Senior Manager, Food Safety

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Texas.

📋 Description

• Offer strategic direction regarding food safety procedures and policies.

• Ensure compliance with validation in safety programs while fostering a culture of safety and compliance.

• Educate and train on food safety initiatives; analyze area/regional performance results and trends.

• Engage with and advise franchisees and company leaders; provide operational follow-up and reporting.

• Collaborate with external agencies and maintain communication with franchisees, field leaders, Learning & Development, Operations Excellence, and team members.

• Design and implement e-learning modules pertaining to food safety and related programs.

• Advise operations on adherence to state, federal, and OSHA regulations.

• Guide leaders on matters related to communicable diseases, outbreaks, and local/state protocols.

• Mentor, teach, and assist leaders in understanding brand standards, regulatory requirements, safety, and operational procedures.

• Create processes for escalating hotline calls, complaints, product issues, equipment concerns, regulatory and OSHA requirements, and field requests.

• Collect and follow up on information from operations, auditing vendors, health departments, guests, and foodborne illness claims.

• Ensure investigations and resolutions align with relevant laws and company policies.

• Conduct investigations and support restaurant administrative hearings and penalties.

• Oversee pest activity responses and ensure compliance with restaurant food safety guidelines, prep/pull charts, logbooks, and temperature records.

• Develop HACCP plans, brand standards, menu HACCP, audit documentation, and food safety resource guides.

• Assist with menu updates, module resources, recipe cards, and product development to ensure food safety compliance.

• Guide franchisees on food safety plan assessments for permitting purposes.

• Act as the contact for Restaurant Food Safety and Environmental Health & Safety (EHS).

• Participate in Operational BAC committees.

• Implement the FDA Food Code to ensure compliance with Denny’s brand standards.

• Work collaboratively across departments on food safety, cleanliness, environmental health and safety, and brand standards.

• Analyze restaurant behaviors and trends; devise execution and improvement strategies.

• Attend area/regional meetings to discuss trends, outcomes, and corrective measures.

• Educate, mentor, and inform field leaders through communications that address actions and solutions.

• Perform additional duties as required.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in food science, microbiology, or a related discipline.

• Certification as a Food Safety Certified Manager.

• At least 10 years of experience in food safety.

• A minimum of 5 years in supporting or overseeing restaurant food safety programs.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to engage effectively with restaurant staff, field leaders, regulatory inspectors, supervisors, and state directors.

• Demonstrated management experience and leadership capabilities.

• Ability to manage rapidly shifting priorities with urgency.

• Excellent organizational and planning skills; capability to work independently.

• Strong influencing abilities and the capability to communicate complex or controversial decisions.

• Aptitude for developing long-term strategies and challenging the status quo.

• Capacity to collaborate with operations and executive leaders to advance FSQA strategic priorities.

• Ability to drive business outcomes beyond FSQA.

• Remote work location should be in proximity to a major airport, ideally in the eastern or central time zone.

• Willingness to travel domestically 50–75% of the time.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based incentives.

• Comprehensive health benefits package.

• Opportunities for professional development and growth.

• Flexible work arrangements.