Reports directly to the Vice President of Food Safety & Quality Assurance. Provides strategic direction to Product Safety and Quality improvement initiatives for Private Brands (PB) consumable and non-consumable products which includes food and non-food items. Drives efforts to ensure compliance with all government regulations and Whole Foods Market (WFM) and PB ingredient and quality standards. Leads continuous improvement of product safety and regulatory compliance within company operations and across PB supply chain. Builds stronger product safety and quality awareness throughout WFM, resulting in safer, higher quality products.

Key responsibilities of this position:

• Provides overall strategic leadership to Product Safety & Quality Analysts, contractors and manages expectations for roles and responsibilities. Leads and coordinates strategy for team policies, procedures, processes, and outputs supporting Private Brands products throughout the lifecycle.
• Provides guidance and direction to Product Safety and Quality teams and Leaders for problem solving, coordination and resolution of product quality and food safety related incidents and customer questions/complaints.
• Provides strategic direction and coordination of initiatives, projects, timelines, and prioritization of workload to ensure timely and successful execution of routine projects and organizational objectives.
• Establishes and manages the group’s budget, operational plans, and performance requirements.
• Manages risks and assures the highest levels of product safety and quality across Private Brands and other food and non food supply chains.
• Ensures that reporting teams have a full and complete picture of corporate expectations, competitive trends, customer patterns and behaviors, and emerging regulations.
• Establishes and maintains external resources (Consultants, Contractors) to expand technical capabilities and effectively manage team bandwidth to align with business needs.
• Leads the management, monitoring and execution of Product Safety testing and related laboratory, consulting, and contractor budgets, remaining on time and within cost objectives.
• Upholds integrity and accuracy of existing Private Brands product information by maintaining accurate product data throughout the product lifecycle (inception to discontinuation) using supporting documents and PLM systems.
• Work’s cross-functionally with Private Brands, Global Merchandising, Nutritional Labeling, Legal and all Global QA teams to align, support and execute mutually beneficial quarterly and fiscal goals.
• Mentors the team leadership group in terms of skill and competency development; helps prepare the next level for succession and ensures ongoing contribution to company business development and growth.
• Supports the VP on vision and overarching strategy for growth and advancement of team organizational structure, roles and responsibilities, competencies, retention, growth, training, staffing, systems, and product technical support.
• Supports WFM’s executive leadership to define and communicate quality, safety standards, and expectations for both internal and external audiences.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline (Food Science or similar) and 10 years relevant work experience in Food Safety and Quality food retail or manufacturing programs.
• 8 years’ minimum experience leading and managing individuals and teams.
• Proficient at developing, maintaining, and leveraging a strategic network of internal and external contacts and advisers.
• Strong project management skillset, decision making and strategic leadership acumen.
• Good understanding of product commercialization and effective Product Safety and Quality programs.
• Strong hands-on analytical skills/techniques
• Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills to facilitate interaction with cross-functional team members such as Merchandising, QC/QA, and Legal and outside vendors and consultants.
• Proficient in team building to ensure employees will work well together.
• Must be detail oriented and extremely organized.
• Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently while meeting established timelines.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to excel in a team setting.
• Computer proficiency and familiarity with Microsoft Office applications
• Effective public speaking and presentation skills.

Preferences

• Experience working in consumer-packaged goods industry preferably food retail
• Knowledge of food safety and food processing environments
• Knowledge of food labeling and FDA/USDA regulations
• Familiarity of retailer web-based specification and product lifecycle management systems would be ideal.

At Whole Foods Market, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all Team Members and candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Whole Foods Market hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.