Food Safety & QA Manager- Retail

At Coborn's, Inc., ownership isn't just a title—it's a mindset. As an employee-owner, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact every day by helping ensure the safety, quality, and integrity of the food our guests bring home to their families.

About the role

We are looking for an experienced Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager - Retail to lead food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance across our retail operations. In this highly collaborative role, you'll partner with Store Operations, Merchandising, Distribution, Production, Asset Protection, and other cross-functional teams to strengthen food safety programs, support operational excellence, and foster a culture where food safety is everyone's responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead and strengthen food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance programs across our retail store operations to help protect our guests, employee-owners, and company brand.
• Partner with Store Operations to build a proactive food safety culture by providing coaching, guidance, and practical solutions that support day-to-day operational excellence.
• Conduct routine food safety and quality audits, identify opportunities for improvement, and work alongside store leaders to implement effective corrective actions.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve food safety policies, procedures, and operational standards while ensuring compliance with FDA Food Code, HACCP principles, and all applicable regulatory requirements.
• Investigate food safety incidents, guest concerns, product quality issues, and regulatory matters to identify root causes and implement long-term solutions.
• Coordinate product recalls, traceability exercises, and crisis response activities while partnering with internal teams and suppliers to ensure timely communication and execution.
• Create and deliver engaging food safety training programs that educate, empower, and support employee-owners at every level of the organization.
• Collaborate with Merchandising, Distribution, Production, Asset Protection, Human Resources, Risk Management, and other cross-functional teams to support new products, operational initiatives, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Stay current on changing food safety regulations and industry best practices, helping the organization adapt and maintain the highest standards of compliance.
• Track food safety performance, analyze trends, and provide meaningful reporting and recommendations that help drive continuous improvement across our retail operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related field required.
• Five to eight years of progressive experience in retail food safety, food manufacturing, quality assurance, or regulatory compliance.
• Experience supporting grocery retail, fresh departments, foodservice, or food manufacturing operations preferred.
• Previous leadership experience preferred.
• Experience leading regulatory inspections, customer audits, and certification programs preferred.

Skills

• Strong leadership, collaboration, and relationship-building skills.
• Thorough knowledge of FDA Food Code, HACCP, food safety regulations, and retail food operations.
• Excellent problem-solving, root cause analysis, and risk assessment abilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with frontline teams through executive leadership.
• Ability to balance regulatory compliance with operational practicality.
• Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail.
• Technology proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams).
• Experience using food safety management systems, audit software, quality systems, and reporting tools preferred.
• Ability to analyze data and identify trends that improve food safety performance.

Benefits

• Medical & Dental insurance with Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
• Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP)
• 401(k) plan options with up to 20% company match 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, and company-sponsored Term Life Insurance
• Get Paid Daily with DailyPay
• 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
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with 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

Pay

Salary Range: $82,000–$103,000 annually. Compensation within this range is determined based on experience, qualifications, and the skills you bring to the role.