Food Safety, Quality Assurance & Business Compliance/Continuity Manager

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Salary Range

$68,000.00 - $120,500.00

Overview

The Food Safety, Quality Assurance, & Business Compliance/Compliance role provides operational oversight and strategic leadership for all aspects of food safety, sanitation, workplace safety, and regulatory compliance across Yale Hospitality's residential dining, retail, catering and bakery operations. This role is responsible for designing, implementing, and continually advancing a comprehensive safety and quality assurance framework that safeguards the health and well-being of the Yale community while ensuring consistent excellence in product quality and operational execution.

Reporting to the Sr. Director, Business Strategy & Operational Effectiveness, this role works closely with culinary, operations, supply chain, facilities, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Occupational Health & Safety (OHS), Sustainability, and University partners to ensure that Yale Hospitality meets and exceeds all regulatory, and university health and safety standards. The role also oversees incident response, vendor compliance, regulatory inspections, campus-wide safety training programs, and continuous improvement initiatives that position Yale Hospitality as a leader in food safety and responsible operations.

Food Safety Program Leadership: 1. Develop, implement, and maintain an enterprise-wide food safety and quality assurance program grounded in HACCP, ServSafe, Allertrain and industry best practices. 2. Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal public health regulations, FDA Food Code, and university policies. 3. Establish QA oversight for all food production environments, including centralized production facilities, residential dining halls, retail operations, catering, bakery, and commissary functions. 4. Oversee allergen control programs, cross-contact prevention standards, ingredient handling protocols, and ongoing employee certification requirements (in collaboration with culinary and RD resources).

Sanitation, Health Standards, and Environmental Compliance: 1. Design and maintain sanitation, cleanliness, and hygiene standards across all kitchens, FOH/BOH service areas, storage rooms, and loading docks. 2. Conduct regular internal audits, unit inspections, and risk assessments to verify compliance with Yale Hospitality policies and regulatory requirements. 3. Maintain comprehensive documentation systems to support audit readiness, traceability, and regulatory reporting.

Training, Education, and Culture Building: 1. Lead the development and delivery of robust training programs including ServSafe food handler certification, allergen management, emergency procedures, and chemical safety. 2. Collaborate with Yale Environmental Health & Safety and the YH Health & Wellness program to embed safety culture across all staff levels.3. Mentor culinary and front-line staff to ensure consistent understanding of protocols, reinforcing safety as a core operational value. 4. Implement training and monitor preventive measures to reduce workplace injuries, including ergonomic assessments, safe lifting practices, hazard identification, and proactive safety audits to maintain a healthy work environment.

Incident Management, Root-Cause Analysis, and Corrective Action: 1. Lead investigations of foodborne illness reports, allergen incidents, contamination concerns, and critical operational failures. 2. Direct crisis response activities-including equipment failure, utility disruptions, boil water advisories, and product recalls-serving as a designated Co-Incident Commander and coordinating with SLT and operations. 3. Develop and track corrective and preventive action plans (CAPAs) to prevent recurrence and enhance systemic resilience.

Supplier, Vendor, and Supply Chain Compliance: 1. Review and approve vendor certifications, product specifications, and third-party audit documentation to ensure alignment with Yale standards. 2. Conduct audits of supplier facilities when necessary, partnering with Procurement to assess risk, quality practices, and supply chain transparency.

Safety, Regulatory, and Facilities Partnership: 1. Serve as Yale Hospitality's primary liaison with the City of New Haven Health Department, Yale Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Facilities and Utilities, and Public Safety and Risk Management- Office of Emergency Management. 2. Coordinate compliance for refrigeration and temperature monitoring systems, equipment inspections, ventilation, pest control, waste handling, and OSHA-related initiatives (in conjunction with capital/asset teams). 3. Provide subject-matter expertise on kitchen design, equipment specification, and operational flow for renovation and capital projects.

Policy Development and Continuous Improvement: 1. Establish and maintain Yale Hospitality's standard operating procedures for food safety, sanitation, workplace safety, emergency management, and compliance documentation. 2. Monitor emerging regulatory changes, industry technologies, and higher education best practices to maintain a future-ready compliance ecosystem. 3. Lead continuous improvement projects-including process flow optimization, waste reduction initiatives, enhanced traceability tools, and digital compliance systems.

