About the Role: Subway is hiring a Senior Director, Food Safety & Quality to lead and build the food safety and quality function across North America. This leader owns the systems, standards, and team that keep guests safe and the brand protected across the US and Canada restaurant network, the distribution system, and the supplier base.
The role reports to the SVP, Culinary & FSQA and leads the North America FSQ team. It sets strategy, hardens the programs, and raises the bar on speed, ownership, and proof of execution. It uses data and technology to catch risk earlier and move faster than a manual program can.
Subway restaurants are franchisee operated. This leader drives standards through operations, training, and distribution partners. They lead through influence, not line authority, and deliver results anyway.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to: - Food Safety and HACCP
• Own the North America food safety strategy and standards across restaurants, distribution, and suppliers.
• Direct HACCP based plans, temperature and handling standards, sanitation, and cross contamination controls.
• Set food safety KPIs and risk indicators. Track them, report trends, and act early.
• Build food safety into restaurant execution through standards, training input, and audit design, working
- Supplier and Ingredient Quality
- Set ingredient and supplier quality specifications with procurement and the purchasing cooperative (IPC).
- Run supplier approval, qualification, and audit programs. Review certificates of analysis and incoming material standards.
- Drive supplier corrective actions and hold vendors to spec.
- Qualify manufacturing and co-manufacturing plants. Assess GMP, sanitation, and process controls.
- Commercialization and Scale
- Build food safety and quality into new products from concept, working with product development, not after launch.
- Validate specifications and processes before scale. Move products from test to full North America rollout without quality gaps.
- Lead the food safety and quality workstream on Design to Value and product matching projects
- Regulatory, Labeling, and Nutrition
• Own regulatory compliance across US federal and state food law and Canadian requirements.
• Direct allergen control and labeling accuracy.
• Maintain recordkeeping and traceability, including readiness for emerging traceability requirements (FSMA 204).
• Partner with the Nutrition lead on nutrition and menu labeling
- Crisis, Recall, and Audits
• Own recall procedures, decision trees, and crisis response.
• Run a mock recall program and prove speed and confirmed removal, not read receipts.
• Lead third party, regulatory, and internal audit readiness and corrective action.
- Technology, Data, and Continuous Improvement
• Use data and digital tools to catch food safety and quality signals earlier across restaurants, distribution, and suppliers.
• Adopt analytics and AI for risk detection, supplier scorecards, complaint trends, and audit management.
• Modernize traceability and recordkeeping on current systems,
• Cut manual, single-threaded processes that slow detection and response.
- Team Leadership
• Lead, build, and develop the North America FSQ team.
• Set direction, raise capability, and hold a high bar on ownership and speed.
• Manage the FSQ budget and multi-site product testing spend.
- Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Safety, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related field. Advanced degree a plus.
- 12+ years of progressive food safety and quality experience, including 5+ years leading at the director level or above.
- Deep HACCP and preventive controls expertise. Current credentials such as HACCP, PCQI, SQF, or a Certified Food Safety Manager certification.
- Track record building and running FSQ programs at multi-unit or large distributed scale.
- Experience with GFSI benchmarked schemes (SQF, BRCGS).
- Working knowledge of the FDA Food Code, FSMA, USDA requirements where applicable, and Canadian food safety regulation (CFIA, SFCR).
- Experience commercializing food products and working in or directly with food manufacturing.
- Proven people leadership and cross functional influence without direct authority
- QSR or multi-unit restaurant experience, or large grocery and retail food
- Experience in a franchised model, leading through operations and distribution rather than direct control.
- Supplier and co-manufacturer network management at national scale.
- Continuous improvement credentials (Lean, Six Sigma).
- Experience deploying food safety technology: traceability systems, digital QMS or audit platforms, data analytics, or AI for risk detection.
- International or cross border regulatory exposure
What do we Offer? - Insurance Plans (Medical/Dental/Vision/Life)
Actual pay is determined based on a number of job-related factors including skills, education, training, credentials, qualifications, scope and complexity of role responsibilities, geographic location, performance, and working conditions.
Job Details - Employment Indicator: Regular
