Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager

Minneapolis, MN 55450 (near Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport) | On-site | Full-time
Work Location: On-site, based in Minneapolis
Travel: Approximately 40%, primarily supporting Philadelphia, plus other Northeast Customer Service Centers (CSCs) as needed
Compensation: $95,000 - $135,000 base salary + 10% target annual incentive
Schedule: Full-time, supporting a 24/7 operation
About the Opportunity

A leading provider of culinary and food service solutions to the aviation and travel industry is seeking a Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager for its Minneapolis operation. This is an additional leadership position that will strengthen the MSP quality team and extend food safety leadership across the region, with approximately 40% travel to support other Customer Service Centers.
This is a hands-on role for a leader who has owned food safety programs inside daily production, led teams through audits, and driven change that sticks - not only within Quality, but across Operations and other departments.
The MSP quality organization is growing, with additional staffing and expanded environmental monitoring expected as a new customer program launches in 2027. You will help build and develop the team, prepare it for that growth, and raise food safety standards across multiple locations.
What You\'ll Do

Lead food safety and quality programs at MSP and support regional locations, ensuring compliance with FDA, FSMA Preventive Controls, applicable USDA requirements, HACCP, cGMPs, and customer and company standards.
Maintain a regular presence on the production floor, including daily food safety and quality walks when on-site, to verify temperatures, food handling, storage, labeling, shelf life, recipes, and customer specifications.
Review HACCP logs, food safety records, and documentation for accuracy and compliance.
Oversee environmental monitoring, swabbing, sanitation verification, and responses to findings, including expanded swabbing as new customer programs come online.
Lead or support customer, regulatory, and third-party audits at MSP and regional locations, including preparation, follow-up, and verification that corrective actions are effective and sustained.
Investigate food safety concerns, customer complaints, and foreign-material incidents; conduct root cause analysis and drive corrective and preventive actions.
Oversee pest control and other food safety-related vendors.
Communicate with airline customers and site leadership on food safety performance, risks, investigations, and corrective actions.
Complete monthly assessments and portal reporting, and support Global Quality Standards and Lean Manufacturing initiatives.
Recruit, train, coach, develop, and evaluate Quality team members, and build bench strength as the team grows.
Partner with Operations, Production, Sanitation, HR, and regional quality leadership to change behaviors, reinforce accountability, and sustain improvements across departments and locations.
Travel to Philadelphia and other Northeast CSCs to support food safety initiatives, audit readiness, corrective actions, and consistent implementation of company standards.
What We\'re Looking For

Required Qualifications

5+ years of food safety and quality experience in food production or food manufacturing.
Approximately 5+ years of management experience with direct responsibility for hiring, coaching, developing, and holding a team accountable. Candidates with strong, relevant quality leadership experience and somewhat less tenure will be considered.
HACCP and PCQI certifications.
Direct, hands-on food production experience covering prepared foods, temperatures, storage, labeling, expiration dates, recipes, and customer specifications.
Strong working knowledge of FDA requirements, FSMA Preventive Controls, HACCP, cGMPs, and applicable USDA requirements.
Audit experience, including preparation, documentation, root cause analysis, and corrective action follow-through.
Experience managing environmental monitoring and sanitation verification programs.
A track record of leading change beyond your own department - shifting processes, behaviors, or culture with Operations and other stakeholders.
Strong analytical, documentation, and communication skills, including the ability to explain risk and report performance to customers and leadership.
Ability to travel approximately 40% and obtain required airport badging, background clearance, and customs seal approval. Candidates should demonstrate regular, hands-on involvement on the production floor. Quality experience outside of food production, or primarily administrative or office-based QA backgrounds, will not be a fit for this role.

Education

A bachelor's degree is required, preferably in Food Science, Food Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Nutrition, or a related technical discipline.
The Right Leadership Style

Drive culture and behavior change across departments, not just within Quality.
Gain buy-in from Operations and site leadership and handle resistance professionally.
Set clear expectations, give constructive feedback, and follow through when standards are not met.
Develop employees and prepare a team for growth.
Build consistency across multiple locations and leadership teams.
Remain composed and practical in a fast-paced, 24/7 production environment.
Implement improvements and sustain them over time.
Preferred Experience

Ready-to-eat foods, airline catering, high-volume prepared foods, or comparable large-scale food manufacturing.
Leading audits as the facility's food safety representative.
Multi-site or regional quality responsibility.
Customer-specific food safety and quality requirements and direct customer communication.
Lean Manufacturing or continuous improvement experience. Airline catering experience is helpful but not required. Twin Cities-area candidates are preferred.

Schedule

This position supports a 24/7 operation and requires a flexible schedule to engage with different shifts, support audits, and cover occasional weekends and after-hours needs. Continuous overnight work is not expected.
Why Join

Take a key leadership role in a growing quality organization serving major airline customers, with regional scope and the opportunity to shape food safety culture across multiple locations.
Benefits include:

Medical, dental, and vision insurance beginning day one
Life and AD\&D insurance
401(k) with company matching
Paid time off and holidays
Free meals and parking
Compensation:

$95,000 - $135,000 base salary based on experience, qualifications, education, and other applicable factors, plus eligibility for a 10% target annual incentive based on financial and operational performance.
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