Quality Engineer II

We exist to make food the world loves. Our company prioritizes being a force for good, expanding learning, exploring new perspectives, and reimagining possibilities. We look for bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one another and grow together to become the undisputed leader in food.

About the role

The Quality Engineer II is a technical leader responsible for championing food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements within assigned systems or platforms. This role drives problem-solving and improvements in food safety, quality, and related losses while impacting innovation, technology, and quality functions. The position leverages deep technical expertise, data, and continuous improvement techniques to serve as a coach and leader on the floor and within business teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead food and human safety through Safety 2.0 leadership principles and standards, cultivating a culture that reduces risk and ensures compliance with policy and regulatory requirements.
• Invest in personal development and growth in quality engineering while partnering with cross-functional teams to reduce risk, improve processes, and sustainably reduce food safety and quality (FSQ)-related losses.
• Engage with subject matter experts internally and externally, training and coaching Quality Associates, other Quality Engineers, and plant personnel.
• Provide FSQ leadership and direction through technical depth in regulatory compliance, sanitation, food safety risk mitigation, quality improvement, and loss reduction.
• Organize action plans with Operations, R&D, Engineering, and FSQ teams to ensure product specifications and execution of FSQ policies meet system capability and consumer requirements.
• Lead the Food Safety Risk Assessment (FSRA) program, including inspections, Risk Management Plans (RMP), and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Drive continuous improvement in the site’s Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certification for assigned systems or lines.
• Assess risk and make decisions related to food safety and quality for ingredients and finished products.
• Spend time on the production floor to connect with employees and observe real-time product transformation.
• Provide support for food safety and quality program management, including training in food science, applied statistics, regulatory requirements, sanitation, and quality measurement systems.
• Review plans for new and changing systems to ensure effective product safety and sanitary design.
• Provide leadership and technical support for R&D, cost savings, reformulations, and new product start-ups.
• Maintain plant food safety programs (FSRA, HACCP, etc.) and annual GFSI and GMI policy requirements.
• Manage raw material vendors and their performance.
• Provide customer-facing support for food safety and quality audits and improvements for national accounts.
• Lead sanitation and pest control initiatives, including equipment sanitation validation, run length validations, SSOP creation, and vendor relationships.
• Identify and implement product and process quality improvement opportunities and productivity gains.
• Conduct risk assessment analysis and manage non-conforming products and ingredients to minimize losses and prevent future occurrences.
• Lead problem-solving events using data, Statistical Process Control (SPC), system capability analysis, and fishbone analysis to manage non-conformances and improve product quality.
• Engage in daily direction setting, identifying loss opportunities, and driving performance through corrective and preventative actions.
• Participate in the creation and execution of platform improvement plans.
• Lead digitization initiatives using automation, data analytics, and digitalization to enhance quality processes and ensure compliance with industry standards.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret in-process and analytical data to make informed, data-driven decisions.
• Use FSQ and Supply Chain Systems (WiMS, MES, ERP, etc.) and advanced analytics tools (e.g., MA, Historian, Seeq, Sight Machine) to address food safety and quality issues.
• Leverage in-process measurement capabilities (e.g., NIR, Vision systems) to sustainably address solutions based on root cause analysis.
• Provide backup support to ensure business continuity and operational efficiency.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field with at least 3 years of relevant food safety or quality programming experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work well on a team, build effective relationships, and influence others across all levels of the organization.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and adjust priorities.
• Ability to develop mutual respect with operators, engineers, and cross-functional teams to execute programs and achieve goals.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to develop long-term, impactful strategies.
• Ability to lead a peer group and affect change through influence management.
• Bias for action and results, taking initiative in both independent and team settings.
• Learning mindset, curious and courageous in tackling challenges.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of product protection and Quality Engineering principles.
• Six Sigma Green Belt trained with delivered projects.
• Experience with advanced analytics and tools (e.g., Seeq, Sight Machine).
• Strong understanding of product quality, sensory, and food safety.
• Demonstrated mechanical aptitude, ability to apply engineering principles, and troubleshoot.
• Experience navigating complex organizations with strong leadership and initiative.
• Plant Quality Engineer, manufacturing, or auditing/consulting experience.
• FSQ/XQM/ESC experience.
• Ability to communicate with leadership teams to gain broad support for ideas.
• Ability to lead constructive, positive change within a plant environment.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $71,300 - $107,000 annually. Pay is determined based on education, skills, work experience, certifications, and other factors. Beyond base salary, General Mills offers a competitive Total Rewards package focusing on overall well-being, including health benefits, retirement, financial wellbeing, time off programs, wellbeing support, and perks. Eligible employees may also participate in an annual incentive program based on individual and organizational performance.

Applicants must meet a minimum 18-year age qualification and be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. International relocation or remote working arrangements outside the U.S. will not be considered.