Director, Food Safety and Quality
About The Position
The Director, Food Safety and Quality Assurance works with category owners, cafés, Panera’s Quality Assurance, Café Operations, and cross-functional teams to drive food safety and quality initiatives. The role is responsible for approving ingredient and packaging suppliers and their supporting documentation, managing supplier and SKU performance, and implementing sampling and monitoring programs. It identifies and delivers continuous improvement initiatives to improve supplier capability, food safety, quality, and conformance to specifications at the café and guest level while ensuring regulatory compliance. The position includes people development, supplier continuous improvement, report writing, data analysis, facility auditing, formal communication with internal and external customers, training associates on food quality and food safety, and interacting with regulatory agencies as needed. It is based at the Newton, Massachusetts Support Center near Boston, includes travel of up to 50%, and has 3–5 direct reports.
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science in Food Science or a related field.
- At least 10 years of work-related experience in the food industry.
- Experience or knowledge of GFSI certification.
- Knowledge of food microbiology, food safety and controls, food defense, sanitary design, auditing, statistical process control, Food Code, FSMA, and GMPs.
- Maintain technical and professional knowledge related to regulatory compliance, FSMA, Food Code, CFIA, and HARPC.
- Prior auditing experience.
- Prior recall experience.
- Food-contact packaging experience.
- Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
- Ability to influence without authority and communicate appropriately for the intended audience.
- Computer literacy, including word processing and spreadsheet applications.
- Strong teamwork and cross-functional business partnership skills.
- Interpersonal skills and ability to interact positively with associates and plant-level management.
- Self-starter who is intrinsically motivated and has a positive attitude.
- Ability to travel up to 50%.
Nice To Haves
- Produce experience.
Responsibilities
- Approve ingredient and packaging suppliers and maintain supporting documentation on an ongoing basis.
- Work with suppliers on risk reduction, product and process improvements, capability studies, and root cause analysis with corrective and preventive action as needed.
- Monitor, review, and investigate food safety complaints and quality data; coordinate supplier follow-up and action plans to mitigate risks.
- Provide technical expertise and field support for projects that improve food quality, food safety, and sanitation.
- Conduct periodic supplier, distribution center, produce house, and café audits to confirm partners meet Panera standards.
- Help suppliers understand process capability for their ingredients, lines, and processes using supporting data.
- Implement and maintain value-added sampling and monitoring programs.
- Collaborate with Quality Assurance, Culinary, Supply Planning, Sourcing, Café Operations, MSD, and suppliers to drive product and process improvements across the supplier and supply chain base.
- Support and drive food safety, regulatory, and quality initiatives within assigned categories.
- Develop people, write reports, analyze data, communicate with internal and external customers, and train associates on food quality and food safety.
- Interact with regulatory agencies as needed.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
