SW Region Supervisor - Internal

Food Safety Compliance Specialist 5

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has been serving the state for more than 100 years. Through service, regulation, and advocacy, we keep agriculture viable and vital in Washington State, while protecting consumers, public health, and the environment. We work extensively with farmers and ranchers, but our responsibilities – from ensuring food safety to environmental protection – touch the lives of millions of people locally, nationally, and abroad.

The Food Safety & Consumer Services (FSCS) Division is one of six divisions in the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The FSCS Division serves consumers and stakeholders in the state of Washington by assuring the availability, safety, and integrity of the state's human and animal food supply. The division is made up of approximately 100+ FTEs through five statewide programs, including:
Animal Feed, FSCS Laboratory, Food Safety, Organic, and Produce Safety. We also house the Rapid Response Team that manages food and feed emergency responses.

This position administers one of three food safety regions and independently directs, plans, develops, organizes and evaluates effectiveness of the Food Safety Program. This position is responsible for assigned statewide duties as assigned by the Program Manager including, but not limited to acting as a program subject matter expert for the implementation of the Federal Food Safety Modernization Act. This position supervises a team of technical professionals that contribute to the overall mission of the program.

The Region Supervisor supports the Food Safety Program by developing, updating, and refining program and division compliance systems. The role ensures that all methods, practices, equipment, records, and controls strictly align with the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) and standard operating procedures. Additionally, the position supports projects, assists with food safety incident responses, and serves as an official spokesperson to disseminate critical information.

This position oversees Food Safety staff to ensure compliance with all performance objectives, food safety laws, and regulations. By safeguarding public health, this position directly supports the economic success of Washington State producers, exporters, and agricultural programs.

WSDA is recruiting for an internal full-time permanent Food Safety Compliance Specialist 5 position within the Food Safety & Consumer Services (FSCS) Division. This position is approved for a home duty station in Spokane County, WA. This is a non-represented position.

The base pay offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the preferred candidate's job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The typical starting salary range for this position is:
Range 62 $ 74,748 Step A $74,748 - Step L $ 98,064 annually.

Some of the various responsibilities within this role:

• Supervise and oversee Food Safety Program Inspection Staff
• Quality Control and Enforcement
• Provide input to statewide Food Safety Program compliance policies, procedures, and enforcement standards and other state-wide projects
• Incident Response

Professionals with:

• A bachelor's degree involving major study in business, microbiology, food science, food technology, biochemistry, dairy science, environmental health, or a closely allied field.
• OR Related experience may substitute for education on a year for year basis.
• AND Four (4) years of professional experience in a public health regulatory food manufacturing environment.
• Must have the ability to qualify for and obtain FDA Commissioning as required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a valid driver's license prior to employment to conduct agency business as required.

In addition to the above qualifications, the following desired knowledge, skills, and abilities would make your application more competitive:

• Prior experience working as a Food Safety Compliance Specialist 2, 3, or 4.
• Experience in inspecting, educating, and enforcing state and federal regulations in a regulatory food safety program focused on retail food, food processing or dairy…