Lab Operations Jobs in Portland, OR (NOW HIRING)

Company Description

Chaucer specializes in providing high-quality ingredients, products, and solutions, with a strong focus on innovation and superior customer service. We are industry leaders in producing freeze-dried fruits with our products sold in retail stores across the USA. Collaborating with top food manufacturers and retailers globally. With production facilities in the UK, USA, France, and China, we ensure consistent product quality, flexibility, and global reach. Our experienced teams are committed to excellence, complying with the highest global manufacturing and food safety standards.

The R&D Lab Technologist is responsible for the scientific, operational, and procedural integrity of the R&D laboratory. This role ensures that laboratory and pilot‑scale activities supporting New Product Development are executed using sound scientific practices, clear standardization, and disciplined documentation.

The R&D Lab Technologist owns laboratory execution and systems. The role combines hands‑on laboratory and production experience with accountability for creating standard laboratory practices, drafting and maintaining SOPs, and ensuring lab work is conducted in a consistent, professional, and defensible manner. The position supports product developers by enabling reliable sample generation, trial execution, and data collection.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish, document, and maintain standard laboratory practices that ensure repeatability, data integrity, and professional execution that will meet professional standards for scientific rigor, traceability, and audit readiness.
• Organize, summarize, and analyze laboratory data to support technical review, reproducibility, and informed decision‑making.
• Draft, maintain, and improve laboratory SOPs in collaboration with the NPD Manager and Product Development, covering equipment operation, sample preparation, analytical testing, cleaning, safety, and documentation.
• Maintain the laboratory in an organized, compliant, and audit‑ready condition through disciplined execution of standard practices.
• Prepare and fulfill new product development customer samples according to defined protocols and project requirements.
• Operate the R&D Dryer and support associated laboratory workflows.
• Coordinate and support laboratory, pilot, and production trials alongside product developers, ensuring readiness of materials, equipment, and documentation.
• Ensure observations, data, and laboratory records are accurately captured and that R&D logs are maintained to a high standard.
• Conduct shelf‑life studies and internal sensory evaluations using standardized scientific methods and protocols.
• Execute required analytical testing and ensure results are accurate and consistently documented.
• Maintain organized records to support technical review and decision‑making.
• Support data integrity, version control, and traceability across laboratory records, logs, and test results.
• Ensure laboratory documentation practices are consistent with established procedures and support reproducibility and audit readiness.
• Support operational readiness of R&D laboratory and pilot equipment, including routine upkeep, coordination of maintenance, and calibration activities.
• Manage R&D inventories, including receiving, shipping, WIP tracking, and internal inventory movements, in support of active work.
• Ensure laboratory materials and resources are available, controlled, and aligned with project needs.
• Work closely with Product Development, QA, Operations, and the NPD Manager to align lab execution with project needs.
• Identify execution gaps or inefficiencies and recommend science‑based improvements to lab systems and workflows.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Microbiology or a related scientific discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5 years of experience working in a laboratory or R&D environment.
• Demonstrated application of scientific methods in a practical lab setting.
• Experience supporting laboratory and food production or pilot‑scale operations.
• Proven experience drafting and maintaining SOPs or standard laboratory practices.
• Experience operating laboratory and food manufacturing equipment.
• Experience supporting NPD, trials, or commercialization activities.

Working Style

• Scientifically disciplined, detail‑oriented, and professional.
• Methodical and organized, with a strong focus on repeatable, well‑documented execution.
• Collaborative and pragmatic, comfortable supporting multiple concurrent priorities.

Environment and Location

Employees in R&D can expect to work in a variety of environments, including office spaces, laboratories, production facilities, and occasional outdoor areas. This dynamic setting offers exposure to different aspects of operations and requires adaptability. This role is required to be onsite at the production facility in Forest Grove, Oregon.

Physical Requirements

Candidates should be prepared for physical demands, including the ability to stand for extended periods, occasional exposure to cold temperatures in certain production environments, and lifting or handling materials weighing up to 50 pounds.

Salary:

The estimated salary for this role is $60,000 - 70,000.

Starting salary may vary based on permissible, non-discriminatory factors such as experience, skills, qualifications, and location.

Benefits:

At Chaucer Foods, we care about our employees. Our company offers competitive benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision plans
• 401K Option with company match
• Generous paid time off and holidays
• Life insurance and other benefit options

At Chaucer Foods, we’re proud to create an environment where our employees feel supported, valued, and empowered to grow.