Risk Specialist II, Whole Foods Market, Product Safety Assurance, Worldwide Grocery Stores (WWGS)

Collaborate with Food Safety Quality Assurance Specialists, Product Developers, Nutrition Compliance Analysts, Private Brands (PB) Merchandising Team, EB Sourcing, adjacent technical teams, and Suppliers. Lead the development and maintenance of product safety specifications and associated requirements for assigned food products sold by WWGSS under Private Brands across higher-complexity product categories such as: Baby Food, Body Care, Produce, Meat, Seafood, Household Cleaning, Pet Food, Prepared Foods, Over the Counter drugs (OTCs), and/or Dietary Supplements. This includes reviewing specifications and testing results to ensure consistent product safety for our customers.

Contribute to commercialization activities by providing technical expertise to help ensure products will meet WWGS PB, safety, regulatory and Quality Standards.


Key job responsibilities
· Develop appropriate chemical, microbiological, physical, and shelf-life test requirements for products based on supplier data, existing testing profiles, all applicable regulatory requirements, food safety, or product safety risk, and all WWGS specific requirements.
· Review applicable product claims and statements and determine criteria for claim validation.
· Partner with Product Developers to incorporate characterizing product attributes into the testing profile.
· Review Supplier Quality Reports and Facility Risk Assessments to determine appropriate risk of product and facility and adjust specification or verification plans accordingly.
· Review Supplier documents and test results to ensure adherence to WWGS PB and regulatory standards, and adherence to agreed WWGS testing profiles.
· Partner with WWGS legal team and cross-functional stakeholders to determine product testing needs to meet state, federal, and international regulatory requirements. Present findings, recommendations, and project decisions to leaders up to 3 tiers above level, as needed.
· Review and approve shelf-life study validation parameters with Suppliers for new and existing products.
Work with external labs and other quality teams to perform regular product quality reviews and end-of-shelf-life reviews to ensure compliance with WWGS standards and regulatory requirements.
· Partner with appropriate stakeholders as needed to determine product performance acceptability and CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Action) plans for out of specification test results.
· Monitor existing product test results for compliance with ongoing periodic testing per the agreed testing profiles.
· Collaborate with relevant stakeholders on interpretation of data trends, product improvement activities, and test results, as needed.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives across product safety programs, including optimizing testing workflows, supplier communication protocols, and specification development processes. Ensure products meet WWGS PB Safety and Quality Standards, and regulatory requirements, throughout the product lifecycle.
· Act as a mentor and technical resource to other Product Safety Assurance analysts and other EB stakeholders as needed.
· Monitor relevant industry and regulatory trends and changes.
· Assist PSA Leadership with short- and long-term strategies, initiatives, and goals.
· Identify and define key performance indicators (KPIs) for assigned product safety programs. Determine if success metrics are in place for testing profiles, supplier compliance, and risk mitigation activities, and if not, work to define them.
· Negotiate and define product safety program controls applicable to cross-functional partner teams.
· Help partner teams make trade-offs by educating them on the current risk and regulatory environment, recommending a variety of risk-mitigation solutions as appropriate.
· Help recruit and interview for the Product Safety Assurance team, including participating in the hiring process and helping train new members of the team.

Basic Qualifications

- Experience managing multiple projects, prioritizing, planning, and managing time
- B.S. degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or related field OR equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. Graduate degree in science or related field preferred.
- 4 to 6 years’ relevant experience in consumer packaged goods (CPG), including manufacturing-site experience, OR equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Experience with at least 3 of the following higher-complexity product categories: Baby Food, Body Care, Household Cleaning, Pet Food, OTCs, Produce, Meat, Seafood, Prepared Foods, and/or Dietary Supplements.
- Experience explaining and negotiating specifications and testing requirements with suppliers while upholding quality and safety standards.
- Experience working in a food and/or non-food quality control or assurance department, including familiarity with product safety risk assessment, regulatory compliance (state, federal, and international), and specification development.
- Ability to work effectively on a cross-functional team in a highly dynamic environment as well as independently with little to no supervision.
- Ability to make decisions or judgments independently and know when to seek subject matter expert opinion.
- Ability to travel domestically up to 20% of time; minimal international travel expectations.
- Ability to have fun and enable others to have fun while achieving results.
- Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) Certification and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Certification.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with natural and organic foods
- Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) or other quality and product safety auditing systems experience
- Sensory evaluation experience and skills
- Experience using specification databases and/or product lifecycle management systems
- Experience with production facility auditing

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, TX, AUSTIN - 74,200.00 - 129,800.00 USD annually