Food Safety Specialist

KFC • Plano, TX

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Restaurant Food Safety Specialist is part of the broader Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) team which is focused on food safety risk prevention from field to fork. This role is the primary FSQ contact for the restaurant teams, restaurant auditors, and other key restaurant preventive control program partners. This person will be instrumental in the sustainment of the Restaurant Food Safety Strategy and will lead critical components of this strategy, including revising the chemical and pest program. This individual will have strong technical acumen to field day-to-day food safety concerns and questions from the field. In support of the Pizza Hut food vision, this individual will play an integral role in working alongside product development, suppliers and operations partners to commercialize menu items to launch in accordance with Yum! standards, FDA requirements and Pizza Hut HACCP procedures. The person must have a passion for food safety and the drive to foster continuous improvement with a risk-based approach built on a foundation of trust and partnership.

Requirements

• Must have 3–5+ years of experience providing direct food safety oversight in health department or retail/restaurant/hospitality multi-unit organization.
• Must have knowledge of HACCP, SQF, GMPs, FDA model Food Code to support applicable State and local health and food safety codes and requirements.
• Demonstrates a general understanding of economic metrics for facility and business operations.
• Will need to develop strong relationships with cross functional partners, other Yum! Brands FSQ teams, support partners and restaurant field operations including Franchise and License partners.
• Complete multiple concurrent tasks and projects in a timely manner and prioritize work in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong personal drive (meets needs to be very independent).
• Excellent time management skills with a strong technical foundation in restaurant food safety to support a wide variety of project needs.
• A forward thinker who is a problem solver with experience in field food safety and restaurant operations.
• Strong analytical method, organizational and data management skills.
• Pragmatic Problem Solver: Provide practical and scientifically backed recommendations and work with team to drive improvement.
• Must be able to challenge status quo while maintaining respect and a partnership mindset.
• Excellent computer skills including Microsoft Office (with focus on Excel and PowerPoint).
• Positive energy in delivering a customer service mindset and food safety first culture.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with CMX and third party Food Safety programs a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage Restaurant Food Safety Programs: Manage PH US food safety audit program in partnership with the Operations team Provide daily technical support for PH restaurant audit process Responsible for measuring and reporting on restaurant food safety metrics (scoring and failure trends) to FSQ management monthly Lead FSQ involvement in auditor calibration Work with selected third-party audit team to ensure standards are clear and applied correctly. Manage Yum restaurant emergency and restaurant closure process ensuring PH US adheres to all Yum requirements. Work closely with franchise business partners to support restaurant teams to reopen safely and timely. Meet with the team bi-weekly to ensure all reports are handled with urgency and are addressed correctly. Share best practices and know-how on suggested improvements to reduce future incidents.
• Partner with Pizza Hut Compliance Team and Yum FSQ team: Lead auditor calibration and field inquiries within the restaurant operations and provide innovative solutions to common problems. Lead the restaurant food safety recognition program to drive continuous improvement and strengthen field engagement. Responsible communication recognition results to FSQ, Ops Readiness Team after each audit cycle Cross functional partner leading the implementation and annual review Restaurant Training Program Lead:
• In partnership with the training team, manage the suite of food safety training documentation, standards cards and job aids. In partnership with Yum and Operations team, provide technical support for third-party auditor training Participate in local restaurant visits with the FSQ team to understand how to evaluate product in-store and to offer FS Restaurant training Pest and Chemical program: Lead and manage cleaning chemical category and approved pest management program for the brand. Responsible for programs to inspire restaurant teams in taking pride in their workplace. Develop and implement a monthly/quarterly franchisee communication strategy to our restaurants Develop and implement a cleaning program to elevate cleanliness and sanitation in our operation.
• New Product/Innovation Support: Act as food safety SME for food innovation team as they commercialize menu items for the restaurants. Support culinary team to conduct load tests and validation studies using HACCP principles.
• Health Department Support: Manage regulatory agency inquiries (Local and State health departments, FDA, etc), Serve as CMX Super User Supporting: Proficient in CMX modules (Incident management, Recall, Billing). Strategic partner driving continuous improvement Product Recall – responsible for initiating product withdrawals/recalls. Implement and deliver product recall training for the US FSQ Incident Management – day to day system/supplier maintenance to include any PH and Yum data feeds Supplier Payment Process – process CMX invoices as needed. Partner with Supply Chain to ensure invoices are sent out and payment is received Super User for TrueView and Domo FSQ lead managing Internal FSQ systems, TrueView and Domo program Responsible for training FSQ team and cross functional partners on TrueView and DOMO Manage Internal Audit Process for US. Responsible for all FSQ Corrective Actions Understand the specification process and how to input and retain the Robust product packet Be the gate keeper of Spec transitions hosting the Spec review meetings for all core, LTP and new products

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees