Food Safety Manager in Surrey, Woking

Welcome to KFC. Since 1939, we’ve been bringing finger lickin’ good chicken to the world, and today we’re proud to be in over 1000 communities across the UK & Ireland. But without our people, none of it would be possible. Just like our recipe, they’re all original. Join us. Bring it. And together, we can be part of something truly extraordinary.

The Food Safety Manager role is to ensure that our Food Safety strategy is best-in-class ensuring we always do the right thing when it comes to managing safety and compliance. You will continue to build on the KFC UK&I brand reputation by developing strategic relationships and influencing key stakeholders at all levels. Critically, you will be able to turn technical food safety knowledge and ability into practical thinking that will continue to help our restaurant teams’ and guests’ safety.

This role is part of the Risk and Compliance Team, reporting into the Risk and Compliance Leader. The team sits within the wider Restaurant Excellence department, where our priority is running great restaurants. The right person will lead and influence across a variety of projects and workstreams aimed at ensuring food safety is at the forefront of everyone’s thinking. This role will be a field-based role working across the UK&I.

What you’ll do

• As the subject matter expert in Food Safety, you would own the Food Safety strategy for the business and take the lead in reviewing Food Safety Legislation and best practice industry guidance, for UK&I, and ensuring all our policies and processes align.
• Ensuring our restaurants maintain high standards across Food Safety is critical. We have detailed HACCP and Food Safety Management Systems in place to guide our restaurants in how to manage Food Safety. This role would involve you leading on Food Safety for the business.
• Ownership of the Pest Management process, including contract management of the Equity Pest Control contract.
• Working collaboratively with the Regional Safety Managers on Food Safety-related matters and the food safety agenda.
• Ensuring all of our team are appropriately trained in Food Safety, commensurate to their role, is important to us at KFC. This role would require you to lead on Food Safety training content.
• Supporting the content of the Food Safety element of our third-party audit programme (ROCC); periodic review of results, trends and data insights; maintaining policies, processes and risk assessments on our internal system.
• Collaborate closely with both our wider Operations and QA teams on areas such as restaurant routines – i.e. temperature checks, cleaning schedules, pest walks, etc. to enable regular verification of HACCP and FSMS; new product or packaging launches, product safety, validations; support innovation of new equipment or process trials to ensure Food Safety is maintained at the forefront.
• Support any restaurants that fall short of our expected standards and managing this would be an essential part of the role, including leading the process with our external Enforcement Liaison partners to return to 4 or 5; working with our Primary Authority Partners for Food Safety and on any requests and referrals.
• Regular internal reporting and data insights; supporting with any enforcement or customer contacts relating to Food Safety.
• Stakeholder management, engagement and support on Food Safety, as well as being a direct support for our Equity Team in any Food Safety-related matters.
• Be part of a wider team across Europe and Internationally, representing the UKI on Food Safety forums.

What we’d love from you

• Passionate, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Food Safety and driving a food safety culture.
• Be solution-driven and as passionate about recovery and resolution as risk identification.
• Strong ability to influence senior leaders both internally and externally to KFC.
• Consistently high communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to prioritise and effectively manage time to deliver a number of different workstreams/projects within deadlines.
• Analytical thinker who is capable of understanding root cause analysis, decision making and applying actions to drive consistent change and continuous improvement.
• Able to develop and sustain relationships.
• Great at working as part of a team and alone, as required.
• Motivated and keen to continuously learn and develop self.
• Outstanding action-driving ability, and attention to detail in managing projects and processes.

Experience

• A Related Degree (or equivalent qualifications) such as Food Science or Technology or Environmental Health, is essential.
• Relevant experience of Food Safety Management (including HACCP, policy writing and operational implementation of these) is required.
• Experience in the food service, hospitality or food retail sector would be a huge benefit.
• Previous experience of managing contractors (such as Pest Control and Audit) would be beneficial.
• Experience in managing investigations into food safety-related incidents and accidents.
• Proven track record of managing both internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment.

Buckets of Benefits

• Flexible, hybrid working with our Restaurant Support Centre located in Woking, Surrey – a 24-minute train ride from London Waterloo. Depending on job requirement, travel across the UK & Ireland may be required.
• Generous pension with up to 11% company contribution.
• ‘Fri-Yay’ time – finish up at 1pm every Friday, all year round.
• Live Well Days - 5 days per year to disconnect from our day-to-day (in addition to 25 days annual leave and bank holidays). You can buy or sell up to 5 extra days of your core annual leave allowance each year. After 5 years’ service, annual holiday allowance increases to 30 days.
• Bonus – When the company and individual goals are reached, you’ll be rewarded through our bonus scheme.
• Wellness – Access to lots of wellbeing initiatives and programmes, including Telus Health, and 1:1 Mental Health coaching sessions with our partner Sanctus.
• Private healthcare, including access to Digital GP, with the option to increase to include family cover.
• Flexible and Voluntary benefits including Dental Insurance, Health Screening and Gym Discounts.
• Insurances – All colleagues are covered by our life and income protection insurance which provides protection and peace of mind.
• Study Support may be available for job-related qualifications.
• Parental Leave – Enhanced paid leave and flexible return to work options for those important times.
• Colleague Discount – 25% discount.
• A car would also be provided based on need (needs to do min 10k business miles per year).

Our Commitment to You

Our customers come from all walks of life and so do our teams. We value, support, and celebrate the things that make Team KFC authentic and original and all candidates – regardless of age, background, ethnicity, gender, ability, religion, or sexual orientation. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups in our industry such as women, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Ready to apply? If you are ready to bring your passion, skills, and dedication to KFC, we encourage you to apply now. We look forward to welcoming you to our team and embarking on this extraordinary journey together. Bring it.