Sr Manager, Food Safety

Denny's • Remote TX, TX

7d • $88,000 - $121,000 • Remote

About The Position

The Sr. Manager, Food Safety will provide strategic guidance on food safety procedures and policies, ensuring validation compliance with all safety programs and fostering a strong safety and compliance culture. This role involves training and educating on food safety programs, analyzing results, counseling franchisees and company leaders, and driving improvements through a positive and competitive atmosphere. The position requires collaboration with external agencies and internal departments to develop and implement e-learning modules, advise on compliance with state, federal, and OSHA requirements, and manage communications regarding health concerns and outbreaks. The role also involves developing escalation processes for hotline calls and field requests, investigating allegations of foodborne illnesses and safety issues, and ensuring resolutions comply with laws and company policies. Additionally, the Sr. Manager will oversee pest activity management, ensure compliance with operational guides and logs, develop HACCP manuals and guidelines for new products, and support core menu updates. This role serves as the primary contact for restaurant food safety and EHS, actively participates in committees, and implements the FDA Food Code to meet brand standards. Collaboration with cross-functional departments is key to ensuring food safety, cleanliness, and environmental health and safety standards meet or exceed regulatory requirements. The position requires analyzing behaviors and trends in company restaurants to develop improvement strategies and attending meetings to share information and corrective actions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, microbiology or a related field.
• Food Safety Certified Manager certification.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience within food safety.
• Minimally 5 years supporting/overseeing restaurant food safety programs.
• Ability to communicate and interact effectively with restaurant personnel/field leaders/regulatory inspectors/supervisors/state directors.
• Proven management experience and leadership skills.
• Ability to handle/manage rapidly changing priorities in a changing environment with a sense of urgency.
• Excellent planning/organizational skills with the ability to work independently.
• Results oriented leader that possesses strong influencing skills and proven ability to overcome objections and communicate complex/controversial decisions.
• Strategic thinking and agility: Ability to develop long term plans and outlooks to meet business needs and demands while also challenging status quo.
• Stakeholder management: Ability to work with key operation leaders and executive leaders to drive FSQA strategic priorities.
• Creative and business mindset: Able to drive business results outside of FSQA by adding value to profit generating activities.
• Minimum 50-75% mostly domestic job travel.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree preferred.
• Instructor/Proctor status preferred.
• Certified Professional Food Safety (CP-FS) preferred.
• Previous franchise operations support experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic guidance on food safety procedures and policies.
• Ensure validation compliance to all safety programs and development of a true safety and compliance culture.
• Train and educate on all food safety programs, discuss all Area/Regional results and performance trends.
• Meet with and counsel franchisees/company leaders and report on food safety matters.
• Create a positive, competitive atmosphere to change behaviors and improve results.
• Provide appropriate operational support/follow-up to ensure opportunities for improvement are identified and corrected.
• Work with outside agencies (e.g., federal, state and local law enforcement, etc.) as necessary.
• Act as a liaison with Franchisees/Company Field Leaders, Learning & Development, Operations Excellence, and other teammates to develop and implement E-Learning in Food Safety & Safety Modules/Programs.
• Advise company/franchise Operations regarding monitoring/maintaining programs for compliance with state, federal and OSHA requirements.
• Counsel Franchisees/company leaders to work with Risk Management, Operations and Health Departments regarding communicable diseases, outbreaks, and local/state protocols.
• Coach, teach and support leaders on all levels regarding brand standards, regulatory rules/regulations, safety and operating procedures.
• Develop key escalation processes related to trending of hotline calls/complaints (products, equipment, regulatory & OSHA requirements) and requests from the field.
• Follow up and gather information/data on calls from Operations, 3rd party auditing vendors, health departments, guests and work as a liaison, to ensure brand Food Safety/HACCP standards are met in all restaurants.
• Attain information/facts needed regarding allegations of foodborne illnesses, safety, issues/trends in restaurants and follow-up with Franchisees/Company Operations as appropriate.
• Advise all investigations and resolutions comply with applicable federal, state and local laws, as well as company policies.
• Investigate and assist with administrative hearings & fines related to restaurants.
• Work with Operations and an appropriate vendor regarding reported pest activity via 3rd party audit, Guest Complaints, and Health Inspections.
• Oversee the compliance of Cook’s/Server’s (Food Chart and Quick Reference) guides sent to the restaurants.
• Oversee the compliance of key areas of the business such as Cook and Server Prep/Pull Charts, Manager Logbook and Walk Through/Temperature Book annually, review with OBAC/Franchisees/Company Leaders.
• Develop guidelines for Brand Standards/HACCP manual, Menu HACCP for all new products.
• Support Core Menu updates/changes, Module resources, recipe cards and assist with Product Development for food safety and brand standards compliance.
• Develop/Revise Food Safety Audit form and Food Safety Resource Guide for traditional and non-traditional restaurants.
• Counsel franchisees in completing the food safety section of plan reviews for permitting purposes.
• Act as the contact for Restaurant Food Safety & EHS.
• Actively participate on Operational BAC committees.
• Implement the current FDA Food Code to meet or exceed Denny’s Brand Standards.
• Collaborate with cross functional departments to ensure food safety, cleanliness, environmental health & safety and brand standards are in place that meet or exceed regulatory rules and regulations.
• Analyze behaviors and trends in company restaurants and develop strategies for execution and improvement.
• Attend area/regional meetings to share up-to-date information, trend reporting, results and delineate corrective actions needed as a team for improvements.
• Teach/coach/update field leaders (DMs/FBCs/RDFOs) through communications addressing actions with solutions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Pay range: $88,000.00 - $121,000.00
• Equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of age, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, genetic information, military or veteran's status, criminal background, or any other characteristic protected by Federal, State, or local law.
• Reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager