Microbiology Laboratory Manager

Build the lab. Then run it. Microbiology Laboratory Manager | Southaven, Mississippi | On-site Most micro managers inherit a lab. You would define one. SIP Manufacturing is opening a beverage co-packing facility in Southaven — aluminum can, glass bottle, and PET lines running product for national brands and emerging ones. Production starts Q1 2027. The microbiology laboratory does not exist yet, and we are hiring the person who will build it. That means the equipment list is yours. So are the methods, the sampling plans, the environmental monitoring zones, the media suppliers, the validation protocol, and the three or four technicians you will hire and train. Everything this plant is held to microbiologically, you will have written. Then you run it: spoilage prevention across cold fill and hot fill, water system monitoring, CIP and COP verification, positive release, and the microbiological side of every SQF and customer audit that walks through the door. The part that makes this genuinely harder than it sounds Co-packing means every brand on your lines brings its own specification, its own release criteria, and its own auditors. Reconciling those — and holding the line when a customer wants product released that your data says should not be — is the job. If you have only ever run micro for a single-brand plant, this will be a real step up. What we are looking for A degree in Microbiology, Food Science, Biology, or similar. Five or more years in food or beverage micro, with at least two leading technicians. Real bench depth: plating, membrane filtration, aseptic technique, media prep, enumeration. You know beverage spoilage organisms and what actually controls them. You have owned an environmental monitoring program and made hold-or-release calls that stuck. SQF, BRCGS, HACCP, and FSMA are familiar territory. What moves you to the front Beverage specifically — RTD, functional, CSD, juice, water, tea. Co-packing or contract manufacturing, juggling multiple customer specs. You have stood up a lab or validated a new program before. Alicyclobacillus, acidified foods, rapid detection platforms, or LIMS implementation. PCQI, SQF Practitioner, or Better Process Control School. Bilingual English and Spanish. Being straight with you There is no established program to lean on here, no historical data to trend against, and no team waiting for you. The first six months are equipment quotes, method validation, and hiring. If you want to walk into a running lab with a working baseline, this is not that job. If you have ever looked at a lab you inherited and thought about everything you would have done differently — this is the one where you get to. Details On-site in Southaven, Mississippi. Not a remote role. Approximately 10–15% travel, concentrated during startup, including extended time at our Lake Elsinore, California facility for method alignment and training. Compensation: [insert range]. Relocation assistance available.Compensation: $85,000–$110,000. Relocation assistance available. Full benefits, 401(k) with company match, and plant performance incentive. SIP Manufacturing is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Client notes — remove before publishing Compensation Validate before publishing. Directionally, a food or beverage micro lab manager with five or more years and a small team in the Memphis metro would generally land in the $85,000–$110,000 range, with the greenfield build and co-packing complexity justifying the upper half. Check against recent placements and against ERI or Salary.com for the Memphis market. The published Facilities & Maintenance Manager band of $135,000–$155,000 is the internal ceiling reference; this role sits below it on scope and team size. Reporting line Confirm whether this reports to a Quality Manager or directly to the Plant Manager. It changes the seniority signal and therefore the compensation range. Hiring timeline Work backward from Q1 2027. Method validation, media qualification, proficiency testing enrollment, and technician training realistically require four to six months before first commercial production. That places this hire on site no later than Q3 2026, with technicians hired in Q4. Starting the search now is tight but achievable. Sourcing The strongest candidates will come from beverage co-packers, juice and RTD producers, bottled water plants, and dairy. Dairy micro professionals transfer well and are more often available. Search on "microbiology" combined with "beverage," "co-pack," or "bottling" rather than on the title alone — many people doing this job are titled Quality Manager, Laboratory Supervisor, or Food Safety Manager.