Field-Based Supplier Quality Engineer – Food Safety & Audits

JonnyPops, LLC; Plymouth (MN); On-site; USD 135,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

HSA

FSA

DCFSA

Life & AD&D Insurance

Short & Long Term Disability

Paid Holidays

401k

Meal Plan

Job summary

JonnyPops, LLC in Elk River, MN is seeking a Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE) to lead supplier quality programs across raw materials, packaging, and co-manufactured products. You will partner with Supply Chain, Procurement, and R&D to qualify suppliers, manage risk, and drive corrective actions.

The role requires 5+ years in quality/supplier quality or food safety, a PCQI certification, and strong knowledge of FDA/USDA rules, GMP, FSMA, HACCP, and GFSI schemes. Travel up to 25–30% is expected.

Qualifications

• PCQI certification required.
• 5+ years of quality, supplier quality, or food safety experience in food manufacturing.
• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Strong understanding of FDA/USDA regulations, GMP, FSMA, HACCP, and GFSI requirements.
• Demonstrated experience conducting supplier audits.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs.
• Ability to travel up to 25–30% for supplier audits and site visits.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Strong planning and organization skills.

Responsibilities

• Supplier Program Management & Onboarding
• Own and maintain the supplier approval, qualification, and onboarding process for raw material suppliers, packaging suppliers, co-manufacturers, and 3PL/warehousing partners
• Partner with Supply Chain/Procurement and R&D to qualify new suppliers, co-manufacturers, and materials prior to first use
• Maintain the Approved Supplier List and supplier qualification files, ensuring ongoing compliance with regulatory and certification requirements (FSMA, SQF, Kosher, Organic, etc.)
• Supplier & Co-Manufacturer Risk Management
• Develop and maintain a risk-based tiering model for suppliers, co-manufacturers, and 3PL/logistics partners, factoring in food safety history, product risk category, geographic risk, financial stability, and certification status
• Use risk tiering to set audit frequency, scorecard scrutiny, and on-site visit cadence
• Maintain the supplier risk register and elevate emerging risks to FSQA and Procurement leadership
• Corrective Action Management
• Lead and document supplier and co-manufacturer corrective action processes, including root cause analysis and verification of effectiveness
• Track corrective actions to closure and elevate repeat or unresolved issues
• Audits and Assessments
• Conduct on-site and remote audits of raw material/packaging suppliers, co-manufacturers, and 3PL/warehousing facilities
• Manage audit scheduling, execution, reporting, and follow-up activities
• Collaborate with Supply Chain/Procurement to address audit findings and implement supplier improvement plans
• Supplier Performance Monitoring
• Develop and manage performance scorecards for suppliers, co-manufacturers, and 3PL partners
• Provide regular feedback to suppliers and internal stakeholders on performance and progress
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Work with Supply Chain/Procurement to integrate supplier, co-manufacturer, and 3PL performance into sourcing and contract renewal decisions
• Support R&D and Operations in new product development and commercialization
• Assist in training needs for internal teams, suppliers, co-manufacturers, and 3PL partners on quality and food safety expectations as needed

Skills

PCQI certification

5+ years quality/supplier quality/food

FDA/USDA regulations

GMP/FSMA/HACCP knowledge

Auditing suppliers

Analytical and problem-solving

Communication skills

Project planning

Travel 25-30%

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science

Bachelor's degree in Microbiology

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Equivalent education/experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

JonnyPops, LLC in Elk River, MN is seeking a Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE) to lead supplier quality programs across raw materials, packaging, and co-manufactured products. You will partner with Supply Chain, Procurement, and R&D to qualify suppliers, manage risk, and drive corrective actions.

The role requires 5+ years in quality/supplier quality or food safety, a PCQI certification, and strong knowledge of FDA/USDA rules, GMP, FSMA, HACCP, and GFSI schemes. Travel up to 25–30% is expected.