Department Supervisor

Overview

Element has an opportunity for a Department Supervisor in the Food and Microbiology lab. This lab plays a leading role in testing and assuring a safe food supply in the Western Canada market. The Department Supervisor is a key member of the department's safety team and provides awareness around safety first. You will be relied upon heavily by other colleagues such as technicians, peers, management and other positions. In this role you will be working along side the technicians to support and guide staff in timely completion of daily work.

Responsibilities

• Manage initiatives for the department set forth and in conjunction with location safety strategy
• Under the direction of the General Manager and in cooperation with Senior Technician, assist in the efficient operation and growth of the assigned department
• Provide professional and timely customer service to both internal and external customers
• Ensure customer satisfaction through daily interaction with technicians and execution of operational jobs.
• Provide direct supervision of lab technical staff
• Provide status updates, quote assistance and other internal and external customer service responsibilities as needed
• Participate and contribute in supervisory responsibilities to include hiring decisions, performance management input, decisions and execution, and approval of overtime and time cards
• Team work schedule development and updates as required
• Understand the customer needs in order to translate and deliver desired customer results
• Adhere to, support and follow all Element safety guidelines
• Project management, employee development, discipline, other transactional duties associated with this role
• Inventory review and management to ensure critical supplies are maintained in stock
• The position is a working supervisor that will be able to fill in where required due to staffing shortages or sample volume surges

Skills / Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in a technical field and college level courses completed or a minimum of 3 years’ experience in a supervisory role in an industry similar or related to the Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) industry with a diploma in the field of Microbiology
• Food microbiology specific experience in a commercial lab testing food for target pathogens using molecular and cultural techniques; quantitative analysis of typical indicator parameters
• Working knowledge of laboratory safety
• Strong computer skills and basic mathematical skills with the ability to apply concepts of basic algebra
• Ability to lift <50 lbs. often and > 50 lbs. on occasion and stand on feet for long periods of time
• Ability to work primarily alone and make independent decisions during the course of the work day
• Ability to communicate and demonstrate the importance of meeting all applicable requirements of assigned department
• Interpersonal skills essential to relate to and coach a diverse multicultural and multigenerational team
• Proven ability to read, understand and interpret program or test requirements and have ability to analyze and translate into finished testing or report data
• Excellent communication skills and telephone etiquett
• Proficient skill in word processing and spreadsheet software
• High impact of experience on the business at the local commercial, technical and operational level
• Proven and recognized ability to provide accurate and timely status reports to internal and external customers
• Ability to track multiple testing jobs / programs from start to finish and assist with contract review of job status daily, including follow-up emails and phone calls daily to and from internal and external customers

Diversity Statement

At Element, we always take pride in putting our people first. We are an equal opportunity employer that recognizes diversity and inclusion as fundamental to our Vision of becoming “the world’s most trusted testing partner”.

All suitably qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment on the basis of objective work related criteria and without regard for the following: age, disability, ethnic origin, gender, marital status, race, religion, responsibility of dependents, sexual orientation, or gender identity or other characteristics in accordance with the applicable governing laws or other characteristics in accordance with the applicable governing laws.