Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager - Retail

Coborn's, Inc.; Saint Cloud (MN); On-site; USD 82,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP

401(k) match up to 20%

Medical & Dental insurance

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Employee discounts

Job summary

Coborn's, Inc. is seeking a Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager - Retail to lead safety, quality, and regulatory compliance across our retail stores.

You will partner with Store Operations, Merchandising, Distribution, Production, Asset Protection, and cross-functional teams to strengthen programs and drive continuous improvement. You will develop training, audits, and corrective actions while maintaining FDA HACCP standards and staying current on regulations to protect guests and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related field.
• 5–8 years of progressive experience in retail food safety, 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.

Responsibilities

• Lead and strengthen food safety, QA, and regulatory compliance programs across retail store operations.
• Partner with Store Operations to build proactive food safety culture.
• Conduct routine food safety and quality audits and implement corrective actions.
• Develop, maintain, and improve food safety policies, procedures, and standards per FDA Food Code, HACCP, and regulatory requirements.
• Investigate food safety incidents, recalls, and regulatory matters to identify root causes and long-term solutions.
• Coordinate product recalls, traceability, and crisis response with internal teams and suppliers.
• Create and deliver engaging food safety training programs for employee-owners.
• Track performance, analyze trends, and provide reporting and recommendations.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Audits & Compliance

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science / related field

Tools

MS Office

Audit software

Quality systems

Job description

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.

At Coborn’s, 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.

If you're passionate about protecting guests, building strong partnerships, solving complex challenges, and driving continuous improvement, we'd love to meet you.

What You'll Do at Coborn's

As our Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager - Retail, you'll play a key role in protecting our guests, supporting our employee-owners, and ensuring every store upholds the highest standards of food safety and quality. Working closely with leaders across the organization, you'll drive continuous improvement, strengthen compliance, and help build a culture where food safety is part of everything we do. Additionally, you will,

• 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.

Why You'll Love This Role

As our Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager - Retail, you'll help shape the food safety standards that protect our guests, support our employee-owners, and strengthen our brand.

In this role, you'll:

• Lead food safety and regulatory compliance programs across all retail store locations.
• Partner with leaders across the organization to improve operational performance and reduce risk.
• Investigate food safety concerns, manage recalls, and drive corrective actions.
• Develop training programs that strengthen food safety knowledge and culture.
• Influence company-wide initiatives while helping ensure every guest has a safe shopping experience.

What's In It For Me?

Our remarkable employees are at the heart of everything we do. At Coborn's, we're committed to creating a supportive and rewarding workplace, one that offers a vibrant, team-oriented environment, ongoing career growth, and meaningful benefits. As an employee-owned company, we believe in investing in our people and their futures.

Salary Range: $82,000–$130,000 annually

Compensation within this range is determined based on experience, qualifications, and the skills you bring to the role.

Please find a list of many of our exciting benefits below:

• Medical & Dental insurance with Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
• Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) – yes, we're employee-owned! Our team members benefit from the success of the company through this company-sponsored benefit!
• 401(k) plan options – we also match up to 20% 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, as well as company-sponsored Term Life Insurance
• Get Paid Daily with DailyPay – for employees who would like access to their pay before payday, we offer this great benefit!
• 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 – to assist our team members in living a life of wellbeing!
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – 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

What You'll Bring

Education & Experience

• 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.