Food Research Development Jobs in Kansas (NOW HIRING)

Tippin's Pie Plant, a proud Balls Foods brand, has been bringing families together around the table for more than 40 years. Known for premium pies crafted with quality ingredients and time-honored recipes, Tippin's has built a reputation for excellence that customers trust.

We're looking for an experienced Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager to help protect that legacy by leading Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Sanitation, and Research & Development at our Tippin's Pie Plant.

If you're passionate about food safety, thrive in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment, enjoy developing teams, driving continuous improvement, and bringing innovative products to market, we'd love to meet you.

As our Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager, you'll provide strategic and operational leadership for Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Sanitation, and Research & Development while partnering across the organization to strengthen product quality, regulatory compliance, and manufacturing excellence.

In this role, you'll:

• Lead Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Sanitation, and Research & Development initiatives for the manufacturing facility
• Serve as the facility's Food Safety leader, Primary Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), and SQF Practitioner
• Maintain and strengthen Food Safety and Quality Management Systems, including SQF, HACCP, FDA, USDA, FSMA, GMPs, SSOPs, Preventive Controls, and regulatory compliance
• Lead customer, regulatory, and third-party audits while ensuring audit readiness and compliance
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance food safety, product quality, operational performance, and customer satisfaction
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Procurement, Supply Chain, Sales, and leadership to improve manufacturing performance and support business objectives
• Lead investigations involving customer concerns, food safety events, quality issues, and corrective actions
• Support new product development, commercialization, product validations, customer sampling, and specification management
• Utilize ERP systems, quality management systems, Microsoft Office, and data analytics to monitor performance, support reporting, and identify opportunities for improvement
• Develop and coach Quality Assurance, Sanitation, and Research & Development teammates while fostering accountability, engagement, and professional growth

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Microbiology, Chemistry, Food Engineering, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and progressive food manufacturing experience
• Minimum five (5) years of experience in Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Compliance, or food manufacturing, including at least two (2) years supporting or leading Research & Development, product development, or commercialization activities
• Three (3)+ years of leadership experience leading technical or operational teams
• Experience developing, implementing, and maintaining Food Safety and Quality Management Systems, including SQF, HACCP, FDA, USDA, FSMA, Preventive Controls, GMPs, SSOPs, environmental monitoring, sanitation, and regulatory compliance
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and experience utilizing ERP, quality management, specification management, or manufacturing systems
• HACCP Certification (or ability to obtain within six months)
• PCQI Certification (or ability to obtain within six months)

• SQF Practitioner Certification
• Experience in bakery or frozen food manufacturing
• Product development and commercialization experience
• Master's degree in Food Science or related field
• Bilingual (English/Spanish)

At Tippin's Pie Plant, you'll have the opportunity to protect and strengthen one of the Midwest's most recognized bakery brands while helping shape the future of food safety, quality, and product innovation. As part of the Balls Foods family, you'll work alongside a collaborative leadership team that values integrity, continuous improvement, operational excellence, and investing in its teammates.

If you're ready to make an impact on products enjoyed by families for generations, we'd love to hear from you. Apply today!