Leadership & Program Management: 1. Supervise the food safety team (managers, supervisors, technicians), ensuring consistent training, development, and performance management. 2. Manage departmental budgets, audit schedules, program KPIs, and annual reporting. 3. Represent Yale Hospitality in university committees, cross-functional working groups, and external regulatory interactions. 4. Collaboration on capital projects, renovations, and equipment upgrades to ensure food safety is embedded from design through operation. 5. Include benchmarking against industry and peer institutions to measure program effectiveness, identify best practices, and drive continuous improvement. Use insights from benchmarking to inform strategic initiatives, set performance targets, and ensure Yale Hospitality maintains a best-in-class food safety and compliance program.

Required Skills and Abilities

Technical Competencies

1. Demonstrated expertise in food safety program development and regulatory compliance.

2. Strong knowledge of mechanical and facilities systems (HVAC, refrigeration, utilities, equipment maintenance) as they relate to food safety and operational reliability.

3. Proficiency with digital compliance platforms, temperature monitoring systems, and QA auditing tools.

4. Ability to interpret technical specifications, construction diagrams, equipment manuals, and health codes.

Leadership Competencies

1. Proven track record managing teams in fast-paced, complex, multi-unit environments.

2. Strong collaboration skills with cross-functional partners including Facilities, EH&S, Procurement, and University leadership.

3. Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.

4. Commitment to fostering a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Preferred Education and Experience

1. Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Food Science, Environmental Health, Hospitality Management, or related field; equivalent workplace experience will be considered.

2. Minimum 4-6 years of progressively responsible experience in food safety, quality assurance, environmental health, or large-scale foodservice operations.

3. Extensive knowledge of HACCP, FDA Food Code, GMPs, sanitation systems, and foodservice operational safety standards.

4. Experience with compliance documentation, inspections, third-party audits, and incident management.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Oversees the advancement and growth of the program. Gives direction and leadership supporting the philosophy, mission, strategy, and annual goals and objectives. Assumes primary accountability for disseminating and publishing all program information to create public awareness and support of the program. 2. Works closely with leadership, internal and external colleagues, and community residents to further develop and implement strategic plans. 3. Identifies, solicits, and cultivates community partnerships and collaborations to assist in the development and growth of the program. Develops the metrics to identify and measure the success of the program. Responsible for measurements of grant success and related evaluation. 4. Assists in identifying and evaluating potential future funding sources, and contributes to the submission of grants and contracts supporting the program, including the annual submission and writing of all content areas and budgetary sections of grant applications. Develops and manages the program's operating budget. 5. Develops the administrative infrastructure of the program. Manages human resource and administrative functions of the program, including staffing and hiring, supervision, performance development, counseling and discipline, if warranted. Oversees and manages information systems, facilities, and space needs. 6. Investigates, identifies, implements, and oversees the maintenance of systems to gather, track, and report information to support the initiatives of the program. Tracks all program activities and regularly informs leadership of progress on each initiative. Recommends structural or programmatic adjustments, changes or additions based on full knowledge of missions, goals, and objectives. 7. Initiates, designs, and manages the compilation of program communications; identifying outreach potential, and promoting philanthropic and collaborative support of the program. Contributes to the development and assists in the management of content on the program's website and monitors all changes and additions to the editorial content. 8. Performs other duties as assigned. Required Education and Experience Minimum requirement of Bachelor's Degree in a related field and four years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Job Posting Date

01/28/2026

Job Category

Professional

Bargaining Unit

NON

Compensation Grade

Administration & Operations

Compensation Grade Profile

Manager; Program Leader (24)

Time Type

Full time

Duration Type

Staff

Work Model

On-site

Location

246 Church Street, New Haven, Connecticut

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.

Posting Disclaimer

Salary offers are determined by a candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, and education in relation to the position requirements, along with the role's grade profile and current internal and external market conditions.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring department.

The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual's sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.