Senior Program Manager, Food & Beverage - U.S.

About Us

We are the independent expert in assurance and risk management. Driven by our purpose, to safeguard life, property, and the environment, we empower our customers and their stakeholders with facts and reliable insights so that critical decisions can be made with confidence.

As a trusted voice for many of the world’s most successful organizations, we use our knowledge to advance safety and performance, set industry benchmarks, and inspire and invent solutions to tackle global transformations.

About The Role

DNV Business Assurance is seeking to fill the role of Senior Program Manager, Food & Beverage. This position can be remote from anywhere in the Continental U.S..

The Senior Program Manager, Food & Beverage is accountable for the technical governance, delivery integrity, and business performance of assigned Food & Beverage certification schemes within DNV Business Assurance North America, including SQF and COSTCO programs.

Serving as the primary technical authority for the Local Unit, the role ensures full alignment with DNV Global Technical Hub requirements, applicable accreditation standards (including ISO/IEC 17021 and ISO/IEC 17065), and scheme owner expectations. The position provides strategic technical leadership across auditors, operations, sales teams, and customers, while supporting accreditation readiness, resource planning, and continuous competence development.

The role holds overall accountability for the operational profitability and technical integrity of the Food & Beverage certification portfolio in North America.

What You'll Do

Scheme and Technical Governance

• Hold overall technical responsibility for all assigned Food & Beverage certification schemes within the Local Unit, including SQF and COSTCO.
• Act as the Local Unit focal point for interpretation and implementation of requirements issued by the Global Technical Hub, including globally managed Food & Beverage schemes such as FSSC 22000 and BRCGS.
  
  

Auditor Leadership and Technical Decision-Making

• Provide line management for a team of:
• Approximately 6 full-time auditors
• ~25 contracted auditors
• SQF technical reviewers and supporting roles (~30 resources in total)
• Act as a senior technical escalation point for:
• Interpretation of standards and scheme rules
• Audit findings and technical nonconformities
• Technical rejections and corrective action assessment
• Contribute to or oversee technical reviews, certification decisions, and risk evaluations, in accordance with scheme and accreditation rules.
  

Operational, Sales, and Customer Technical Support

• Support Operations and Sales teams by providing authoritative technical guidance on:
• Scheme eligibility and scope
• Certification pathways
• Interpretation of standards and requirements
• Engage directly with customers, as needed, to provide clear, accurate technical clarification that supports confidence in DNV certification outcomes.
  

Auditor Qualification, Competence, and Development

• Support onboarding and authorization of new auditors, including:
• Qualification and scope approvals
• Scheme-specific authorization and maintenance
• Provide ongoing technical coaching, guidance, and consistency support to auditors.
• Deliver or support annual training programs, including:
• Scheme and standard updates
• Industry and regulatory developments
• Technical consistency and calibration activities
  

Accreditation and External Oversight

• Support and participate in witness audits and oversight activities, as required.
• Actively support Accreditation Body assessments (e.g., ANAB), including activities related to ISO/IEC 17065.
  
  

Key Interfaces

• Global Technical Hub
• Food & Beverage Auditors (Full-time and Subcontract)
• Operations and Sales Teams
• Customers
• Accreditation Bodies (e.g., ANAB)
• Scheme Owners (e.g., SQF, COSTCO)
  
  

What we offer

• Generous paid time off (vacation, sick days, company holidays, personal days)
• Multiple Medical and Dental benefit plans to choose from, Vision benefits
• Spending accounts – FSA, Dependent Care, Commuter Benefits, company-seeded HSA
• Employer-paid, therapist-led, virtual care services
• 401(k) with company match
• Company provided life insurance, short-term, and long-term disability benefits
• Education reimbursement program
• Flexible work schedule with hybrid/remote opportunities
• Charitable Matched Giving and Volunteer Rewards through our Impact Program
• Volunteer time off (VTO) paid by the company
• Career advancement opportunities
  
  

Benefits may vary based on position, tenure, contract, or grade level.*

DNV is an Equal Opportunity Employer and gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants without regard to gender, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, cultural background, social group, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age or political opinion. Diversity is fundamental to our culture and we invite you to be part of this diversity.

DNV is a proud equal-opportunity employer committed to building an inclusive and diverse workforce. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, or business need, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. DNV is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunity, including providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with a disability. US applicants with a physical or mental disability who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process may contact the North America Recruitment Department (hrrecruitment.northamerica@dnv.com). Information received relating to accommodations will be addressed confidentially

For California, Washington, New York, Washington, D.C., Illinois, and Maryland: “DNV provides a reasonable range of compensation for this role. The actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors, including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific location. For the states of California, Washington, New York, Washington, D.C., Illinois, and Maryland only, the starting pay range for this role is $120000 - $150000 annual (USD).

Deadline to apply: May 24, 2026

About You

What Is Required:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in food science, food technology, agriculture, biology, quality, or a related discipline.
• 5 years of experience with Food & Beverage certification schemes, including SQF and customer-driven programs (e.g., COSTCO), within an accredited certification body.
• 5 years of working knowledge of ISO/IEC 17021 and ISO/IEC 17065, with demonstrated ability to apply accreditation and scheme requirements to audit planning, review, and certification decision-making.
• Demonstrated experience leading and managing a mixed resource model, including full-time auditors, subcontract auditors, and technical reviewers.
• Proven capability to act as a senior technical authority, providing sound judgment on:
• Interpretation of standards and scheme rules
• Audit findings and nonconformities
• Corrective action evaluation and technical rejections
• Certification and risk-based decisions
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills, with the ability to provide clear, authoritative technical guidance to internal and external stakeholders
• Travel approx. 10% domestically.
• We conduct a pre-employment background and drug screening.
  

*Immigration-related employment benefits, for example visa sponsorship, are not available for this position*