Lab Technician at NexTerra Wine Company

Expectation Overview:

NexTerra Wine Company is a premier wine producer built on the belief that great wine begins in the vineyard. Headquartered just outside of Chicago, the 125,000-square-foot facility houses an onsite winery, state of the art bottling system and distribution center. Partnering with distinguished growers across the globe, NexTerra sources the highest quality grapes and nurtures each wine to its individual needs—a philosophy that has resulted in over 600 national and international wine awards. With deep industry knowledge, boundless creativity, and advanced winemaking techniques, NexTerra has grown to one of the largest U.S. producers outside of California projecting over 1,100,000 cases produced in 2022.

NexTerra Wine Company is looking for a full-time Lab Technician Team Member to join our team! Working as part of our team, under the guidance and supervision of our Lab Manager this position will support all activities of the winemaking process.  This role encompasses all basic laboratory processes to ensure the highest quality wine is produced and facilities are maintained to NexTerra standards. This position is located at our winery in Woodridge, IL.  

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Performs daily lab testing as directed by the Lab Manager; including but not limited to operation of WineScan SO2 and C-Box instrument, perform conductivity and heat tests and other basic chemistries and sensory analysis.
• Reports and reviews all test results with Lab Manager.
• Performs and records full chemistries on all bulk, blends, and fermentations.
• Able to perform lab procedures according to written SOP’s. 
• Responsible for overall lab cleanliness
• Conducts stability tests on wine both pre and post-bottling and reports results to Lab Manager.
• Responsible for counting inventory as directed by Lab Manager.
• Responsible for data entry in both MS Excel and winery software.
• Maintains tank gas specifications in the cellar
• Responsible for adjusting wine to specification for bottling in cellar
• Performs sensory checks and records data for corks
• Identify bacteria and yeast cells under the microscope
• Assist QA department and perform QC checks on wine when needed

Requirements:

• Will have at least 1 year of relevant experience, ideally in the food or beverage industry
• Degree or Coursework in Chemistry or Biology
• Experience with Excel, Word, and basic computer skills
• Must be comfortable in fast paced working environment
• Must have strong attention to detail
• Must have a strong work ethic
• Must have strong Math skills
• Flexible schedule-Opportunity for overtime and be adaptable to schedule changes
• Work Schedule Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

Competencies:

• Lab experience
• Little to no wine experience required

Physical Job Functions:

• Must be able to lift at least up to 40 lbs routinely
• Must be able to stand for at least 10 hours

NexTerra is an Equal Opportunity Employer