Job Description

The Food Safety Manager - West ensures WHSmith North America’s retail locations consistently deliver a safe, compliant, and exceptional food experience. This role executes food safety programs, audits store performance, and partners with field teams to maintain the highest standards of sanitation, hygiene, and regulatory adherence. Serving as the frontline guardian of compliance, the Food Safety Manager translates policy into daily practice, ensuring accountability, continuous improvement, and brand integrity across all food and beverage operations.

Key Responsibilities

Food Safety Execution & Compliance Oversight

• Conduct scheduled and unscheduled audits across assigned regions to assess food handling, temperature control, sanitation, and storage compliance.
• Evaluate adherence to WHSmith’s food safety standards, local health codes, and regulatory requirements.
• Document inspection results, identify root causes of noncompliance, and recommend timely corrective actions.
• Partner with Operations and Facilities to maintain equipment compliance and prevent temperature or contamination issues.
• Collaborate with Field Leadership to ensure consistent audit readiness and operational adherence to sanitation standards.

Training & Continuous Improvement

• Deliver hands-on coaching to store and field teams to reinforce food safety standards, corrective actions, and inspection readiness.
• Review training records and inspection trends to identify gaps and recommend focused interventions.
• Participate in post-incident reviews following customer complaints or inspection findings to identify lessons learned.
• Support vendor compliance validation and third-party audit readiness.
• Contribute to new concept development by advising on food safety design and layout considerations.

Key Metrics

• Audit Completion Rate (%): Percentage of assigned locations reviewed within cadence.
• Inspection Pass Rate (%): Percentage of “Pass” or “Strong” audit outcomes.
• Corrective Action Completion (%): Timely closure of identified food safety violations.
• Violation Recurrence Rate (%): Reduction in repeat findings within a 6-month period.
• Incident Resolution Time (Days): Average time from finding to remediation.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Public Health, Environmental Health, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in food safety, environmental health, or regulatory compliance within retail, hospitality, or foodservice.
• Certified in ServSafe or HACCP (Advanced HACCP certification preferred).
• Strong knowledge of FDA Food Code, local health regulations, and sanitation best practices.
• Proven track record conducting audits, inspections, and corrective action management.
• Excellent communication, coaching, and cross-functional partnership skills.

Skills & Competencies

• Food safety auditing, inspection, and risk assessment expertise.
• Root-cause analysis and corrective action planning.
• Vendor compliance validation and reporting.
• Analytical thinker with disciplined follow-through.
• Skilled in training, influence, and communication across levels.
• Calm and decisive when addressing compliance or public health concerns.

Leadership Attributes

• Confident and solutions-oriented under pressure.
• Detail-driven and ethical in execution and documentation.
• Committed to maintaining a culture of accountability and care.
• Builds trust and credibility with operations, regulators, and partners.
• Embodies WHSmith’s values of safety, excellence, and operational integrity.

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