Director Food Safety

Join us at WinCo Foods, where we're more than just a grocery retailer - we're a growing family of over 140 supermarkets in 10 states with over 22,000 employee owners. Our purpose is to make the lives of our customers and employee owners better by offering the lowest possible prices to feed their families. Currently, WinCo is the second largest Employee-Owned company in the United States. With more than 500 millionaire employee-owners in our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Our benefits, including top-tier medical plans and tuition support set us apart. In your role, you'll be instrumental in making a real impact in the communities we serve, embodying our purpose every day.

Job Summary

Monitor, direct and provide guidance for corporate-wide food safety programs, initiatives, policies and procedures designed to achieve compliance with applicable federal, state and local regulatory requirements.  Provide leadership to achieve best practices in food safety in timely and cost effective ways to achieve the company's business goals and objectives. 

Typical Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and supervision to food safety and quality assurance personnel. Monitor continuous improvement processes to enhance work flow, improve job skills, and individual knowledge of food safety and quality assurance. 
• Monitor and provide direction to ensure food safety goals, policies, procedures, or other business strategies are designed to achieve compliance objectives.
• Establish goals, monitor progress and achievements for food safety programs and related activities.
• Monitor and provide direction to existing and pending federal, state and local food safety related regulations to assess business impacts.
• Provide direction to ensure outside service providers for food safety programs satisfactorily execute service agreements and meet WinCo goals and expectations.
• Provide technical expertise to corporate legal team (e.g. food safety provisions of pending legal documents) as needed.
• Monitor and control food safety program costs.
• Participate in industry, Federal, State and local regulatory committees to network, protect and enhance WinCo Foods position in retail food safety issues.
• Interpret existing and pending federal, state and local food safety related regulations to assess business impacts.
• Recommend, develop and deliver company wide food safety training and certification program (including a state and federally accredited Food Protection Manager exam) for managers and employees.
• Review and sign-off on new and existing store plans for food safety and local regulatory compliance.
• Provide technical oversight of operational compliance projects to ensure work products meet expectations and offer cost-effective business solutions.
• Oversee long-term food safety strategic guidance and planning for new and existing projects.
• Work with senior management to communicate food safety related strategies, and provide reports.
• Perform other duties as needed.

Requirements

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in food science, microbiology, biology, or a related field OR equivalent combination of education, training and/or experience in addition to experience listed below.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of applicable food safety management experience, preferably in a corporate retail setting.
• At least 5 years' experience verifying compliance with FDA Food Code, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and other requirements including conducting visual inspections and creating reports to address issues, obtain and maintain all necessary licensing /certification.
• Demonstrating thorough knowledge of food science, food engineering, food chemistry, and food microbiology including application of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), FDA, USDA, USDC and State and local regulatory agency policy and procedures related to food safety and sanitation.
• Demonstrating strong leadership, organizational and supervisory skills.
• Demonstrating thorough understanding and working knowledge of applicable federal and state food safety regulations
• Demonstrating initiative, self-direction and effectively managing time to ensure that deadlines are met.
• Prioritizing and executing tasks in a high-pressure environment.
• Demonstrating excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.).
• Establishing and maintaining good working relationships with functional areas across the organization and with outside agencies.
• Demonstrating adaptability and flexibility when confronted with challenging situations or obstacles; comfortable with change and ambiguity; practicing constructive criticism and dealing well with difficult co-workers and supervisors.
• Demonstrating effective oral and written communication skills necessary to communicate with all levels of internal and external team members and customers.

Ability to:

• Continuously learn and improve skills; resilient, receptive and responsive to performance feedback.
• Respond to calls on urgent matters involving food safety including after business hours, on weekends and holidays.
• Travel up to 50% of the time.
• Perform all tasks efficiently and accurately with confidentiality, honesty and integrity.

Preferred Education, Experience and/or Credentials:

• Graduate degree in food science, microbiology, biology, or a related field.
• Certified Professional Food Safety (CP-FS)

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature of work performed by the employees assigned to this job.  All employees must comply with Company policies and applicable laws. The responsibilities, duties, and qualifications required of personnel may vary.

As the WinCo Foods community continues to grow, our variety of perspectives and wide range of experiences are essential to our strategy and success. We are committed cultivating and celebrating an inclusive environment in which all employees are valued and respected.