Job Summary

Join our growing company! This is a junior level, full time, position with opportunity to be an active team member at Prolacta. We are looking for an accountable, collaborative team member, looking to expand their skills and work on a variety of moderately complex projects providing operations and manufacturing support for the organization.

Who Are You?

Do you love collaborating to get things done? Do you want to contribute to a larger purpose to save the lives of infants in the NICU? Prolacta’s Manufacturing team is seeking a Technician I- Milk Receiving & Sampling to assist our sampling team. You will make an impact in the lives of premature infants and their families by choosing to be a part of the Prolacta team.

As a Technician I- Milk Receiving & Sampling you will be an active member of the Milk Receiving and Sampling team responsible for collecting samples from each donation to undergo stringent testing for the operations team. You will be a trusted partner, proactively anticipating business needs to be able to support our team, leaders, and the clients we support. At Prolacta, your opinion matters. The right person for this role is reliable, honest, and values integrity. If you are energized by working in a dynamic environment and being a true thought partner, then this is a great role for you.

Company

Company Summary

Prolacta is the pioneer in human milk-based nutritional products for premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Prolacta believers that there are no adequate replacement for human breast milk and, as such, we believe infant nutritional products should be human milk- based. As a privately held, scientifically driven company, committed to improving premature infant nutrition, we are using human milk to change the standard of care in the NICU. Prolacta operates and/or owns milk banks that provide the material for the products Prolacta sells.

Mission Statement

We discover, develop, and deliver life-changing solutions for critically ill babies and other vulnerable patients. We achieve this through innovative human milk research and leadership in quality and safety.

Vision Statement

Giving babies a brighter future by unlocking the biological power of human milk

Benefits and Opportunities

Company Benefits

Prolacta is committed to our employees, which is why we provide outstanding compensation and benefits, including:  

·       Healthcare: Up to 100% medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families – coverage on the first day.

·       Compensation: Competitive, performance-based raises and bonuses; discretionary stock options for all employees; 401(k) company match.

·       Work/Life Balance: Four weeks PTO accrued within year 1; generous time off program for new parents; flexible work schedules; reserved parking for expectant moms; electric vehicle charging stations on site; company sponsored social events.

·       Professional Development: Committed to helping our employees thrive with educational opportunities and leadership programs such as our Women’s Leadership Development Academy, Athari Council, and Educational Assistance Program.

·       Community Engagement: Company-sponsored community service opportunities for our employees and paid time off to volunteer at your child’s school or at other community organizations

Career Opportunities

·       This role will be responsible for following daily job assignment for the day-to-day material handling activities such as preparing cleaning solutions, general housekeeping, resupplying materials and supplies to appropriate manufacturing areas. 

·       This position will also be involved in many process improvement projects related to the operation systems.

·       Exposure to a cGMP laboratory and ISO 7/8 clean room.

·       Identify areas within processes for improvement.

·       Adhere to FDA and other regulatory standards.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

·       Proficient in all aspects of Raw Milk Receiving process.

o   Perform and verify check-in of milk donations.

o   Data entry into the Prolacta Bioscience computer systems.

o   Organize received raw milk in designated freezer storage area.

·       Proficient in all aspects of Raw Milk Sampling.

o   Manual and automated opening of milk bags.

o   Controlled thawing of raw milk and sample collection for QC testing.

o   Transfer of raw milk to containers, labeled, and bagged for freezer storage.

·       Proficient in all aspects of Kitchen and Cleanroom support

o   Preparation of cleaning solutions.

o   Manual cleaning of equipment, stainless-steel pots with lids, and tools.

o   Operating automated washer for containers and stainless-steel pots with lids.

o   Cleaning of room floors, walls, and ceilings.

·       Proficient in Material Handling of raw milk.

o   Preparation of raw milk for sampling including printing of labels for containers and QC test samples.

o   Transfer of frozen and sampled raw milk between Sampling cleanroom and designated freezer storage area in a timely manner.

o   Data entry into the Prolacta Bioscience computer systems.

·       Maintain 5S in their work areas.

·       Look for continuous improvement opportunities.

·       Support problem-solving small group activities.

Job Requirements and Qualifications

Requirements

• High School diploma or equivalent
• Minimum of 1-year Prolacta Operation experience, or 2 years of manufacturing technician in a similar health care manufacturing environment, or up to 2 years in food preparation/handling in a kitchen or restaurant type environment.
• Basic manufacturing GMP practice or understanding preferred.
• Understanding pf Simple manufacturing or kitchen equipment operation preferred.
• Understanding of clean room technology (people and material flow, cleaner and disinfectants, air flow, basic hygiene) preferred.

Qualifications

• Follow approved procedures, (SOPs) and controlled forms to complete raw milk receiving and sampling tasks.
• Good oral and writing communication skill
• Knowledge of current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) including Good Documentation Practices (GDP)
• General manufacturing process understanding, control of time, speed, temperature, etc.
• Timely report of non-conformance and follow escalation procedure.
• Ability to operate and maintain in a safe working environment using PPE equipment as needed.
• Safety Shoes and Over Boots or Captive Boots
• Safety glasses, googles, and face shields
• Gloves (Cut and Chemical resistant)
• Poly sleeves and aprons

·       Freezer jacket and overalls

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

·       Team/Collaboration

Good team spirit, positive attitude. Shows a willingness to work effectively with others.

·       Accepting Direction

Accepts and follows directions from leads/management; respects authority; complies with request; does what they are asked to do.

·       Accountability

·       Performs to required standard, owns mistakes and uses them as opportunities for learning and development.  Flexes to where work is as needed. Accepts constructive feedback and/or consequences without making excuses or blaming others first.

Work Environment (Location, travel, shift, on-call, etc.)

Travel

·       Minimal, based off business needs

Location

·       Duarte, CA

Schedule

·       Monday – Friday (5:00am to 1:30pm)

·       FLSA Status: Non – Exempt 

Direct Reports

·       None

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work environment ranges from 25 degrees Celsius to -25 degrees Celsius for short periods of time to retrieve products from the freezer. It is also required to work inside ISO 7/8 clean room which requires gowning includes the use of coverall type gowns, hoods, boots, gloves, and masks.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach, talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to taste, smell, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Employee will frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision and ability to adjust focus.

Sedentary to light work; walking; talking; hearing; repetitive motions; stooping; kneeling; reaching; walking; pushing; pulling; visual acuity to prepare and analyze data and figures, transcribe, view a computer terminal.

 Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel calssified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

“Prolacta Bioscience, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.” Prolacta Bioscience, Inc. is committed to a proactive program of affirmative action and diversity development. The Company will continue to recruit, hire, train, and promote into all job levels without regard to race, religion, gender, marital status, familial status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income, or veteran status.