Manager of Food, Safety and Risk

Position Overview

As the Manager, Food Safety & Risk, you'll lead the programs that protect our people, our guests, and our brand. Reporting to the Director of Risk, you'll own food safety, quality assurance, workplace safety, OSHA compliance, and workers' compensation across a growing network of bakeries while partnering closely with Operations, Supply Chain, People, Legal, and external partners to continuously reduce risk and improve performance.

This is a highly cross-functional role for someone who enjoys solving problems, digging into data, improving processes, and influencing teams across a growing restaurant organization. You'll be the subject matter expert responsible for identifying risks before they become problems and continuously improving the systems that protect our people, our guests, and our business.

What You’ll Do

Food Safety & Quality

• Own the company's food safety management system across all bakery locations.
• Maintain and continuously improve food safety standards, policies, HACCP plans, SOPs, and operational procedures.
• Lead supplier qualification, supplier audits, distributor audits, and ongoing quality performance management.
• Manage customer quality complaints from intake through resolution while identifying systemic improvement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain product specifications for ingredients, packaging, equipment, and smallwares.
• Partner with Cookievation, Operations, and Supply Chain to ensure new products, LTOs, and suppliers meet food safety and quality requirements.
• Lead the company Food Safety Committee and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Oversee food safety training, certifications, and regulatory compliance across all bakery locations.
• Lead food safety incident investigations, recalls, and regulatory responses while partnering with Operations, Supply Chain, Legal, and Communications.

Workplace Safety & OSHA

• Own OSHA compliance programs across the organization.
• Manage OSHA recordkeeping, reporting, inspections, investigations, and corrective action plans.
• Analyze incident trends and partner with Operations to reduce injuries through preventative programs.
• Develop safety communications, training, and field resources that improve workplace safety.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local workplace safety regulations.

Workers' Compensation & Claims Management

• Administer the company's workers' compensation program from first report of injury through claim resolution.
• Partner with TPAs, insurance carriers, nurse case managers, Legal, and the People team to proactively manage claims.
• Conduct root cause investigations and identify operational improvements that reduce future injuries.
• Manage workers' compensation programs in monopolistic states while ensuring ongoing regulatory compliance.
• Monitor claim performance, reserve trends, and loss data to identify opportunities to reduce total cost of risk.

Risk Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Develop dashboards and KPIs to measure food safety, workplace safety, and claims performance.
• Identify trends using incident, audit, inspection, and claims data and translate findings into operational action plans.
• Partner with Operations leadership to improve safety performance across the bakery network.
• Lead cross-functional root cause analyses following significant incidents.
• Evaluate emerging regulatory requirements and recommend operational changes.
• Support insurance renewals by providing claims analysis and loss prevention insights.
• Build strong relationships with Operations as a trusted advisor-not simply an auditor.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Biology, Environmental Health, Occupational Safety, Risk Management, or related field.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in food safety, quality assurance, risk management, workplace safety, or regulatory compliance within a multi-unit restaurant, food manufacturing, retail, or hospitality environment.
• Experience supporting multi-unit restaurant, retail, food manufacturing, grocery, or hospitality operations.
• Working knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, FDA Food Code, OSHA regulations, and food safety systems.
• Experience managing supplier quality and food safety audits.
• Experience administering workers' compensation claims and partnering with insurance carriers or TPAs.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify trends and recommend solutions.
• Excellent project management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to travel approximately 20-30% to bakery locations, suppliers, distributors, and industry events.

Sweet Position Perks

Hybrid Work Environment

• Competitive compensation package including base, bonus, and equity.
• Comprehensive benefits including health, dental, vision, and 401(k).
• A fun, entrepreneurial, and cookie-filled culture.
• The opportunity to make a visible impact on a growing, nationally recognized brand
• Free cookies, branded swag and so much more!