Job Description
Location: Lake Crystal, MN Salary: $90,000.00 USD Annually - $100,000.00 USD Annually Description If you’re a seasoned Quality & Food Safety leader who thrives in a fast‑paced USDA environment, this role puts you at the center of HACCP, regulatory compliance, and plant‑wide food safety excellence. This is your opportunity to own the entire QA & Food Safety function for a Ready-to-Eat meat manufacturing operation — and make a measurable impact from day one. Why This Opportunity Is Attractive Compensation: You can earn up to $107,000 total (salary + bonus) in your first year, depending on experience Benefits: Excellent benefits including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), and more Career Growth: Opportunity to excel within QA, Food Safety, or transition into other leadership areas across the organization Relocation: Assistance provided (moving expenses + temporary housing) What You’ll Do Lead the entire Food Safety, HACCP, Food Defense, and Quality programs Manage and develop the HACCP Coordinator, 2 QA Supervisors, and 1 Sanitation Supervisor, as well as the QA techs and Sanitation techs Oversee all plant training related to Food Safety, Quality, and Food Defense Write, audit, and manage HACCP and SSOP programs Work closely with USDA and ensure full regulatory compliance Manage internal audits, customer audits, and third‑party audits Oversee the Micro Lab, foreign material investigations, and customer relations Trend and respond to customer complaints Manage all Non‑Compliance Reports and USDA meetings Lead the sanitation department, including pre‑op processes and re‑clean trends Oversee the plant’s Pest Control Program Maintain and communicate customer‑mandated process or policy changes Manage the overall QA budget What You Bring Bachelor’s Degree required 5+ years of Food Quality Assurance experience in a USDA processing facility (Beef, Pork, Poultry, Bison, Venison) required Ready‑to‑Eat experience is a major plus 3+ years of supervisory experience required Proven success passing customer audits and maintaining USDA‑compliant programs HACCP Certification required SQF Practitioner Certification a plus Strong GMP, Food Safety, Sanitation, and Pest Control knowledge Excellent communication and MS Office skills Who You’ll Report To Director of Quality/Food Safety Plant Manager (dotted-line) This is a high‑visibility leadership role with direct influence over plant performance, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction. Ready to lead Quality & Food Safety at a high‑performing USDA facility in Lake Crystal? Apply today and let’s get you in front of the hiring team. #JDP #QualityAssurance #FoodSafety #HACCP #SQF #USDAJobs #FoodManufacturing #MeatProcessing #QualityManager #FoodSafetyManager #MinnesotaJobs #LakeCrystalMN #CPGJobs #NowHiring #LeadershipJobs By providing your phone number, you consent to: (1) receive automated text messages and calls from the Judge Group, Inc. and its affiliates (collectively "Judge") to such phone number regarding job opportunities, your job application, and for other related purposes. Message & data rates apply and message frequency may vary. Consistent with Judge's Privacy Policy, information obtained from your consent will not be shared with third parties for marketing/promotional purposes. Reply STOP to opt out of receiving telephone calls and text messages from Judge and HELP for help. Contact: rarritola@judge.com This job and many more are available through The Judge Group. Find us on the web at www.judge.com