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

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.

• 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.

• 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…