Altria Group is a FORTUNE 200 company that owns the premier tobacco companies in the United States including Philip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company and John Middleton. The companies' premium tobacco brands include Marlboro, Copenhagen, Skoal and Black & Mild. Altria also owns Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, one of the country's top premium wine producers and Philip Morris Capital Corporation, an investment company. Altria's mission is to own and develop financially disciplined businesses that are leaders in responsibly providing adult tobacco and wine consumers with superior branded products.

US Smokeless Tobacco Company's role is to responsibly manufacture and market USSTC brands to adult tobacco consumers in a financially disciplined way, and to provide marketing services to PM USA for its smokeless products. We are currently seeking a highly qualified Associate Research Scientist to join our Quality Department in Nashville, Tennessee.

- The selected candidate will provide direction for US Smokeless Tobacco Manufacturing Company (USSTMC) Contamination Control and Sanitation (CC&S) activities in Nashville, TN and Hopkinsville, KY. The position is also responsible for monitoring conformance to product and process specifications in multiple phases of the manufacturing process, as well as for updating process assurance procedures to assure product integrity and conformance to regulatory requirements. Making recommendations regarding quality issues based on rigorous analysis of production and laboratory data, as well as to collaboratively drive quality initiatives with limited management oversight, is integral to success in this position. Specific accountabilities include:

-Conducting sanitation audits within USSTMC facilities and providing written reports of results to plant management.
-Providing resident expertise on Contamination Control and Sanitation (CC&S) activities, including providing data to implement and support manufacturing's sanitation requirements.
-Performing microbiological evaluations to provide direction for tobacco processing activities, as well as monitoring processed tobacco inventories in support of weekly production requirements.
-Evaluating and performing testing procedures in support of evaluating product changeover procedures, approving new equipment installations, and supporting new process development activities in the manufacturing facilities.
-Analyzing process and production data and providing direction to Manufacturing and Quality Assurance departments to resolve product quality issues as well as recommend continuous improvement efforts.
-Leading and participating on teams composed of participants from a myriad of disciplines (Science, Engineering, Information Technology, Business Management, Plant Maintenance and Equipment Operations).
-Providing scientific knowledge in the areas of chemistry, microbiology and smokeless tobacco technology in order to assist in diagnosing and resolving process or product issues and identifying special testing requirements.

Qualifications include:

-A Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Microbiology, Food Science, Biochemistry or Chemistry is required. A Master's degree in Microbiology, Food Science or Biochemistry is preferred.
-A minimum of 3 years of previous lab experience or demonstrated proficiency in laboratory analytical techniques at a food or pharmaceutical-related manufacturing facility is preferred.
-Excellent oral, written, and computer skills (MS Office - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) is preferred.
-The willingness to travel up to 20% of the time, as well as to provide occasional training and perform audits on off-shift hours, is required.
-HAACP certification and experience is desired.
-Knowledge and experience in equipment validation protocols and familiarity with sanitary equipment design is desired.
-Familiarity with principles/concepts of Quality Systems, ISO, GLPs, GMPs and Lean Manufacturing is desired.
-Knowledge and understanding of various FDA/USDA regulatory requirements is desired.

At US Smokeless Tobacco Manufacturing Company, we recognize that our people are the reason we achieve our business goals. We believe in developing the leadership potential of our employees by providing them with opportunities for training, development and advancement

In addition to the opportunity to apply and develop your scientific skills and regulatory knowledge towards key business objectives, we offer an excellent compensation package including a competitive base salary, comprehensive health/vision/dental insurance and participation in our deferred profit sharing programs as well as relocation assistance.

US Smokls Tob Mfg Co LLC is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or other legally protected characteristic.