Food Safety Program Specialist
Position Title: Food Safety Program Specialist
Reports To: Director of Food Safety & Health
Department: Operational Excellence
Status: Exempt
Date: January 2026
Salary:
Broad Functions: As a Food Safety Program Specialist, you will play a critical role in ensuring best-in-class quality and food safety standards are maintained across all business units. You will work with limited supervision to perform analysis and deliver specialized reporting on food safety, brand, regulatory, and other compliance-related assessments. Additionally, the person in this role will collaborate directly with operators and frontline team members to drive actionable solutions to remedy food safety challenges. This individual will support a variety of food safety programs and processes to include pest management, food safety training, cleaning/sanitation, brand assessments, and others. This position reports directly to the Director of Food Safety & Health and is part of the Operational Excellence team.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Develop, implement, and provide ongoing support of food safety and quality assurance programs across all business units.
2. Conduct regular assessments and audits, partnering with operations to achieve compliance with local, state, and federal regulations as well as brand standards.
3. Train and educate team members on food safety standards, procedures, and best practices to ensure consistent application across all locations.
4. Collaborate with cross-functional teams including operations, facilities, and procurement to build relationships and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
5. Coordinate and conduct brand assessments to ensure adherence to company standards and identify opportunities for improvement.
6. Assist in the investigation of Investigate food safety incidents and complaints, conducting root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
7. Monitor and analyze food safety data and trends to identify risk areas and provide actionable recommendations to leadership.
8. Support cleaning and sanitation programs by developing schedules, validating procedures, and ensuring proper chemical handling and storage.
9. Maintain accurate records and documentation of all food safety activities, inspections, and training sessions in compliance with regulatory requirements.
10. Stay current on food safety regulations, industry trends, and emerging risks to proactively update programs and procedures.
11. Serve as a subject matter expert and resource for operators and team members on food safety-related questions and concerns.
12. Partner with third-party auditors and regulatory agencies during inspections and follow up on findings to ensure timely resolution.
Skills and Qualifications:
1. Detail-oriented and organized.
2. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
3. Self-motivated, able to work independently, proactively anticipating challenges and providing solutions.
4. Strong business acumen with a desire to make a positive impact on the business.
5. Ability to pass/maintain security clearance and other job-related background checks.
6. ServSafe Food Safety Manager Certification required, ServSafe Proctor/Instructor Preferred.
7. Certified Professional of Food Safety (CP-FS) or Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) preferred.
8. Bachelor's Degree preferred but not required.
9. This position will require some travel (approximately 30%)
Benefits:
We offer full-time eligible employees affordable medical insurance, dental and vision benefits, along with a variety of voluntary insurance options. Our benefits package includes company-sponsored life insurance, a free employee assistance program, competitive paid time off, company holidays, and a 401k retirement plan with company match. Plus, enjoy access to discount programs for travel and entertainment and a location meal program. In addition, this position is bonus eligible.
EEOC Statement:
We are an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team and fostering an inclusive environment where employees feel empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability status, or veteran status.
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee operates in an office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. This is largely a sedentary role and requires color determination vision (no color blindness) and to sit for extended periods of time in front of the computer. This position would require the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand on a stool as necessary. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds. Some bending and/or lifting of supplies and mail in/out materials from time to time may be required.