Dairy Quality & Food Safety Manager

Valley Queen; South Dakota; On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Valley Queen is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager at the Milbank plant to lead safety, quality, and food safety programs across operations. You will drive continuous improvement through data-driven decisions and develop frontline leaders.

This role ensures regulatory compliance with FSMA, SQF and Grade A standards, while safeguarding product integrity and driving cost-control initiatives. Reports to the Director – Quality Assurance & Food Safety.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent mix of education and responsibility.
• Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible experience, including at least two (2) years leading teams.
• Experience in dairy processing or manufacturing is preferred; bilingual English/Spanish is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Owns day-to-day department performance, ensuring safety, quality, and standards with staffing plans.
• Executes departmental goals and priorities aligned with company strategy.
• Establishes, monitors and delivers KPIs aligned with goals.
• Leads Supervisors and Leads to ensure strong execution and team effectiveness.
• Supports talent development by coaching employees and identifying growth opportunities.
• Drives accountability through regular performance discussions and follow-up.
• Ensures regulatory compliance and cost-control initiatives are implemented.
• Coordinates and supports projects within scope and timelines.

Skills

Leadership

Quality Assurance

Food Safety

FSMA compliance

SQF compliance

Data-driven decision making

Cross-functional collaboration

Process improvement

Team development

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Job description

Valley Queen is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager at the Milbank plant to lead safety, quality, and food safety programs across operations. You will drive continuous improvement through data-driven decisions and develop frontline leaders.

This role ensures regulatory compliance with FSMA, SQF and Grade A standards, while safeguarding product integrity and driving cost-control initiatives. Reports to the Director – Quality Assurance & Food Safety.