Lead, F&B Safety

The function of this role is to ensure the company complies with all internal food and beverage injury prevention and external Public Health and Vessel Sanitation Program requirements. This Lead role is responsible for coordinating the execution of the company’s Public Health Program and ensuring the company’s public health standards are met and/or exceeded onboard. He/she oversees all initiatives related to food safety and hygiene standard in Food and Beverage areas, audits all cleaning and sanitation procedures to ensure all F&B venues are following both company and international sanitation standards by following public health guidelines, and develops food safety and public health training onboard for F&B employees continuously.

This Position will aid the Onboard Sanitation Controllers onboard with Public Health policies and implementation of sanitation programs including Outbreak Prevention Plan (OPP).  They will and must provide strategic and operational direction and leadership in all F&B areas in regards to administering onboard food safety and sanitation program.  This position maximizes its time extensively in support of ship’s Food and Beverage management by either remote communication or onboard visits to conduct training, scheduled and unscheduled reviews to ensure compliance with all SOPs and regulations.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

All duties and responsibilities are to be performed in accordance with Royal Caribbean “The ROYAL Way” Standards, SQM and Shoreside SOPs, all regulatory Public Health agencies, and HACCP guidelines, environmental, and workplace safety policies and procedures.  Each shoreside employee may be required to perform all functions in various food and beverage service venues throughout the ship during visits.  

• Fulfill food and beverage safety and public health analytical tasks given by supervisor for review of operational efficiencies projects and can determine and drive analytical needs based on project scope understanding.
• Will support team in F&B tactics, strategies, and solution improvements for injury reduction or public health findings and is able to build into a workplan for shipboard crew.
• Partners with Hotel Operations, Marine, Shoreside F&B Operations, and any other department within RCCL to support meeting all public health standards and injury prevention strategy.
• Follows, encourages, and lives by venue standards as illustrated in company and VSP SOPs.
• Manages FBPH schedule to ensure maximum coverage to vessels in US Homeports and newbuilds.
• Is able to cohesively review new chemical, equipment, or other products while understanding current shipboard operations to support cost savings or increased functionality of cleaning products or procedures with shoreside team review.
• Responsible for giving guidance and providing detailed action plans for F&B Directors and their sanitation controllers when ship is in need of direction, reviewing final plan with F&B Director.
• Provides daily support for the ships in need as well as daily support by phone conversations to ensure ships are in compliance.
• Consistently reviews current standards and suggests improvements. Takes an innovative approach to current policies to find efficiencies and best practices for a safer, healthier onboard workplace.
• Shares, writes, and logs best practices fleetwide and with shore side management team.
• Evaluate equipment challenges that effect safety or public health procedures and follow the process to mitigate issue.
• Develops training and provides guidance to shipboard restaurant management and staff. May travel to vessels underperforming to support onboard training.
• Monitors all regulatory Public Health standards in all areas of preparation including service and storage areas.  Conducts or virtually hosts regular simulated Public Health reviews and may make unannounced onboard inspections.
• Reviews Public Health reports from inspections (internal and VSP conducted) to evaluate patterns in the fleet, provide guidance to those vessels and develops mitigation strategy in partnership with internal Public Health.
• Participates in departmental conferences and environmental health seminars and appropriate training courses.
• Is able to review reported safe provisioning, product receipt, refrigeration standards, and food product inspection onboard and provide mitigation when risk or compromised quality is prevalent.
• Participates in mitigating food or beverage product recalls from vendors by providing guidance to onboard teams and works closely with procurement on resolutions and communication.
• Follows and embraces “the ROYAL way” and its values.
• Supports the application process for variances and off brand activities to ensure safe procedures and proper documentation is secured.
• Performs related duties as required.  This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the shipboard employee occupying this position. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Undergraduate degree in Hospitality, Food Safety Science, Public Health, Occupational Safety, or Hotel Administration or related field 
• 5+ years previous experience working in restaurants/bars or cafes at entry level positions
• Food safety and injury prevention employment experience a must. Onboard experience preferred.
• Ability to travel internationally for ship visits or conferences for 3-14 day durations.
• Extensive knowledge of food handling, beverage handling, safe provisions management and service procedures.
• Extensive knowledge of food and beverage injury prevention including safe operation of galley and refrigeration equipment.
• Ability to effectively communicate non-compliance issues with employees and management at all levels throughout the shipboard and shore side organizations.
• Ability to conduct training sessions at all levels including one-on-one to large groups.
• U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residency required 
• GPA of 3.5 or higher, and proven leadership skills either in school or professional experience 
• Six sigma preferred

SKILL REQUIRED FOR FUNCTION

• High level of critical thinking  
• High level knowledge of development solutions and tactics for F&B public health improvements and risk prevention.
• Ability to be adaptable and comfortable in a fast paced, dynamic environment 
• General understanding of basic culinary techniques, basic bar tending techniques, and restaurant operations.
• Ability to think strategically, while managing the details.
• Skills using all Microsoft programs, especially powerpoint.
• Desire and willingness to visit onboard and act with professionalism as an extension of our team.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, agendas, and Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) with strong written and oral communication skills.
• Must possess strong project management skills with ability to analyze multitudes of data, down to the details of labor/manpower requirements, deadlines, and workload.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodations. The environment includes office location, and/or moving inside/outside the office. A high noise level is possible if visiting shipboard or offsite location. This position requires a percentage of time for travel up to 30% of the work year.

It is the policy of the Company to ensure equal employment and promotion opportunity to qualified candidates without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sexuality, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. RCL and each of its subsidiaries prohibit and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The employee is regularly required to sit, stand, write, review and review recipes and manage databases and operate the computer. The employee communicates, listens, compares variables, and assesses information. The employee regularly moves about the office complex, and may climb, descend, lift or move 30 lbs.