Serve as an industry leader in bringing to life best-in-class fresh quality. Own inspecting and evaluating fresh produce at source to ensure it meets The Kroger Company's specifications, including inspection of fruit & vegetable quality, maturity, condition, grade, labeling and packaging. Guide and grow the quality strategy by collaborating with Sourcing, Merchandising and vendors to drive improvement of the quality of fresh produce. Assist in setting standards and specifications that contribute to Kroger's fresh quality vision. Coach and train distribution center Quality Assurance (QA) teams on proper inspection of grades, quality, and condition within a specific region. Demonstrate the company's core values of respect, honesty, integrity, diversity, inclusion and safety. Responsibilities - Own continuous improvement of produce specifications by serving as a liaison to suppliers to communicate short- and long-term modifications to the specifications - Build trust and act as strategic liaison to growing community, enabling first in market awareness and communication of advances in technology, packaging and innovation; ensure Kroger is at leading edge of fresh - Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) in fruit and vegetable grades/specifications - Identify produce opportunity buys to enhance enterprise selling; coordinate with Category Management/Commodity Buyers/Replenishment Buying teams for proper placement - Facilitate procurement of local produce for divisions within specific regions; collaborate with category manager/commodity buyer to identify impacts of crops, seasonal opportunities and product that will assist in store execution of merchandise - Collaborate with Sourcing and Merchandising to help shape RFP process - Enhance current vendor relationships and research potential and prospective suppliers for review of new business opportunities - Perform quality inspections and tests on to ensure compliance with USDA and Kroger standards - Understand the use of the tools needed for quality inspections to include sizers, scales, calipers, and other measuring devices and stay abreast of any advancements - Communicate and report information regarding vendor quality, supply volume and weather conditions to various stakeholders - Investigate innovative solutions for supply chain efficiencies while helping enhance overall freshness of produce - Cultivate industry engagement to be informed of advances with gene editing, food safety and sustainability initiatives - Represent Kroger by attending industry events, conventions, university functions and state/locally sponsored learning opportunities - Coordinate and document all quality training materials; organize and schedule ongoing training with distribution center QA teams - Travel up to 75% to growing regions and plants - Must be able to perform the essential job functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation Qualifications Minimum - 5+ years of experience delivering and/or setting produce retail/wholesale quality standards, gained from roles in produce retail, produce wholesale. - Comprehensive knowledge of USDA standards/requirements - A valid driver's license - Ability to determine colors - Proficient in Microsoft Office - Self-starter and ability to convey a sense of urgency - Strong organizational and time management skills - Strong oral and written communication skills - General understanding of food safety requirements Desired - Higher Degree agriculture related field - Any retail produce inspection experience or UDSA inspection experience