Torchora
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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Juice Operator

💰 $18 - $28 / hour (DOE)

ManufacturingProductionFood & BeverageOperations

🎯 Role Definition

As a Juice Operator, you are the hands-on expert at the heart of our production facility. You will be responsible for transforming raw ingredients into the delicious, high-quality juices our customers love. This role is not just about running machines; it's about taking ownership of the entire juice production process, from precise ingredient blending to meticulous quality control and final packaging. You will be a crucial member of our operations team, ensuring every bottle meets our stringent standards for safety, quality, and consistency. This role requires a proactive, detail-oriented individual who thrives in a dynamic manufacturing environment and is passionate about producing best-in-class beverage products.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Production Associate
  • Warehouse Worker
  • Food Manufacturing Laborer
  • Machine Operator (General)

Advancement To:

  • Lead Operator / Team Lead
  • Production Supervisor
  • Quality Assurance Technician
  • Maintenance Technician (with additional training)

Lateral Moves:

  • Blending or Batching Specialist
  • Logistics & Inventory Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Batching & Blending: Accurately execute complex batching and blending operations by precisely measuring, weighing, and mixing raw ingredients according to detailed formula specifications and production schedules.
  • Processing Equipment Operation: Skillfully operate and monitor critical beverage processing equipment, including industrial blenders, pasteurizers, homogenizers, and holding tanks, to ensure all product specifications are consistently met.
  • Filling & Packaging Line Management: Manage the end-to-end operation of high-speed filling and packaging lines, including aseptic fillers, cappers, labelers, and case packers, ensuring seamless production flow and minimal downtime.
  • Quality Control & Assurance: Perform vital in-process quality control checks, such as Brix, pH, acidity, and temperature tests, to guarantee product consistency and strict adherence to internal and external quality standards.
  • Sanitation & Food Safety: Conduct thorough Clean-In-Place (CIP) and Clean-Out-of-Place (COP) procedures on all processing, filling, and packaging equipment to maintain the highest levels of sanitation and food safety.
  • Documentation & Record-Keeping: Diligently complete and maintain accurate production records, batch logs, quality assurance paperwork, sanitation logs, and operational checklists using both paper and digital systems.
  • Troubleshooting & Maintenance: Proactively identify, diagnose, and troubleshoot minor mechanical issues and operational disruptions on the production line to minimize downtime and maintain peak efficiency, escalating complex problems to the maintenance team.
  • Compliance & Safety Adherence: Strictly adhere to all company safety policies, Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), HACCP guidelines, and SQF protocols to ensure a safe and compliant work environment for the entire team.
  • Material Handling: Safely operate material handling equipment, such as forklifts and electric pallet jacks, to transport raw materials, packaging supplies, and finished goods throughout the facility.
  • Process Monitoring & Control: Attentively monitor control panels and Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) to regulate critical process variables like temperature, pressure, and flow rates throughout the entire production cycle.
  • Product & Packaging Inspection: Visually inspect raw materials upon receipt and finished products throughout the packaging process for any defects, contamination, or inconsistencies in sealing, labeling, and coding.
  • Equipment Changeovers: Efficiently manage the changeover process for equipment between different product runs, ensuring machinery is properly cleaned, sanitized, set up, and calibrated for the next batch.
  • Product Coding & Traceability: Ensure correct coding, dating, and labeling of all products, verifying legibility and accuracy to meet all regulatory and internal traceability requirements.
  • Inventory Management: Monitor inventory levels of ingredients and packaging materials at your workstation, communicating needs to supervisors or the supply chain team to prevent production shortages.
  • Finished Goods Handling: Ensure all finished product pallets are correctly stacked, stretch-wrapped, and tagged for transfer to the warehouse, verifying pallet counts and product information for accurate inventory tracking.
  • Sample Collection: Take and properly label product samples at various critical production stages for laboratory analysis, ensuring sample integrity and accurate documentation for quality assurance.
  • Waste Reduction: Actively monitor material usage and equipment performance to identify opportunities to minimize product waste, ingredient loss, and utility consumption.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis related to production efficiency and quality trends.
  • Contribute to the organization's continuous improvement culture by suggesting process enhancements and participating in improvement projects.
  • Collaborate with business units, including Quality, Maintenance, and Warehousing, to translate data needs and operational challenges into engineering and process requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning, daily huddles, and other agile ceremonies within the production and data engineering teams to drive performance.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Beverage Processing Equipment: Hands-on experience operating pasteurizers, blenders, fillers, and cappers.
  • GMP & HACCP: Strong working knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points in a food-grade environment.
  • CIP/Sanitation Protocols: Proficiency in performing Clean-In-Place (CIP) and manual cleaning procedures on industrial equipment.
  • Mechanical Aptitude: Ability to perform basic mechanical troubleshooting and minor machine adjustments.
  • Forklift Operation: Certified or able to become certified to operate a forklift and other material handling equipment.
  • Quality Control Testing: Experience with basic lab equipment for testing quality parameters like pH and Brix.
  • HMI/Computer Literacy: Comfortable using Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs) and basic computer software for data entry and process monitoring.

Soft Skills

  • Attention to Detail: Meticulous and thorough in executing tasks, from following recipes to completing paperwork.
  • Problem-Solving: A proactive mindset to identify issues, analyze root causes, and implement effective solutions.
  • Teamwork & Communication: Excellent ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, supervisors, and other departments.
  • Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and adapt to changing production schedules and priorities.
  • Time Management: Strong organizational skills to manage multiple tasks and responsibilities efficiently.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High School Diploma or GED equivalent.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate's Degree or a Technical Certificate.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Food Science
  • Manufacturing Technology
  • Industrial Maintenance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1-3 years of experience in a food and beverage, CPG, or pharmaceutical manufacturing environment.

Preferred: 3+ years of direct experience as a machine operator in liquid processing, blending, or aseptic/hot-fill bottling operations.

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