Technician II, Pet Pilot Lab

Business Unit Overview

Headquartered in Lakeville, Minn., Post Consumer Brands, a business unit of Post Holdings, Inc., is dedicated to providing people and their pets with delicious food choices for every taste and budget. The company's portfolio includes beloved brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats™, PEBBLES™, Grape-Nuts™ and Malt-O-Meal™ cereal and Peter Pan™ peanut butter, as well as Rachael Ray® Nutrish™, Kibbles 'n Bits™ and 9Lives™ dog and cat food. Post also provides private label solutions to customers in pet food, cereal, nut butters and granola.

As a company committed to high standards of quality and to our values, we are driven by one idea: To make lives better by making delicious food accessible for all. For more information about our brands, visit www.postconsumerbrands.com and follow us on LinkedIn or

Facebook for the latest news.

Location Description

Post Consumer Brands corporate headquarters in Lakeville, Minnesota, is about 20 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Lakeville has all the benefits of smaller town living with access to everything a large metropolitan area has to offer. Join more than 400 team members collaborating on the two-building campus to help put breakfast on the tables of millions of consumers in North America.

Responsibilities

• Help turn new ideas into pet food products and packages through hands-on work in the laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing environments. As a Technician II in the Pet Pilot Lab, you will provide technical support for product and package development, production trials, and testing while following safety, food safety, quality, environmental, and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements.

This is a hands-on role where you’ll be actively involved in bringing product ideas to life. From operating pilot plant and laboratory equipment to preparing formulas, handling ingredients, and collecting samples, much of your day will involve practical, physical work. You’ll also take ownership of inventory organization and tracking, helping ensure the ingredients, supplies, samples, and materials needed for testing and trials are in the right place at the right time.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform hands-on pilot plant and lab work, including preparing formulas and samples, handling ingredients and materials, and operating equipment.
• Manage inventory of ingredients, supplies, samples, packaging, and trial materials so everything is organized and ready when needed.
• Support product development, scale-up, plant trials, and production testing for pet food products, treats, and packaging.
• Collect, handle, and evaluate samples and perform routine chemical, physical, and sensory testing.
• Track and analyze test results, maintain accurate records, and summarize findings and recommendations
• Work safely and collaboratively across laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing environments, following food safety, quality, environmental, and GMP requirements.
• Why You’ll Love This Role
• See your hands-on work contribute directly to new and improved products and packages for pets.
• Build broad technical experience across laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing settings.
• Work with cross-functional partners while supporting projects from early testing through plant trials.
• Use both practical equipment skills and data analysis to solve problems and make recommendations.
• Join a fast-moving environment where careful manual execution, organization, and inventory discipline matter every day.

Qualifications

• Location & Travel Requirements
• This role is located in Lakeville, Minnesota.
• Travel of up to 25% may be required.
• Education
• Some post-secondary coursework in chemistry, biology, mathematics, statistics, food science, or equivalent experience is required.
• Required Qualifications
• Two years of experience in consumer products.
• Experience with manufacturing processes, GMPs, general food processing or formulation, laboratory techniques, or quality assurance.
• Ability to work safely in and around food processing laboratory, pilot plant, and plant equipment.
• Ability to perform sustained manual work, including handling ingredients, samples, packages, supplies, and equipment, and lifting up to 50 pounds.
• Experience organizing and managing inventory, materials, or supplies to support day-to-day operations and scheduled work.
• Computer skills in word processing, spreadsheets, and graphing, with demonstrated mathematical or statistical computation skills.
• Ability to compile, analyze, and present collected data in summary form and perform a variety of tests.
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, with varied stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Four-year degree in a technical field such as chemistry, food science, engineering, or biology preferred.
• Strong knowledge of continuous improvement tools and techniques preferred.
• Success in This Role
• Works safely, accurately, and consistently during manual preparation, equipment operation, sampling, testing, and cleanup activities.
• Keeps ingredients, supplies, samples, and trial materials organized and available through disciplined inventory management.
• Manages multiple projects and changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Builds productive relationships and collaborates effectively across technical and business functions.
• Uses sound judgment to evaluate results, identify issues, and communicate practical recommendations.
• Ready to Make an Impact?
• Bring your hands-on skills, technical curiosity, and inventory discipline to the Pet Pilot Lab. If you are ready to help move product ideas from preparation and testing through plant trials, we invite you to apply and discover just right.

The pay range for this position is $26.89 to $36.57 per hour.

Responsibilities

• Help turn new ideas into pet food products and packages through hands-on work in the laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing environments. As a Technician II in the Pet Pilot Lab, you will provide technical support for product and package development, production trials, and testing while following safety, food safety, quality, environmental, and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements.

This is a hands-on role where you’ll be actively involved in bringing product ideas to life. From operating pilot plant and laboratory equipment to preparing formulas, handling ingredients, and collecting samples, much of your day will involve practical, physical work. You’ll also take ownership of inventory organization and tracking, helping ensure the ingredients, supplies, samples, and materials needed for testing and trials are in the right place at the right time.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform hands-on pilot plant and lab work, including preparing formulas and samples, handling ingredients and materials, and operating equipment.
• Manage inventory of ingredients, supplies, samples, packaging, and trial materials so everything is organized and ready when needed.
• Support product development, scale-up, plant trials, and production testing for pet food products, treats, and packaging.
• Collect, handle, and evaluate samples and perform routine chemical, physical, and sensory testing.
• Track and analyze test results, maintain accurate records, and summarize findings and recommendations
• Work safely and collaboratively across laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing environments, following food safety, quality, environmental, and GMP requirements.
• Why You’ll Love This Role
• See your hands-on work contribute directly to new and improved products and packages for pets.
• Build broad technical experience across laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing settings.
• Work with cross-functional partners while supporting projects from early testing through plant trials.
• Use both practical equipment skills and data analysis to solve problems and make recommendations.
• Join a fast-moving environment where careful manual execution, organization, and inventory discipline matter every day.

Qualifications

• Location & Travel Requirements
• This role is located in Lakeville, Minnesota.
• Travel of up to 25% may be required.
• Education
• Some post-secondary coursework in chemistry, biology, mathematics, statistics, food science, or equivalent experience is required.
• Required Qualifications
• Two years of experience in consumer products.
• Experience with manufacturing processes, GMPs, general food processing or formulation, laboratory techniques, or quality assurance.
• Ability to work safely in and around food processing laboratory, pilot plant, and plant equipment.
• Ability to perform sustained manual work, including handling ingredients, samples, packages, supplies, and equipment, and lifting up to 50 pounds.
• Experience organizing and managing inventory, materials, or supplies to support day-to-day operations and scheduled work.
• Computer skills in word processing, spreadsheets, and graphing, with demonstrated mathematical or statistical computation skills.
• Ability to compile, analyze, and present collected data in summary form and perform a variety of tests.
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, with varied stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Four-year degree in a technical field such as chemistry, food science, engineering, or biology preferred.
• Strong knowledge of continuous improvement tools and techniques preferred.
• Success in This Role
• Works safely, accurately, and consistently during manual preparation, equipment operation, sampling, testing, and cleanup activities.
• Keeps ingredients, supplies, samples, and trial materials organized and available through disciplined inventory management.
• Manages multiple projects and changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Builds productive relationships and collaborates effectively across technical and business functions.
• Uses sound judgment to evaluate results, identify issues, and communicate practical recommendations.
• Ready to Make an Impact?
• Bring your hands-on skills, technical curiosity, and inventory discipline to the Pet Pilot Lab. If you are ready to help move product ideas from preparation and testing through plant trials, we invite you to apply and discover just right.