Regional Food Safety Manager - Americas (Chicago, US, 60654)

About the role: 

Barry Callebaut is a global organization poised for growth; a company which has embraced the vision to delight its customers, while out-performing its competitors, a business which is committed to sustainability, has innovation in its DNA, is a leader in complex manufacturing and supply chain solutions and is focused on being a best-in-class employer. Barry Callebaut seeks diverse and passionate people who thrive in a dynamic environment, focused on continuous learning, living Barry Callebaut’s Values and of course loving chocolate.

The Regional Food Safety Manager Americas is responsible for keeping abreast of changes in technology and processes and ensuring compliance for the facilities in the Americas region to Barry Callebaut food safety policies, standards, and procedures as needed to ensure that regulatory, GFSI certification and customer requirements concerning food safety are achieved or exceeded. The Food Safety Manager Americas is a regional subject matter expert on Sanitation, Sanitary Hygienic Design, Hygienic Zoning, Environmental Monitoring. This role is expected to have expert level knowledge on one or more of key food safety topics such as Allergens, Microbiology and Toxicology.

The Food Safety Manager Americas links and collaborates with Plant QA managers, Engineering, Plant managers, Regional R&D, Regional OSCO VP, Global Account manager, Business Development Director, Regional Quality director, Global Head Food Safety and microbiology, Global Engineering, Global Microbiology, Global QA (Vendor & Rawmat), Sanitation & Hygiene managers, and with similar stakeholders from all the other regions (Africa, Americas, Asia, Cocoa). Externally with external customers, training organizations, suppliers, and service providers including but not limited to pest control operators, metal detector manufacturers, sanitarians, and industry consultants.

Key responsibilities include: 

Strategic Leadership
o    Develop and execute a comprehensive regional food safety strategy that aligns with product needs, corporate objectives and regulatory requirements.
o    Provide visionary leadership to continuously improve food safety systems, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and emerging trends.
FSMS Program Development and Implementation
o    Oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of aligned food safety programs, including HACCP, EMP programs, foreign material management, microbiology, allergen and toxicology compliance; tailored to regional needs.
o    Standardize processes and procedures across facilities to achieve consistent food safety performance.
o    Ensure on-going risk assessments to identify potential & emerging food safety hazards and implement preventive controls.
o    Conduct risk assessment on any new project or initiative launched cross functionally.
o    Monitor and respond to emerging food safety risks, including regulatory changes and industry developments, to ensure proactive compliance.
o    Conduct site gap assessments on HACCP, EMP management and provide technical support to sites in arriving at mitigation/management strategies.
o    Ensure gaps from different audits and observations are correctly identified, root cause investigations done, corrections and corrective actions identified with appropriate owners together with deadlines and ensure systematic follow up and escalations to ensure closure and compliance.
Global FS Standards such as Non-Negotiable Standards and other Food Safety Performance Improvement Projects
o    Contribute to the building of global food safety standards.
o    Act as the regional expert on interpretation on the NNS Standards. Organise regular training sessions to address understanding gaps, support site gap analysis, share best practices and validate action plans. 
o    Identify, plan, and execute strategic food safety improvement projects such as Allergen Management that address critical gaps or inefficiencies in existing systems.
Food Safety CAPEX Program Governance
o    Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement Food safety capex projects.
o    Maintain a tracker of all FS CAPEX needs across sites and prioritise those basis risk assessment.
o    Work with Global FS CAPEX team to support allocation of funds to the projects
o    Support in identification and validation of new technologies to enable better food safety compliance 
o    Work with local and global teams to help identify risks and prioritise CAPEX deployment accordingly.
EMP Program Management
o    Provide guidance on the EMP program deployment to Site teams including sampling methods, number of samples, dealing with out of specs and inputs for on-going review.
o    Ensure consistency of EMP program across sites in alignment with global standards.
o    Oversee the weekly & monthly EMP review, decisions, escalations and reporting.
o    Ensure thorough RCA for EMP non compliances along with preventive actions are in place and closed within agreed timelines.
o    This role is responsible to inform and escalate issues and actions in a timely fashion to garner support and resources enabling gap closure.
Pest Management Program
o    Ensure that all plants and warehouses have documented pest control program, including reporting & trending. 
o    Ensure learning and sharing between the site teams to generate faster solutions and prevention of problems.
o    Develop resident expertise in site through internal and external trainings.
o    Support in identifying and selecting appropriate external pest management providers for sites.
Training and Culture
o    Lead initiatives to strengthen food safety awareness and accountability at all organizational levels through Quality Culture umbrella or otherwise. 
o    Develop and deliver training programs to equip teams with the knowledge and skills required for effective food safety management.
Stakeholder Collaboration
o    Serve as the primary point of contact for regional food safety matters, collaborating with regulatory authorities, customers, and internal stakeholders.
o    Partner with Operations, Engineering and Procurement teams to integrate food safety considerations into product development and supply chain management.
o    Engage with external entities and attend Food Safety forums to represent BC and to learn what is new.
Performance Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
o    Measuring food safety performance and drive continuous improvement.
o    Conduct internal audits and inspections (i.e. HACCP & EMP review) to evaluate compliance and identify opportunities for enhancement.
o    Ensure timely reporting of incidents and gaps from various audits in monthly-quarterly-annual reports.
Crisis Management
o    Develop and maintain crisis management protocols, including recall plans and incident investigation processes.
o    Lead response efforts during food safety incidents, ensuring swift and effective resolution.
o    Evaluate efficiency of corrective and preventive measures to prevent recurrence. 
Talent Development
o    Mentor and develop food safety professionals within the region to build a pipeline of future leaders.
o    Create and implement development programs to enhance technical expertise, leadership skills, and cross-functional collaboration.
o    Foster a culture of continuous learning culture
o    Identify high-potential employees and provide opportunities for advancement through stretch assignments and project leadership roles.

About you:

●    Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology or a related field (Master’s degree preferred)
●    Minimum of 15 years of progressive experience in food safety management, with at least 3 years in a regional or multi-site leadership role.
●    In-depth knowledge of global food safety standards, regulatory frameworks, and certification schemes (e.g., FSSC 22000, BRC, FSMA).
●    Proven ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization.
●    Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
●    Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
●    Travel regionally & internationally, as required. Up to 30% of time devoted to travel.

What you can expect from Barry Callebaut:

●    Salary Range of $130,000 - $150,000, depending on factors such as experience and location, plus annual bonus and our comprehensive benefits package. 
●    Paid time off, paid holidays, flex days, plus your birthday off
●    Environment that welcomes workplace flexibility 
●    An atmosphere where diversity is embraced, and inclusivity is second nature. We call it #OneBC! Just ask our champions with the Americas Women’s Forum and the Racial Equality Forum!
●    Ability to grow personally and professionally within an organization that values development and internal career growth.
●    Be part of our mission in making sustainability the norm through Forever Chocolate with priorities centered around prospering farmers, zero child labor, carbon and forest positive, and creating 100% sustainable ingredients in all of our products.

The Barry Callebaut Group serves the entire food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to artisanal and professional users of chocolate, such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants or caterers. The global brands catering to the specific needs of these Gourmet customers are Callebaut® and Cacao Barry®, Carma® and the decorations specialist Mona Lisa®.