Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance

Overview

Coborn's Inc. is hiring a Director of Food Safety & Quality who combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution to help shape the future of food safety and quality across our growing retail and production operations.

This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for building scalable food safety systems, strengthening operational execution, protecting brand integrity, and fostering a culture where quality and accountability are embedded into everything we do.

If you thrive in fast-paced environments, enjoy influencing cross-functional teams, and want to help build something lasting as an employee-owner, we'd love to meet you.

• Lead the company's food safety and quality strategy across retail stores and production facilities, establishing standards, priorities, and long-term improvement initiatives
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, preventive controls, and all applicable state and local food safety regulations
• Oversee regulatory inspections, internal audits, third-party assessments, incident investigations, and corrective action programs to ensure sustainable resolution of risks
• Lead core food safety programs, including sanitation, allergen management, traceability, recall readiness, product quality assurance, and preventive controls
• Establish and maintain quality assurance standards that protect product consistency, specification integrity, labeling accuracy, and overall brand expectations
• Partner closely with Operations and Production leadership to drive practical, consistent execution of food safety and quality standards across all locations
• Maintain an active field presence to assess operational risk, coach teams, reinforce accountability, and support continuous improvement efforts
• Establish food safety and quality expectations for suppliers, vendors, co-manufacturers, and private label partners, including onboarding and ongoing compliance requirements
• Oversee supplier audits, product specifications, ingredient integrity, labeling compliance, and corrective action processes to ensure safe and compliant products
• Develop and deliver food safety and quality training programs that build knowledge, accountability, and operational consistency across the organization
• Use audit results, operational trends, and performance data to identify risks, improve processes, and strengthen food safety and product quality programs
• Lead and develop the Food Safety & Quality team while partnering cross-functionally with Operations, Merchandising, Supply Chain, HR, Legal, and Executive Leadership to support growth, new initiatives, and operational excellence

What's In It For Me?

Our remarkable employees are at the heart of everything we do. At Coborn's, we're committed to creating a supportive and rewarding workplace-one that offers a vibrant, team-oriented environment, ongoing career growth, and meaningful benefits. As an employee-owned company, we believe in investing in our people and their futures.

Please find a list of many of our exciting benefits below:

• Medical & Dental insurance with Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
• Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) - yes, we're employee-owned! Our team members benefit from the success of the company through this company-sponsored benefit!
• 401(k) plan options - we also match up to 20% of the first 5% contributed
• Competitive Paid Time Off (PTO/Vacation)
• 10% employee discount on grocery items, with additional franchise-specific discounts available at company-owned Ace Hardware, Caribou Coffee, Erbert and Gerbert's, and Pet Supplies Plus locations.
• Additional Voluntary Benefits - such as vision, accident and critical illness insurances
• Adoption Reimbursement, Paid Family Caregiver Leave, as well as company-sponsored Term Life Insurance,
• Get Paid Daily with DailyPay - for employees who would like access to their pay before payday, we offer this great benefit!
• Paid Military Leave
• Employee recognition programs with monetary rewards, including in-store vouchers, years of service, and employee of the month
• Employee Health & Wellness Programs, Challenges and Resources - to assist our team members in living a life of wellbeing!
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - unlimited phone access to legal, financial, and work-life services and up to five free in-person counseling sessions, per situation/issue, per year
• Access to a national discount marketplace for travel, electronics, auto/home insurance, entertainment and more!
• Tools, resources and opportunities for career growth and development
• Education benefits including tuition discount and scholarship programs

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Safety, or related field.
• 8-12+ years of progressive experience in food safety, quality assurance, or regulatory compliance
• Experience supporting both multi-unit retail operations and food production/manufacturing environments
• Demonstrated experience leading food safety programs across multiple locations or facilities
• Experience with HACCP, preventive controls, sanitation programs, and regulatory inspections
• Experience working with suppliers, vendors, and private label products, including compliance and risk management
• Experience with product labeling, nutritional compliance, and allergen management
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence without direct authority
• Experience in a working leader role with both strategic ownership and hands-on execution preferred
• Deep knowledge of food safety regulations and standards (FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, preventive controls)
• Strong understanding of retail food operations and production/commissary environments
• Ability to translate strategy into practical, scalable execution across diverse locations

Certificates and License

• Possess a current state driver's license and valid insurance with the ability to travel to business locations as needed.
• HACCP Certification
• Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI)
• Certified Food Safety Manager (e.g., ServSafe or equivalent)
• SQF Practitioner or other GFSI-recognized certification (preferred for production environments)

We believe that building a team of people with different backgrounds, beliefs, experiences and perspectives inspires fresh thinking and opens us up to new possibilities. We are an EEO/AA Employer - All qualified individuals, including minorities, females, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Pay Range

USD $121,000.00 - USD $202,000.00 /Yr.
Company Introduction

Are you friendly, dependable, and passionate about working with people? At Coborn's, Inc., we love serving our guests, supporting our communities, and helping our team members grow their careers. If you're looking for a place where you can build a future while making a positive impact every day, we'd love to talk to you about joining our team!

Coborn's, Inc. is a fast-growing, employee-owned grocery retailer proudly serving communities across the Midwest. Our family of grocery stores includes Coborn's, Cash Wise Foods, Marketplace Foods, Hornbacher's, Tadych's Marketplace Foods, Sullivan's Foods, and Kessler's. We offer our guests an elevated shopping experience-both in-store and online-focused on freshness, value, and convenience. Guided by our company vision to inspire happiness, healthy living, and simplicity, this principle has fueled our growth for more than 100 years and is at the heart of everything we do.

Coborn's, Inc. also owns and operates liquor stores under the Coborn's Liquor, Cash Wise Liquor, Andy's Liquor, and Captain Jack's brands. In addition, we operate fuel kiosks and convenience store locations under the Little Dukes and Coborn's Express names. Many of our grocery stores also feature full-service pharmacies to support the health and wellness of our guests. We manage a variety of other retail businesses in markets where the fit is right, including Ace Hardware, Country Floral Gifts & Greenhouse, Caribou Coffee, Dunn Brothers Coffee, Erbert and Gerbert's, Godfather's Pizza, and Pet Supplies Plus. To support our diverse retail operations, we operate our own central bakery, fresh foods commissary, and grocery warehouse and distribution center.