Food Safety Specialist

IntroWe are looking for a proactive and detail-oriented Food Safety & Quality Specialist to join our team. In this position, you'll play an essential role upholding the quality and food safety standards of Mighty Spark products. The Food Safety Quality and R&D Team at Mighty Spark leads strategic direction for making safe, healthy, and high-quality products, and ensures internal and external partners meet high standards of food safety and product quality. The Food Safety & Quality Specialist leads the product control processes with our co-manufacturing partners, making this role essential to ensuring Mighty Spark delivers the best-tasting meat snacks possible! We are looking for a candidate with strong attention to detail, organizational and time-management abilities, and a deep understanding of quality and food safety within the consumer-products goods space.About Mighty SparkMighty Spark is a small and growing food company headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, producing high-quality, delicious chicken products – nutritious, better-for-you food you’ll love.We believe in eating well and giving back in a real way, so in partnership with our retail customers & Feeding America, we donate 1 million meals annually to ignite positive change and help reduce food insecurity.Mission: To unleash the power of a small spark that ignites meaningful change.Vision: To elevate chicken to its rightful place in healthy meat snacking.Values: Community, Originality, Balance – these values reflect our business from the inside-out, from our culture to our partnerships and ultimately, our consumer.Community: We feel a deep connection to and appreciation for our communities. We give back and support our neighborhoods, and we celebrate people coming together to work towards a shared goal.Originality: We’re creative and inventive. We take a unique, fresh approach and embrace doing things we haven’t tried before.Balance: We hustle, we juggle, and we’re driven to get it all done – but we also seek balance, whether that’s in managing different priorities at once or enjoying food that’s both flavorful and healthy.Mighty Spark HQ is in Loring Park in downtown, Minneapolis. The right candidate for this role will work out of the Mighty Spark Minneapolis office a few days a week. Flexibility on days in the office varies based on the needs of the team.FSQ Specialist Role OverviewThis is a multi-faceted role, providing support and leadership to maintain product quality control processes, including product spec maintenance, product micro testing, inspection, and validation. The FSQ Specialist will implement and manage product quality improvement initiatives to enhance consistency and consumer satisfaction. This role will prepare and present reports internally and to co-manufacturers on product quality performance and consumer feedback trends. Through regular product reviews and complaint oversight, the FSQ Specialist reviews, and escalates trends or issues; ensures tracking and consumer complaint follow ups are completed in a timely manner, and partners closely with QA Director to escalate issues.What You’ll DoBelow are ongoing tasks this role is responsible for. While there is variety from day-to-day, there are also organizational tasks that need to be executed daily, with an expectation to meet specific deadlines.Oversee adherence to product formulas (maintenance of formula specs)Lead product quality processes and adherence with co-manufacturing partnersLead retain & product review reportingEstablish KPIs (with FSQ team and Co-man partners)Collaborate with co-mans, ingredient and packaging suppliers, to troubleshoot and optimize products and processesLead Mighty Spark’s consumer product quality program; respond to consumer complaints, address questions/issues, manage reporting internally and with co-mansCollaborate with the Quality Assurance Director to issue and manage Corrective ActionsResponsible for ensuring raw material and finished product specifications are followed by vendors via site auditsReview co-man production reports weekly and proactively identify opportunitiesCollaborate cross-functionally, maintaining reports and trend data for holds, production trends and leading sensory evaluationsOversee micro-testing, analysis, COA holdsLead and oversee product shelf-life process (set up, scheduling, reviews, and tracking)Collaborate cross-functionally to support qualification of new manufacturing, warehousing partners and ingredient suppliersR&D Support:Lead plant trials and commercialization projects (with support from FSQ Team)Spec development from benchtop to production and pack configuration updatesLabeling support: organization and set-up of UPCs, NFPs; maintenance support for certification claimsFacilitate and track product/micro testingAll other duties as assignedMust be able to lift 25 lbsWhat You’ll ReceiveCompetitive pay & comprehensive benefits packageHealth insuranceLife insurance401k and company matchHSA and FSA optionsPaid time off & paid holidaysA great office space (did we mention free snacks and dog-friendly!?)Free parking (plus plenty of snacks!)Who You AreExperience: Require a minimum of 2+ years of experience in food safety, supplier quality oversight, or product development. Demonstrated experience in consumer goods/food safety for a brand or co-manufacturer. Knowledge or FDA or USDA regulations.Strengths: Strong communication and relationship management skills, with ability to influenceCulture Fit: Demonstrated ability to operate independently, prioritize effectively, and adapt in a fast-paced environment. Someone who would be described as scrappy, resourceful, persistent, and self-startingSkills: Proficiency in office software (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite), strong organizational abilities, and professional communication skills.Travel: Ability to travel (approx. one overnight trip/month)Education: Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Animal Science, Microbiology, or related field preferred.