Head of Food Safety & Quality Assurance

We’re looking for a Head of Food Safety & Quality Assurance to join Denny’s and lead one of the most important functions in our business.

This is an opportunity for an experienced food safety and quality leader to serve as the senior FSQA subject matter expert for an iconic restaurant brand. You’ll lead the strategy, programs, systems, and team responsible for protecting our guests, franchisees, and brand while helping ensure consistent food safety and quality standards across the Denny’s system.

What You’ll Do

As Head of Food Safety & Quality Assurance, you’ll:

• Lead the development and execution of Denny’s food safety and quality assurance strategy, programs, standards, and priorities.

• Serve as the organization’s senior subject matter expert for food safety, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and risk management.

• Oversee food safety protocols, inspections, audits, monitoring programs, and corrective actions designed to proactively identify and mitigate risk.

• Establish and maintain quality assurance programs to ensure products and suppliers consistently meet Denny’s specifications, regulatory requirements, brand standards, and guest expectations.

• Partner closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Culinary/Product Development, franchisees, suppliers, manufacturers, Legal, Marketing, and other key stakeholders.

• Provide leadership and oversight during food safety incidents, product quality concerns, recalls, and other emerging risks.

• Monitor regulatory changes, industry developments, and emerging food safety risks and translate them into actionable recommendations for the business.

• Use data and trends to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and strengthen food safety and quality performance across the system.

• Lead, develop, and provide direction to the Food Safety & Quality Assurance team.

• Provide senior leadership with clear insights and recommendations regarding food safety performance, emerging risks, and opportunities for improvement.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for a seasoned FSQA leader who brings deep technical expertise along with the leadership presence and business acumen to influence across a complex organization.

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Public Health, Biology, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.

• 12+ years of progressive food safety and/or quality assurance experience, including significant leadership experience.

• Extensive experience within the restaurant, foodservice, food manufacturing, or related industry.

• Experience working within a franchised restaurant system or similarly complex, decentralized organization strongly preferred.

• Strong knowledge of FDA and USDA requirements and current FSQA standards and programs, including FSMA, GFSI, HACCP, cGMPs, cGLPs, and audit processes.

• Experience partnering with regulatory agencies, suppliers, manufacturers, operators, and cross-functional business leaders.

• Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate, influence, and build credibility at all levels of an organization.

• A proactive, solutions-oriented leadership style and the ability to navigate complex issues while maintaining uncompromising standards for food safety and quality.

Why This Role

This isn’t simply a role responsible for administering food safety programs. It’s an opportunity to lead the Food Safety & Quality Assurance function for Denny’s and have a meaningful impact on how we protect our guests, support our franchisees, manage risk, and uphold the quality of our brand.

The right leader will be equally comfortable digging into the details of a food safety issue, partnering with operators and suppliers, developing their team, and sitting across the table from senior leadership to provide guidance on complex business decisions.

If you’re a food safety and quality leader who knows how to pair deep technical expertise with strong business partnership and influence, we’d love to hear from you.

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The typical pay range for this role is:

Minimum:$142,000.00 - Maximum:$195,800.00

Please note that this range represents the pay range for all positions in the job grade within which the position falls. This job posting is not a promise of any specific pay for any specific employee as the actual pay will take into account a range of factors, including location and experience.

Denny's, Inc. is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of age, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, genetic information, military or veteran's status, criminal background, or any other characteristic protected by Federal, State, or local law.

Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process should contact 864-597-8000. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THIS NUMBER TO CHECK THE STATUS OF YOUR APPLICATION.

Denny’s, Inc. participates in E-Verify. We will provide the Social Security Administration, and if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security, with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. For more information on E-Verify, please contact the DHS at 888-897-7781 or dhs.gov/e-verify. Please note that we do not use this information to pre-screen job applicants.