Food Safety Manager
- 📁
- Salaried
- 💼
- CORPORATE
- 📅
- 2605848 Requisition #
Your Purpose
The Food Safety Manager is responsible for supporting and strengthening retail food safety programs across the organization. This role provides guidance and expertise to company leadership and operations teams in the areas of food safety, sanitation, and pest control. The Food Safety Manager works to promote best practices, ensure compliance with food safety standards, and help drive a strong food safety culture throughout Harris Teeter.
What You’ll Do
- Monitors and evaluates the company’s quarterly food safety & sanitation third party audit program. Communicates findings and trends to corporate leadership by period.
- Acts as advocate during interaction with regulatory agencies and industry food safety groups. Establishes and maintains relationships with appropriate regulatory agencies in company operating geography.
- Reviews and follows-up as necessary on all regulatory inspection reports pertaining to food safety, sanitation, weights & measures and food labeling.
- Serves as subject matter experts to assist store operations in resolving issues identified during quarterly food safety appraisals and regulatory inspections by developing corrective actions and implementing preventive measures.
- Manages a team of specialists (internal or external) that provide Operations with field support to educate operators on company food safety standards.
- Work with merchandising to ensure that food handling, sanitation practices, and labeling is in accordance with regulatory requirements and protects products.
- Focuses on continuously improving and strengthening food safety by collaborating with internal teams and external resources. Works cross functionally with other departments as necessary for special projects and initiative roll outs. This includes, but is not limited to: Facilities, Merchandising, Category/Procurement, Real Estate & Construction, Asset Protection, and Distribution.
- Works with Learning & Development to identify, develop, and implement training for food safety & sanitation.
- Conducts internal food safety training sessions for store associates. Delivers Food Manager Certification training and testing for required management positions.
- Supports the management of the company’s pest control program at retail.
- Assists with QA department programs, including, but not limited to, product recalls and withdrawals, customer complaints, label review and vendor audits.
- Assists with the development and implementation of food safety materials; conducts program review annually to verify compliance with regulatory and company standards.
- Respond and support any crisis and emergency situations/imminent health hazards (i.e. pest infestation, water/power interruption, floor or sewage back up, etc) which could result in injury, disruption of business, or potential regulatory enforcement action.
- Support any customer complaint trends by supporting investigations for food related illness and injury claims.
- Participate on the Recall Team.
- Compiles data and metrics from various sources for company scorecards.
Supporting Leadership Through the 5 Es
- As a leader, you are expected to model and reinforce our leadership expectations through the 5Es Leadership Framework – serving as both an example and a multiplier of leadership impact across teams and functions:
- Envision: Craft a bold, strategic vision that aligns with the company’s direction. Communicate clearly and consistently to ensure every team understands the “why” behind the work and feels connected to the bigger picture.
- Energize: Cultivate a high-energy, resilient environment where passion, recognition, and urgency fuel momentum. Drive engagement across levels by being visible, present, and inspiring in your leadership.
- Enroll: Build alignment and commitment by involving others early and often. Create clarity around change, communicate transparently, and ensure all stakeholders feel heard, valued, and empowered to act.
- Enable: Break down barriers, advocate for necessary resources, and build capability across your teams. Champion development, empower decision-making, and foster a culture of continuous learning and ownership.
- Execute: Deliver results that matter. Turn strategy into action with prevision and agility, ensure accountability, and continuously improve outcomes through clear priorities, strong follow-through, and data-driven
What You Bring
- Bachelor’s degree (B.S. or B.A.) from four-year college or university, with technical background in Environmental Health, Food Science, Biology, Microbiology or food safety related courses OR equivalent experience in a related field with majority of those years having direct ownership of managing some of the essential duties and responsibilities described above.
- At least 3 years’ experience in multi-unit retail food service sanitation and food safety through auditing, inspecting or application.
- At least 2 years’ experience working in a regulatory capacity for local, state, or federal government.
- Must have knowledge of HACCP, SSOPs, GMPs, FDA and all other applicable State and local health and food safety codes and principles related to food service, for our operating area.
- Strong applied knowledge of retail food safety and competent knowledge of current food safety practices.
- Experienced and qualified in conducting food safety manager training sessions.
- Ability to manage a team.
- Experience in managing vendor partner relationships.
- A nationally recognized food safety credential such as CP-FS or would be able to achieve such a certification within the first year of work.
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
This role requires a balance of office-based work and field support. The associate will regularly visit retail and operational locations to provide guidance and support related to food safety programs. While performing these duties, the employee may frequently be exposed to wet or humid conditions and may work near moving mechanical equipment. Occasional exposure to fumes or airborne particles may occur.
This position requires up to 60% travel to support company locations, collaborate with operations teams, and ensure food safety standards are maintained across the organization.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include Close vision, Distance vision, Peripheral vision, Depth perception and Ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
Job Title: Food Safety Manager
Job Code: 436
Department: Quality Assurance
Reports To: Director of Quality Assurance
Direct Reports: Food Safety Auditors with Diversey Partner
FLSA Status: Salary
Location: Store Support Center – Matthews, NC
Created by: March 2026
Benefits
You will be eligible for Harris Teeter’s group benefit plans that pertain to your position upon the completion of applicable waiting periods. Your eligibility for these benefits is subject to the terms of the applicable plan and Harris Teeter policy.