Training Specialist

Certified Group is committed to delivering expert solutions and quality testing our customers can feel confident in - on time, every time - so the world can trust in what it consumes. As a leading North American provider of laboratory testing, regulatory consulting, and certification & audit services, Certified Group includes Food Safety Net Services (FSNS), FSNS Certification & Audit, Certified Laboratories, EAS Consulting Group, and Labstat International Inc. Certified Group provides analytical testing and regulatory guidance services in the food & beverage, dietary supplements & NHP, cosmetics, OTC, personal care, tobacco, nicotine, cannabis, and hemp industries.

We have embarked on an important journey to unify and strengthen our culture by living these core values: Start with the Customer, Drive to Deliver, Commit to Safety and Quality, and Believe in the Team - including believing in you.

We are currently looking for a Training Specialist to join our growing team!

Job Summary:

The Training Specialist is a member of the Certified Group network of Training Specialists and will train, retain and enable new and current employees and supervisors on all operational, technical, safety, professional, and leadership curriculum through a combination of methods including online and hands-on. This position will also track training completion and assess competency, driving accountability for a fully trained workforce as measured by a training metrics dashboard. Beyond training, the position plays a unique role in supporting efforts to hire and retain a high performance workforce by playing a mentoring and support role, developing others to operate at their best and reach their fullest potential toward career growth.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Partner closely with local and central operations leadership, Human Resources and central Quality/Technical and Safety professionals in supporting company-wide goals and objectives through local training
• Train all new and current employees according to company SOPs and standards (online, classroom, hands on; on the job)
• Assist in deployment of training through learning management system
• Assess competency by observing and performing audits of process and performance
• Manage, publish and drive accountability for, along with local lab leadership team, all metrics around training completion, competency and promotion readiness in support of maintaining quality test results and a workforce that builds capability and career growth
• Identify individual and site-wide training needs
• Participate in train-the-trainer efforts
• Share training best practices across the network of Training Specialists
• Keep technical skills current by performing bench work occasionally
• Support employee learning through direct observation, teaching and assistance, on the bench
• Participate in selection of incoming new hires and plays a mentor and support role for new hires, especially during first-year at company toward the aim of employee retention
• Maintain a high degree of technical competence by reading scientific journals, attending professional workshops, and being aware of food industry issues and trends
• Work closely with the Lab Leadership and supervision in support of enabling goals and objectives of the site
• Upholds all company values, ensures a safe workplace, and models behavior by completing all required training on time.

Leadership Accountabilities:

• Quality Excellence: Promote a culture where quality is embedded into every action in self and others. Proactively coach the team on adhering to all SOPs and regulatory standards, accuracy and continuous improvement.
• Customer-Focus: Through training efforts, enable timely, high-quality results and solutions that build trust with our partners, meet and exceed customer expectations and enhance our reputation in the market to expand business opportunities.
• People-Centricity: Contribute to a safe, engaging, and inclusive environment. Be present and accessible, ensuring team members are supported, empowered, trained and motivated to perform at their best and reach their full potential.
• Profitability: Under direction of the lab leader, encourage and enable efforts to drive cost efficiency within the lab through managing labor and scheduling, courier, inventory and optimizing all resources to ensure sustainable, efficient operations.
• Innovation: Enable a team that is relentlessly focused on continuous improvement, learning openly from defects, and championing problem-solving, new ideas to improve service, quality, and efficiency.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Life Science or related field
• Two years experience in lab or operational, production based job
• Or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Familiarity with working in a regulated environment is highly preferred (for example:GMP , OSHA guidelines, FDA, BAM, APHA, and Compendium methods and procedure)
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Products and online training
• Experience supervising others is a plus

Language Skills:

• Professional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Mathematical Skills:
• Ability to understand and apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
• Reasoning Ability & Independent Judgment:
• Applies critical thinking to solve practical problems. Ability to interpret instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Supervision:

• Supervision and oversight of up to 30 incumbents, dependent on Lab volume.

Physical Demands/Work Environment:

• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse and to handle other communications/computer component
• Potential exposure to odors, fumes, airborne particles, hazardous chemicals, and microbiological pathogens
• Noise level varies from quiet to loud
• Temperature varies from hot to cold
• Interactive and fast-paced team oriented tasks
• Overnight Travel is required at the discretion of management
• Regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds

General Requirements:

• Strong organizational skills and ability to execute detailed tasks
• Ability to work a flexible schedule
• Work under stress with interruptions and deadlines
• Ability to think logically
• Required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment and clothing
• Responsible for the safety of oneself and others

Certified Group values diversity in its workforce. The company is firmly committed to a policy of Equal Opportunity and will administer its policies in a manner that treats each employee and applicant for employment on the basis of merit. Certified Group will take affirmative action to seek out qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, or veteran status.