Retail Safety Manager

Company Overview

Established in 1929, Heinen’sis a leading, family-owned grocery retailer known for its premium-quality products and outstanding customer service. Now in its fourth generation of family leadership, Heinen’s operates 24 locations – 19 in the Cleveland, Ohio area and 5 in the Chicago, Illinois market – supported by two distribution warehouses, a food production facility, and a corporate office located in Warrensville Heights, Ohio.

Our culture is rooted in an associate-first philosophy , placing a strong emphasis on the well-being, development, and quality of life of every team member. We offer competitive compensation, professional development and leadership training programs, paid time off, and flexible scheduling designed to promote a healthy work-life balance.

Job Summary

The Retail Safety Manager is responsible for developing, leading, and sustaining a strong culture of safety across all Heinen’s retail and corporate operations. This role provides strategic and operational leadership by designing preventative safety programs, training associates, and embedding safety as a shared responsibility at every level of the organization.

In addition, the Retail Safety Manager ensures compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements through audits, risk assessments, incident investigations, and ongoing oversight. Success in this role requires balancing long-term safety culture development with hands-on execution to protect associates and customers, support operational excellence, and minimize organizational risk.

Key Responsibilities

Safety Programs & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all applicable state, federal, and local safety regulations, including OSHA (Department of Labor) and emergency services requirements.
• Develop, implement, and maintain personal safety policies and procedures tailored to retail and corporate environments.
• Partner with store leadership to design and support core safety programs, including:
• Slip, Trip, and Fall prevention
• Emergency Action Plans (EAPs)
• Safe material handling and ergonomic practices
• Safe operation of store-specific equipment (balers, compactors, slicers, grinders, etc.)
• Identify high-risk departments (e.g., Meat/Deli, Produce Prep) and implement targeted procedural improvements and training initiatives.
  

Safety Culture & Engagement

• Lead proactive safety conversations, coaching sessions, and field engagement to foster ownership and accountability among store teams.
• Collaborate closely with store safety champions and leadership on location-specific and companywide safety initiatives.
• Design and implement programs that promote safe behaviors and reinforce a strong safety-first mindset.
• Maintain subject matter expertise and a visible, “boots-on-the-ground” presence across store operations.
  
  

Leadership & Associate Development

• Educate associates and leaders on their role in shaping safety culture and how visible commitment impacts associate and customer confidence.
• Model expected behaviors through regular safety walkthroughs, audits, consistent communication, and timely decision-making related to safety concerns.
  
  

Auditing & Risk Assessment

• Conduct comprehensive retail safety risk assessments and audits.
• Ensure store operations and job aids align with equipment manuals, OSHA standards, and public safety best practices.
• Maintain accurate inspection records, safety documentation, and compliance reports for all locations.
  
  

Incident Management & Reporting

• Serve as the primary point of contact for associate and customer incident reporting, investigation, and case management.
• Analyze incident reports, near-miss data, and injury/claims trends to identify systemic issues and prioritize corrective actions.
• Lead and train teams on root cause analysis methodologies, including 5-Why assessments.
  
  

Training & Development

• Partner with Learning & Development and cross-functional teams to deliver core safety training for store associates.
• Provide ongoing compliance training and department-specific safety education as needed.
  
  

Vendor, Facility & Equipment Safety

• Collaborate with Facilities Management to ensure safe operation, inspection, and maintenance of fire suppression systems, emergency lighting, and related infrastructure.
• Serve as a safety subject matter expert during the procurement, installation, and training of new equipment and facility maintenance initiatives.
  
  

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in occupational safety & health, Environmental Health & Safety, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of safety experience preferred, ideally within a high-volume, multi-site retail, grocery, or service industry environment.
• Professional certifications such as ASP, CSP, or OSHA 30 (General Industry) strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of OSHA General Industry standards, ergonomics, and applicable public health and safety regulations.
• Solid understanding of Workers’ Compensation practices and procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence with strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proven problem-solving skills with the ability to assess diverse environments and develop practical solutions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to build effective working relationships.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently with minimal supervision.
  
  

Heinen’s, Inc. provides equal employment opportunity to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

Monday-Friday 8am-5pm schedule.

Evening and weekend hours as needed.

Full-time, 40 hours per week.