Food Safety Specialist

Job Summary

Job Title:                 Food Safety Specialist                                           

FLSA Status:            Salary

Reports To:             Food Protection and Regulatory Affairs Director

Reporting to the Food Protection and Regulatory Affairs Director, the Food Safety Specialist is responsible for ensuring compliance in accordance to company policy, food safety standards, government regulations, and industry best practices.  This position assists with the integration of food safety and quality assurance into all functional areas of Festival Foods by managing our current food safety programs as well as supporting and aiding to the development and implementation of additions as needed.

Job Description

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Monitors the compliance of all Food Safety and Quality Assurance programs
• Provides Food Safety technical support and consultation to both store and support leadership, and makes recommendations as necessary
• Conducts internal food safety assessments of Festival Foods facilities and ensures that corrective actions are implemented based on audit results
• Contributes to a team effort managing recalls by initiating formal recall notifications, communicating with company leadership, and monitoring developments
• Collaborate as needed with third party inspectors/auditors
• Benchmarks against trade best practices to maintain food safety leadership within our industry
• Provide food safety training according to store needs using teachable moments during assessments and recommending more formal trainings
• Investigates and analyzes food safety related customer complaints and takes corrective action
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of regulatory guidelines and ensures compliance in all areas
• Evaluates and assists with developing food safety processes, procedures, specifications, and critical control points
• Accomplishes additional duties as assigned by the Food Protection and Regulatory Affairs Director

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or a related field
• 2-5 years of Food Safety involvement or related experience
• Understanding of manufacturing policies (GMP and HACCP) as well as demonstrated knowledge of food safety principles
• Willingness to continue education & training in food safety and related programs
• Ability to bring projects to completion through motivation for results
• Ability to multitask and manage multiple priorities/projects concurrently
• Excellent organization, analytical, and problem solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong ability to work in cross-functional teams
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and OneNote

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Professional presence is required at both store and office locations.
• Ability to stand, walk, or sit for an extended period of time.
• Travel by car to stores, events, and presentations as scheduled.
• Lifting of up to 40 pounds may be required on an occasional basis.

WORK SCHEDULE

The Food Safety Specialist is a full-time salaried time position.  The most common shift to be worked will be M-F 8am-5pm with occasional nights and/or weekends as business dictates. This position requires store involvement of up to 75% with some overnight travel required (10-15%).

Festival Foods serves guests in over 30 full-service, state-of-the-art supermarkets throughout Wisconsin. At Festival Foods, we're not simply selling groceries; we're on a mission!  Every business decision we make is based on our "Boomerang Principle"--empowering our associates to make decisions and take actions that will "Bring the Customer Back". We are proud to be a family and employee-owned company.

At Festival Foods we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all.  We are dedicated to building a top-notch team of skilled, experienced and service-oriented associates who represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and talents.  Festival Foods believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates, products, and our community strengthen our ability to serve our guests, as we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people.