Vice President, Safety & Compliance

Wonder•New York, NY

3d•$290,000 - $318,500•Hybrid

About The Position

As Wonder continues to scale rapidly across markets, channels, and operating models, we are looking for a senior executive to lead our food safety, quality, compliance, and risk organization. This leader will build and scale the systems, governance, technology, and talent required to protect our customers, employees, brand, and business while enabling continued growth. You will serve as the senior authority for Wonder’s company-wide food safety and quality programs, while partnering closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Culinary, Technology, Legal, Finance, and senior leadership to ensure compliance and operational excellence across our growing footprint. This is a highly strategic and hands-on leadership role. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable setting enterprise strategy, advising the C-suite and Board, building scalable infrastructure, and rolling up their sleeves to solve complex operational challenges.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive experience in food safety, quality, compliance, regulatory affairs, risk management, or a related discipline.
Deep expertise in food safety and quality, with demonstrated ability to expand scope into broader operational, workplace, and corporate compliance.
Proven success building and scaling food safety, quality, and compliance programs within complex, multi-site, consumer-facing, or high-growth organizations.
Experience operating across complex supply chains, multiple geographies, suppliers, facilities, and regulatory environments.
Strong knowledge of food safety regulations, quality systems, supplier management, risk assessment, incident management, and regulatory readiness.
Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-wide transformation and implementing technology-enabled compliance and quality systems.
Experience preparing and delivering C-suite and Board-level communications on risk, regulatory matters, operational performance, and strategic priorities.
Exceptional executive presence, judgment, integrity, and ability to influence across a highly cross-functional organization.
Proven ability to lead through organizational change while maintaining execution, team engagement, and business momentum.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, or a related technical field.
Experience with FSMA Section 204, traceability, HACCP, PCQI, or similar food safety frameworks.
Experience in restaurant, fresh food, manufacturing, distribution, franchised, or other complex consumer-facing environments.
Experience building a global or multi-regional food safety and quality organization from the ground up.
Experience with enterprise quality management, compliance, incident management, or traceability technology.
Experience partnering with Supply Chain and Procurement on supplier risk, contingency planning, and business resilience.
Experience managing through significant organizational change in a fast-growth environment.
Strategic and hands-on leader who is comfortable operating at both the 30,000-foot and ground level.
Mission-driven, caring, inclusive, optimistic, proactive, adaptive, gritty, and bold.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop Wonder’s Food Safety, Quality & Compliance organization, building a high-performing team and culture grounded in proactive communication, accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.
Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on food safety, regulatory requirements, operational risk, brand protection, and scaling strategies.
Build strong cross-functional partnerships across Operations, Supply Chain, Culinary, Technology, Legal, and other business functions.
Serve as a key point of contact for regulators, auditors, suppliers, and external compliance partners.
Provide regular executive and Board-level reporting on food safety, regulatory readiness, risk, incidents, and enterprise priorities.
Translate complex technical and regulatory topics into clear business recommendations and actionable decisions.
Provide leadership and oversight for workplace safety programs across Wonder’s production and retail footprint.
Support compliance with OSHA and applicable federal, state, and local workplace requirements.
Partner with People and Operations to establish scalable training, policies, controls, and reporting mechanisms.
Monitor key safety metrics and trends and drive continuous improvement across the organization.
Ensure employee safety and compliance practices evolve alongside Wonder’s growth and operating model.
Build and manage scalable compliance infrastructure that supports rapid growth across multiple markets and operating environments.
Develop and modernize technology platforms for food safety, quality, incident management, auditing, traceability, and reporting.
Leverage data and analytics to identify trends, improve decision-making, and proactively mitigate operational and brand risk.
Establish enterprise-wide incident, crisis, and recall management processes that enable rapid, coordinated, and traceable response.
Partner with Legal, IT, Security, and other functions as the scope of the organization expands to address broader compliance, information security, privacy, and internal-control requirements.
Lead company-wide risk assessments, scenario planning, business continuity, and readiness efforts in partnership with relevant stakeholders.
Develop frameworks that strengthen end-to-end supply chain resilience and mitigate supplier, operational, and regulatory risk.
Serve as the senior authority for Wonder’s company-wide food safety and quality programs.
Develop and execute a scalable global food safety and quality strategy across production facilities, distribution operations, restaurants, and other customer-facing environments.
Establish the governance, policies, controls, KPIs, and reporting necessary to maintain consistent food safety and quality standards as Wonder scales.
Oversee supplier food safety, quality, risk assessment, auditing, performance management, and accountability.
Lead regulatory readiness and proactively prepare the organization for evolving food safety requirements, including traceability and FSMA Section 204.
Build a culture of proactive risk identification, prevention, investigation, corrective action, and continuous improvement.
Ensure Wonder is viewed as an emerging leader in food safety, quality, and operational excellence.