New

Senior Team Leader, Field Inspector

Whole Foods Market, Inc.
paid time off, retirement plan
United States, California, Santa Cruz
133 Mission Street (Show on map)
Aug 17, 2025
As a Produce Field Inspector Team Leader, you will be a senior-level leader responsible for defining the vision, strategy, and long-term solutions for verifying the quality, condition, and specifications of fresh produce and flowers across Whole Foods Market's supply chain. You will manage a team of Produce Field Inspectors, setting priorities, driving operational excellence, and aligning your team's work to the broader business goals.This role is remote base but candidate must live close to our Santa Cruz, Ca regional office. Key Responsibilities: Define the long-term strategy and roadmap for the Produce Field Inspection team, aligning priorities and securing the necessary resources to ensure proper field inspection coverage and the highest quality fresh produce and flowers for Whole Foods Market stores. Continuously assess and improve quality throughout the Whole Foods Market produce supply chain, through data-driven analysis, effective communication, and validation of product to expectations. