoes and hair/beard net
- Able to follow GMP hygiene and grooming standards (phones are not permitted in the lab or on the floor)
- Right to work in the U.S.
Additional Qualifications
- Degree or technical college credential in chemistry, laboratory technology or process technology
- Experience in cosmetic or personal care manufacturing, including cosmetic labeling and sensory assessment
- Experience owning a calibration schedule rather than assisting one
- Hands-on micro testing experience, including knowing what goes to a contract lab
- Experience supporting new-product introductions alongside R&D