Head of Enterprise Risk and Food Safety
Keells, as a leading retailer is striving to deliver its core purpose to ‘improve the quality of life for the nation’. We know that to deliver on our core purpose, we have to grow and develop Sri Lanka’s best retail team. If you want to come on this journey with us, to deliver retail excellence, then we can really support your ambitions and future growth.
What you need to do
• Lead and own the Enterprise Food Safety & Risk function across the Keells supermarket network, ensuring food safety is managed as a core business risk.
• Lead and continuously improve Keells’ Food Safety Management Framework, covering suppliers, distribution, central kitchens and stores.
• Simplify the food safety audit framework, ensuring audits are risk-weighted, outcome-driven and aligned to international best practice.
• Strengthen supplier-to-store food safety governance, including critical control points, escalation protocols and accountability.
• Work closely with Operations, Commercial, Supply Chain and Quality teams to embed food safety into daily operations.
• Lead the development of data-led monitoring and reporting, including exploring digital audit and compliance tools.
• Chair and lead the Food Safety Committee, ensuring clear ownership, decision-making and escalation.
• Act as the key liaison with regulators, certification bodies and external auditors.
• Support the organisation in aligning to global best practice standards.
• Provide leadership, coaching and technical direction to QA and Food Safety teams across the business.
What we are looking for
• Degree in Food Science / Food Technology / Food Microbiology or equivalent.
• Strong experience in Food Safety, Quality Assurance or Enterprise Risk, ideally within:
– Retail
– QSR / Foodservice
– FMCG / Manufacturing
• Demonstrated experience designing or leading food safety systems at scale.
• Strong understanding of HACCP, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, GFSI standards.
• Experience working across complex supply chains and multi-site operations.
• Ability to translate technical risk into clear operational actions.
• Confident working with senior stakeholders and influencing cross-functional teams.
• Comfortable leading change in large, operationally complex organisations.
• Strong analytical, communication and governance skills.
• Experience with audit transformation, digitisation or risk frameworks is an advantage.
Interested candidates are encouraged to apply before the 28/01/2026