Senior Director, Food Safety & Quality — Multi-Site Leader

Schwan's Company; Hopkins (MN); On-site; USD 155,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Total Rewards package

Job summary

CJ Schwan's is hiring a Senior Director, Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) to shape and lead food safety and quality strategy across a multi-site manufacturing platform. You will partner with Operations and FSQ leaders to strengthen compliance, product quality, and manufacturing performance, with travel about 30% and an office-based role at our Hopkins, MN headquarters.

You will develop leaders, translate enterprise strategy into actionable priorities, and oversee incident responses, risk assessment,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Microbiology, Engineering, or related field; master's degree preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive food safety and quality experience across multi-site manufacturing.
• Deep knowledge of USDA/FDA requirements, HACCP, GFSI standards, and food manufacturing quality systems.
• Proven ability to lead leaders, influence senior executives, manage complex FSQ issues, and drive sustained improvement across multiple sites.
• Strong business judgment, analytical capability, communication, and change leadership skills.
• Ability to travel as needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop plant FSQ leaders, establishing consistent standards and accountability across multiple locations.
• Translate enterprise food safety and quality strategy into actionable priorities and sustainable results.
• Drive improvement across consumer complaints, holds and rework, sanitation, environmental monitoring, audit performance, and cost of poor quality.
• Partner with senior Operations leaders to improve process capability, prevent quality issues, and eliminate recurring defects.
• Lead the response to significant food safety and quality incidents, including risk assessment, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and escalation.
• Identify emerging risks, performance trends, and investment priorities and provide strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
• Build FSQ leadership capability through coaching, succession planning, training, and development.
• Guide FSQ resource and investment priorities to balance regulatory compliance, risk reduction, product quality, and business performance.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Analytical skills

Change leadership

Communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science/related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

HACCP

GFSI standards

USDA/FDA requirements

Job description

Senior Director, Food Safety Quality (FSQ)

#26-4690

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Job Description.

At CJ Schwan's, we don't just make food, we help create moments that matter. From kids devouring pizza after soccer practice to families gathering around favorite meals, our team members play an important role in bringing great food experiences to life. Our portfolio includes iconic brands such as Red Baron®, bibigo®, Tony's®, Big Daddy's®, Freschetta®, Pagoda®, Edwards® and Mrs. Smith's®. Through innovation, quality, and consumer-focused solutions, we continue to shape the future of food.

We are hiring a Senior Director, Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) to lead food safety and quality strategy and performance across a multi-site manufacturing platform. This highly influential leadership role will partner closely with Operations and FSQ leaders to strengthen food safety, regulatory compliance, product quality, and manufacturing performance. Travel required: 30%. Ideally this role will be office based at our headquarters in Hopkins, MN.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and develop plant FSQ leaders, establishing consistent standards and accountability across multiple manufacturing locations.
• Translate enterprise food safety and quality strategy into actionable priorities and sustainable results.
• Drive improvement across consumer complaints, holds and rework, sanitation, environmental monitoring, audit performance, and cost of poor quality.
• Partner with senior Operations leaders to improve process capability, prevent quality issues, and eliminate recurring defects.
• Lead the response to significant food safety and quality incidents, including risk assessment, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and escalation.
• Identify emerging risks, performance trends, and investment priorities and provide strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
• Build FSQ leadership capability through coaching, succession planning, training, and development.
• Guide FSQ resource and investment priorities to balance regulatory compliance, risk reduction, product quality, and business performance.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Microbiology, Engineering, or a related field; master’s degree preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive food safety and quality experience, including significant multi-site manufacturing leadership.
• Deep knowledge of USDA/FDA requirements, HACCP, GFSI standards, and food manufacturing quality systems.
• Proven ability to lead leaders, influence senior executives, manage complex food safety and quality issues, and drive sustained improvement across multiple sites.
• Strong business judgment, analytical capability, communication, and change leadership skills.
• Ability to travel as needed.

What We Offer

The base salary range for this position is $155,000 to $255,000 annually, with eligibility for a 35% annual incentive bonus based on organizational performance. The range reflects factors such as experience, skills, education, certifications, and location, and starting salary may fall anywhere within the stated range.

Beyond base salary, we offer a competitive Total Rewards package designed to support your overall well-being, including comprehensive health benefits, time off programs, and retirement and financial offerings.

CJ Schwan’s and its subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity Employers. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, veteran status, national origin, or any other protected characteristic. We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs. For accommodation requests or assistance with the application, please email [e-mail] .

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