Quality Control Technician

About us

Vow is a food company - a very different one. We’re creating real meat products from animal cells instead of the animal itself.

We’re bringing together cutting edge innovations in science, engineering, culinary and design to make sustainable food that’s both irresistible and available to billions of people worldwide.

The role:

As our Quality Control Technician, you will play a crucial role in the production and sale of safe food to the public. You will ensure consistency, minimise misinformation, and support our manufacturing and regulatory team. Your responsibilities will include sample collection, raw materials analysis, finished goods testing, laboratory maintenance and calibrations, and the implementation of our Quality Management System and HACCP Plan.

Making sustainable, abundant and irresistible food requires the brain power of a diverse group of people. In this role you will have the opportunity to work alongside incredible scientists, engineers and operators who are relentlessly passionate about food and creating a better future for our planet.

The experience/skills you will bring:

• A degree in chemistry, biology, or a related field. 
• Basic lab skills, i.e. have had hands on experience working in a wet lab during an internship, completed an honours, or have undertaken a Cert III or IV in lab skills etc.
• Excellent attention to detail
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to vary communication style depending on the audience
• Ability to work independently and with self-drive
• Proactive problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify problem areas and develop solutions 
• Strong time management and organisation skills
• Ability to work effectively within an interdisciplinary team with multiple stakeholders

You will:

• Collect samples
• Analyse raw materials
• Perform chemical and microbiological testing
• Communicate batch release to key stakeholders
• Manage data entry and analysis
• Set up Sensory Panels
• Perform non-routine testing as required
• Maintain QC laboratory and instrument calibration
• Carry out any other tasks to support quality and production
• Assist in conducting internal audits of production
• Implement the Quality Management System and HACCP Plan
• Occasional improvement project work (we are always trying to be 10% better!)

What success looks like:

In your first month, you will have successfully integrated yourself into Vow’s Quality Assurance team. By the end of the first month, you should have complete ownership of the QC testing and be able to work autonomously towards making safe and high quality food that our customers love.

By three months, you are conducting QC tests, analysing raw materials, and handling finished goods testing with an eye for precision and accuracy. You are able to identify areas of improvement and work collaboratively across a multidisciplinary team to continuously improve our QC process. You have the lay of the land, and you are gearing up for big things!

By the end of your first year at Vow, you will have made significant contributions to the Quality Control processes, successfully ensuring the safety and quality of our new products. You will have played a key role in streamlining our QC and Assurance process into a robust and reliable system.

Who we are and why join:

• We are building a diverse, mission-led dream team of “Vowzers.” Our mission is to make food products for everyone. To do that well we need a workforce that’s representative of the people we serve. We celebrate multiple approaches and points of view - so we’re building a culture to match. Be yourself and come as you are.
• Work on cutting-edge technology. We’re bringing together cutting-edge innovations in science, engineering, and food, to recreate the world’s most tantalising and unique culinary experiences. All without compromising on ethics or our planet along the way. Since our inception in 2019, we have held the title of being the first startup to cultivate meat from the cells of an undomesticated animal, and have served up our exotic meats ranging from kangaroo dumplings to alpaca sliders in tastings with world-renowned chefs.
• Work with and learn from the best. Our team includes some of the world’s top scientists, innovators, operators, and creatives with decades of industry experience. Despite our experiences though, we all strive to build, break, learn, and repeat. We see the impossible as temporary and strive to learn and support our company and fellow Vowzers' growth as much as possible.
• We’re fully funded and ready to go. We are a growing Aussie biotech start-up backed by Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Grok Ventures, Tenacious Ventures, P7 Ventures, Toyota Ventures, and PeakBridge VC.

Vow perks and benefits:

• Everyone is an owner. In addition to competitive base salaries, each and every ‘Vowzer’ owns equity in the company so we can all benefit from our hard work and future success.
• Generous paid parental leave. We offer 8 weeks of paid caregiver leave and an additional 8 weeks paid leave for the birth giver.
• Generous relocation budget & support. Support for interstate or overseas team members and their families (including pets!)
• Flexible working hours and location. We value work-life balance. While we’re mostly back in the office, you’re free to choose the best way for you to work.
• Unlimited personal leave. At Vow we recognise that sometimes you need time off to recuperate, look after your mental health, or simply deal with an emergency. We put unlimited personal leave in place to empower you to truly bring your best self to work every single day and you are always paid for days taken off as personal leave.
• Heaps of tasty samples from our culinary centre. Our fantastic "food inventors" on the Vow team are always cooking up new product prototypes, and all Vowzers are given the opportunity to taste, give feedback, and learn from their culinary prowess.
• An awesome converted warehouse “campus” in Alexandria. Complete with a glass-walled lab, manufacturing line, free snacks, a culinary centre, and professional-grade coffee machine in our cafe, as well as a DIY workshop for all hands-on projects.
• Human and dog friendly office! An inclusive community and culture, in a welcoming office, complete with friendly “Vowzer” dogs!
• A variety of social clubs. We encourage all our Vowzers to build the culture with us and share what you love by creating social clubs across the business. From book clubs to hiking groups, we’re always looking for ways to learn and engage with our team.