Since 1940, Dairy Queen® has been one of the world’s best known and loved brands. Based in Minneapolis, MN, International Dairy Queen Inc., (IDQ), is the parent company of American Dairy Queen Corporation. As a leading franchisor, there are more than 7,000 independently owned and operated restaurants in the U.S., Canada and more than 20 countries around the world. IDQ is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire) which is led by Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and CEO of Berkshire.

Here at IDQ, we create extraordinary Fan experiences every day and we do this through our commitment to hiring and retaining only the best in class talent. We firmly believe that our employees are the catalyst to the success of the company where their initiative, strategic thinking, and entrepreneurial spirit are recognized and rewarded. We're looking for motivated, passionate and dedicated individuals with an inherent need and ambition to go after bigger challenges.

We have an exciting opportunity available at our corporate office in Bloomington, MN for a Manager- Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory.  This role leads Food, Safety, Quality and Regulatory program to ensure overall product consistency and vendor conformance to ADQ Standards. Evaluates systems and products, analyzes data, and establishes quality control procedures to ensure ADQ products are made according to specifications and maintain their ongoing quality, consistency, value and safety for both franchisees and consumers. Must have engaging and credible interpersonal style along with a strong understanding of key business drivers and metrics. Leads various FSQR programs as assigned.

Principal Accountabilities:

Product Category Lead - Food Safety and Quality

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Independently oversees the food safety, quality and regulatory aspects of DQ products ranging from, but not limited to, vendor and product qualification, onboarding, compliance, plant inspections, food safety and risk mitigation and relationship management for complex and vital-to-DQ products.
• Demonstrates advanced technical knowledge across all products in category.
• Specification creation and compliance – works with product development and vendor to establish appropriate quality and food safety specifications, reviews specification documents, creates and performs product evaluations and monitors QC data from supplier.  Improves legacy Dairy Queen specifications in a way that benefits both vendors and Dairy Queen operators.
• Completes shelf-life extensions.
• Creates and maintains HACCP flow charts and develops, alongside Operations the appropriate restaurant food safety procedures. Provides critical input for HACCP process and influences/implements improvement strategies.
• Issue resolution: Proactively and reactively monitor, manage and communicate quality and food safety issues with FSQR Director (complaint response, holds, withdrawals, recalls, guest incidents). Identifies areas of improvement and continuous improvement action plans and sees them through to closure.
• Identifies trends and applies technical knowledge and skills to solve problems develop corrective actions for on-going supplier quality issues related to product manufacturing and quality control. 
• Is a subject matter expert on assigned categories and understands how the product and its manufacture interact with other business functions including supply chain and operations. Uses knowledge to educate others and improve programs outside of just FSQR.  Applies strong technical intuition and business knowledge to identify gaps and recommend strategies and improvement areas that improve quality and mitigate food safety risk.
• Partners with and provides relevant input to Product Development during development and test phase. Takes a vested interest in the success of new and core products.    Identifies strategies and tools to build the effectiveness and outcomes of the FSQR/Product Development relationship.

Relationship Building and Communication                             

• Owns positive cross functional (within IDQ) and external relationships (suppliers, government, industry associations, industry leaders) that generate strategic direction, business solutions, create trust, and help develop future department strategies that align with the evolving business. 
• Works effectively with franchisees by building relationships and provides confidence in DQ support of franchisee efforts Identifies situations that warrant communication and promptly and effectively communicates to FSQR Director and other need-to-know teammates

Programs (As assigned)     

• Independently identifies, recommends and implements improvements to processes and programs, including cross-functionally.
• Develops new processes and programs to align with evolving business needs.
• Ability to present project updates and make recommendations to executive level, as needed.
• Champions next-level thinking that leads to step change department growth.                                                                                                  

Education/Experience:

• B.S. Degree in food science or closely related field.
• Must have 5-7 years of prior experience in quality management and food safety.
• Regulatory experience preferred.

Skills:

• Ability to lead teams, to manage progress effectively in ambiguous and sometimes unstructured situations.
• Capable of delivering challenging/constructive feedback to suppliers or internal personnel in a coaching manner and maintaining steady direction yielding right results quickly.
• Project management - demonstrated ability to develop efficient planning methodologies and effective utilization of resources to achieve high value results.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple, complex projects and responsibilities in a fast-changing and deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to influence individuals across diverse functions to gain support and meet established objectives; able to articulate technical information to a variety of audiences.
• Relationship building skills with the ability to create mutually beneficial relationships with both internal and external clients.
• Strategic and creative thinker that can create and execute business-relevant strategies
• Expertise in food manufacturing, processes and packaging. Knowledge of food purchasing, distribution and logistics.
• Knowledge of current industry and technical issues associated with food safety, nutrition, public health, environment and animal rights.
• Thorough knowledge of safety, microbiology, HACCP/HARPC, FDA, USDA, GMP and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to apply sound technical principles to root cause analyses, problem solving and project management.  Strong analytical skills.
• Ability to organize collection of data, analyze information and capture conclusions.  Strong knowledge of quality and associated statistics. 
• Ability to frame up highly complex issues with intentionality, balancing push and pull and stakeholder input in compelling ways.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office software
• Well organized with a high attention to detail and accuracy.
• Provide excellent customer service to both internal and external clients.
• Ability to work quickly in a fast-paced environment with frequent interruptions.
• Ideally has experience working within a franchisor organization, preferably a QSR brand.
• Working on a personal computer or test kitchen for extended periods of time. Ability to work occasionally on evenings and weekends, as necessary to meet project deadlines.
• Ability to travel up to 20%

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.   You must be work authorized in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship.

Benefits

Benefit package includes medical, dental and vision insurance coverage, employer paid basic life insurance, short and long-term disability, paid sick and vacation, 401(k) match, tuition reimbursement, wellness challenges and more!

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We are committed to creating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion for all who touch DQ.  We believe in and commit to fostering a community where employees bring their authentic selves to work; where we recruit, engage and retain employees, franchise owners and suppliers with diverse background and identities; and where everyone feels welcome engaging with our DQ brand.

IDQ is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values the strength diversity brings to the workplace. IDQ participates in the US E-Verify program.  You must be work authorized in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship.