CDA- Food Safety Program Manager (Management)

Agriculture is a part of all our lives. When you eat, put on clothes, or care for an animal--your life is touched by agriculture. Colorado's food and agriculture industry generated $47 billion of economic activity in 2019 and supports nearly 5% of the state's workforce. CDA is proud to be a part of such an important industry.

Mission:

The CDA's mission is to strengthen and advance Colorado's agriculture; promote a safe and high-quality food supply; protect consumers; and foster responsible stewardship of the environment.

CDA Wildly Important Goals:

To accomplish our mission, CDA focuses on five "wildly important goals:"

• Goal 1: Expanding National and International Market Access

• Goal 2: Developing Agricultural Leaders

• Goal 3: Advancing the Colorado Water Plan

• Goal 4: Implementing the Beaver Strategy

• Goal 5: Providing Education on Animal Mistreatment and Livestock Theft

We use these goals to focus and align the daily work of our staff in support of Colorado farmers and ranchers. Learn more about our Department and our wildly important goals in our performance plan on our website.

• Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including aPERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus optional 401(k) and 457 plans (www.copera.org)
• Medical and dental health plans ()
• Employer supplemented Health Savings Account ($60 per month)
• Paid life insurance, plus additional optional life insurance options
• Paid Short Term Disability and optional Long Term Disability coverage
• 11 paid holidays per year plus generous vacation and sick leave accruals
• BenefitHub state employee discount program
• Employee Wellness program State of Health
• Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, remote work opportunities, free parking, professional development and more!

To learn about the total compensation package for State government employment visit:

Equal Opportunity

The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness.

The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.

We believe that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

Organizational Purpose
This work unit oversees the strategic direction, program performance, and administrative operations for the seven regulatory programs within the Division. For each program, this unit manages regulatory reviews, sets strategic goals, and builds relationships with industry and consumers. This work unit also executes the licensing and registration component of each program, including issuing licenses and registrations, receipt of revenue, and serving as the first point of contact for licensees and consumers.

Major Objectives of the Position
The Food Safety Program Director will manage the Produce Safety, Handweeding Variance, Custom Meat, and Egg programs. The Food Safety Program Director will supervise the Feed & Regulatory Program Manager and serve as the secondary-level reviewer of the standards coordinator. The Food Safety Program Director’s duties will include staff management, strategic planning, developing rules and regulations, making legislative changes, developing budgets and contracts, and determining staffing requirements. This position will meet the objectives of the FDA Cooperative Agreement, state Custom Meat, and state Egg programs, which are to encourage the safe production of fresh fruits and vegetables, safe meat processing at Non-USDA facilities, and enforce the state egg rules to allow regulatory authorities to direct food safety and regulatory activities to reduce foodborne illness hazards in the United States. The position will work with State and Federal agencies on the development of regulatory requirements, as well as with industry producers and associations, to develop the program's inspection, compliance, and enforcement. The position requires a valid Colorado driver’s license for travel within the state and nationally. Travel in and out of state will be required for up to ten weeks each year.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Program Administration:

Brief Duty Description:

As the statewide authority and program director for Colorado's Food Safety Programs, this position exercises independent, high-level administrative direction to establish, operate, and maintain comprehensive regulatory frameworks complying with FDA Produce Safety, state Custom Meat, and Egg rules. The position defines program scope, establishes statewide strategic goals, secures legislative and rule changes, and shapes policy across state and federal jurisdictions to protect consumer health and support agricultural producers. Duties include:

• Determine appropriate legislative, statutory, and rule changes needed to establish, operate, and maintain a unified Food Safety Program in Colorado, collaborating with Department leadership, legal counsel, and legislative liaisons to secure passage and implementation.

• Determine comprehensive staffing requirements, organizational structure, roles, and responsibilities for the program; direct, train, and oversee inspection staff to ensure rigorous, standardized enforcement and evaluation.

• Integrate program operations with existing food safety frameworks (such as the FDA Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards) and research, negotiate, and implement Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with state, federal, and external entities (including CSU, NASDA, and AFDO) to streamline commodity production roles.

• Establish and oversee a comprehensive statewide farm inventory of producers covered under FDA Produce Safety, Custom Meat, and Egg rules, leveraging department data, grower organization partnerships, and direct producer outreach to maintain an ongoing, accurate maintenance system.

Produce Safety Program Operations:

Brief Duty Description:

This position exercises comprehensive strategic leadership and programmatic control to direct the long-term vision, operational scaling, and regulatory compliance of Colorado's Produce Safety Program. The position operates with broad administrative discretion to shape statewide policy, govern large-scale technical infrastructure, and establish rigorous evaluative frameworks across multi-sector jurisdictions. This position operates with broad administrative discretion to provide input into national program policy, working with federal government agencies and national associations. The position requires a valid Colorado driver’s license for travel within the state and nationally to successfully lead the program’s operations. Travel in and out of state will be required for up to ten weeks each year. Duties include:

• Provide strategic planning and performance governance.

• Spearhead the development, execution, and continuous refinement of comprehensive 5-year strategic plans, establishing enterprise-level performance metrics, accountability benchmarks, and quantitative evaluation methodologies to ensure program alignment with statutory mandates and fiscal allocations.

• Provide administrative governance over OIT-contracted vendors and technical partners, directing the architectural design, implementation, and maintenance of advanced database systems capable of securely managing massive volumes of statewide agricultural datasets.

• Formulate and execute overarching operational policies and compliance structure that integrates state regulatory standards with federal cooperative agreements, ensuring seamless integration across diverse agricultural sectors and regional territories.

• Direct enterprise-wide risk management, resource management, and collaborative coordination with state leadership, academic institutions (e.g., CSU), and grower associations to proactively address operational vulnerabilities and drive continuous program improvement.

Produce Safety Grant & Contract Management:

Brief Duty Description:

This position manages all funding and contracts for the Produce Safety Program, overseeing federal grants, state funds, and vendor agreements. Operating with full autonomy, the position ensures financial compliance, manages budgets, and directs partnerships to support ongoing program operations. Duties include:

• Administration, compliance monitoring, and fiscal execution of federal grant awards (including the FDA Produce Safety Cooperative Agreement) and funding guidelines, establishing rigorous internal controls, financial forecasting, and comprehensive reporting processes to satisfy federal and state auditors.

• Direct the end-to-end lifecycle of external contracts, memorandums of understanding (MOUs), and service agreements, evaluating partner performance and operational alignment to ensure all external entities meet rigorous programmatic and statutory parameters.

• Formulate long-term financial strategies, budgetary allocations, and operational purchasing priorities—spanning technology, capital assets, and personnel scaling—to maximize grant efficiency and ensure program solvency across diverse economic cycles.

• Lead comprehensive fiscal audits, grant reviews, and strategic stakeholder briefings with federal grantors, legislative bodies, and departmental leadership to justify program expenditures and secure ongoing financial support.

Custom Meat, Egg, and Handweeding Variance Operations:

Brief Duty Description:

This position exercises administrative oversight and strategic operational direction for the custom meat, egg, and handweeding operations. The position establishes statewide inspection standards, direct enforcement protocols, evaluates regulatory effectiveness, and ensures rigorous compliance across diverse commercial and agricultural operations. Duties include:

• Establish and monitor comprehensive annual performance goals for inspections, leveraging risk-based assessments (facility size, historical compliance, and operational complexity) to prioritize regulatory oversight and streamline licensing workflows.

• Determine, initiate, and oversee complex enforcement actions against non-compliant licensees—including penalties, fines, and stop-sale orders—while collaborating with Department leadership and legal counsel during administrative hearings and civil proceedings.

• Continuously analyze the effectiveness of existing regulatory procedures and inspection reports, designing and implementing strategic procedural improvements to optimize operational efficiency and consumer protection.

• Serve as the statewide expert on specialized regulatory requests, evaluating and determining the approval or denial of handweeding variance applications while ensuring clear, transparent communication with producers.

• Manage program expenditures, oversee resource and supply distribution for inspection staff, and provide expert technical guidance to administrative and inspection personnel on complex compliance matters.

Supervision and Leadership:

Brief Duty Description:

Responsible for the supervision of program managers, as well as supporting all unit staff to be successful in their positions. This includes establishing a positive team culture, providing resources and training, and leading initiatives that improve staff performance and development. Specific duties include:

• Establish an organizational structure to provide balanced and efficient workflows.

• Hire all employees within the unit or delegate the hiring process to program managers.

• Develop performance plans of direct reports with established goals, provide honest and direct evaluations, and review and approve performance evaluations by second level managers of subordinate staff.

• Successfully resolve performance issues in a timely and constructive manner.

• Provide direction and training to ensure staff is knowledgeable and competent in their job skills and duties.

• Advance a positive culture that embodies the core values of the department and work-life balance.

• Support the professional development of Unit staff.

You must be a resident of the state of Colorado at the time of Application in order to apply.

Skills-based Hiring:
This position is advertised in alignment with Executive Order 2022-015, Skills-Based Hiring. Recruitment for this position recognizes that skills can be developed through various pathways, including formal education, work experience, volunteering, self-directed learning, and other life experiences, opening doors to individuals from varied backgrounds. Those with relevant experience but without traditional credentials are welcome to apply!

• Ten (10) years of full-time professional experience in agribusiness, agriculture, regulatory programs, food safety or other fields closely related to the position. Experience must include:

  • Three (3) years Experience in managing a regulatory program or overseeing regulatory compliance for an organization.

  • Listed Experience with Food safety in rural or agricultural settings. Food safety experience includes growing, harvesting, manufacturing, packing, and holding.

  • One (1) years of professional public or business administration, which included developing strategic work plans, budget development and control, setting goals and objectives to achieve program results, and conducting data collection and analysis.

  • Two (2) years of experience must include supervision, including fostering a team environment, hiring, setting goals, performance evaluation, and correcting performance issues as needed.

• A combination of related education in Agriculture, Public Administration, Business Administration, and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to ten (10) years of full-time professional experience in agribusiness, agriculture, regulatory programs, food safety or other fields closely related to the position. Experience must include:

  • Three (3) years Experience in managing a regulatory program or overseeing regulatory compliance for an organization.

  • Listed Experience with Food safety in rural or agricultural settings. Food safety experience includes growing, harvesting, manufacturing, packing, and holding.

  • One (1) years of professional public or business administration, which included developing strategic work plans, budget development and control, setting goals and objectives to achieve program results, and conducting data collection and analysis.

  • Two (2) years of experience must include supervision, including fostering a team environment, hiring, setting goals, performance evaluation, and correcting performance issues as needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous experience leading established teams on actionable deliverables.

• Previous years working with the State of Colorado.

• Previous experience working directly with federal agencies

• Previous experience in consumer health.

• Previous experience with the Food Safety Program in Colorado.

• Grant Management experience

• Previous experience of FDA Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards

• Previous experience of FDA Produce Safety, Colorado Custom Processing of Meat, and Colorado Egg rules.

• Understanding of Rapid Response Teams for Human and Animal Foods

• Must have an active Colorado driver's license.

• Must be a resident of the state of Colorado.

• Be willing to travel for frequent single-day trips to work sites throughout the assigned area, and be willing to travel overnight to other areas of Colorado and outside the State.

• Must be willing to work outside of normal business hours.

• Must be willing to work in adverse weather conditions such as extreme heat, extreme cold, dust, rain snow.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and public speaking skills

• Knowledge of Program Management

• Knowledge of Colorado Food Safety Regulations

• Experience in supervisory roles.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and juggle multiple priorities, and able to react and adjust quickly to changing conditions.

• Knowledge of statewide strategic goals

• Detail-oriented.

• Excellent communication skills; able to communicate effectively and articulately in writing and orally with diverse communities in all corners of the state and nationally.

• Work well under pressure.

• Strong relationship management skills and excellent representation of the Department in community interactions.

• A proven track record for developing and maintaining trusted relationships with stakeholders and industry experts.

• Excellent negotiation and consensus-building skills.

• Proactive approaches to problem-solving and strong decision-making capability.

• Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to also be extremely effective independently.

• Proven ability to de-escalate high-tension scenarios in both individual and group environments.

• Online application (completed fully) describing how you meet the minimum qualifications
• OR If you are not able to submit an online application, a paper application is available at this link: PDF State Paper Application. Paper applications must be received (either by US mail or email to mary.hunt@state.co.us by the closing date and time of the application period listed on this announcement.
• DD214 (if applicable)
• Unofficial copy of transcripts (if applicable)

• Technical Competence – Technical experience as it relates to the duties outlined in this job announcement.
• Depth and Breadth of Experience – Experience that covers multiple areas outlined in this job announcement. Experience should be varied and not one dimensional and demonstrate a wide range of community involvement.
• Job Fit – Experience will be evaluated to determine how well your past experience aligns with and meets the business needs of this position. Current experience is preferred.