Sr. Scientist – Food Safety & Quality

Lead the execution and continuous improvement of Pizza Hut's Product Quality Programs, ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality products across assigned ingredient and finished product categories. This role is responsible for managing product quality initiatives, overseeing a comprehensive product evaluation and cutting program, and driving food safety and quality performance throughout the product lifecycle.

Strategic Leadership

Lead and continuously improve the Food Safety & Quality Product Evaluation Program, ensuring consistent product quality and food safety across assigned product categories.

Manage day-to-day Food Safety & Quality responsibilities for assigned categories, including supplier performance, product evaluations, specification management, risk assessment, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Partner with cross-functional teams to support long-term food safety and quality strategies while ensuring business objectives are achieved.

Serve as the technical leader for assigned product categories and provide sound, data-driven recommendations that protect the Pizza Hut brand.

Product Quality Management

Oversee the quality performance of assigned ingredient and finished product categories, including but not limited to meats, dairy, grains, produce, sauces, seasonings, beverages, oils, desserts, and dough.

Conduct routine supplier and restaurant field visits (monthly to quarterly) to evaluate product quality, manufacturing execution, restaurant preparation, and finished product performance, ensuring Pizza Hut standards are consistently achieved with an emphasis on pizza dough quality.

Plan, conduct, and evaluate product cuttings/evaluations, manufacturing evaluations, product testing, and quality assessments to verify compliance with product specifications and identify opportunities for improvement.

Lead non-conformance investigations, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and preventive actions in partnership with suppliers and cross-functional teams.

Demonstrate flexibility to manage evolving product categories and business priorities as organizational needs change.

Supplier & Food Safety Oversight

Monitor supplier food safety and quality performance through product evaluations, manufacturing reviews, supplier data, specifications, audits, and key performance indicators.

Build strong technical partnerships through regular on-site supplier visits to observe manufacturing processes, evaluate product consistency, validate corrective actions, and identify continuous improvement opportunities.

Partner with suppliers to strengthen food safety systems, manufacturing practices, process capability, product consistency, field performance, animal welfare, distribution practices, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Lead product quality investigations and support product incidents, risk assessments, withdrawals, recoveries, and crisis management activities for assigned categories.

Support supplier qualifications, new supplier onboarding, and commercialization activities to ensure products consistently meet Pizza Hut quality expectations.

Utilize observations from supplier manufacturing facilities and Pizza Hut restaurants to identify product quality trends, validate operational execution, and prioritize continuous improvement initiatives.

Analyze product evaluation data, consumer complaints, supplier performance metrics, and quality trends to identify risks and opportunities.

Identify, lead, and track continuous improvement initiatives, supplier transitions, cost savings, and quality enhancement projects.

Documentation & Systems

Maintain accurate product specifications, food safety documentation, quality standards, corrective actions, and product evaluation records.

Support the ongoing development and continuous improvement of Food Safety & Quality systems, databases, reporting tools, and digital platforms.

Ensure data integrity and effective utilization of Food Safety & Quality systems, including serving as a backup system administrator when needed.

Cross Functional Collaboration

Support cross-functional business initiatives including supplier meetings, innovation summits, product…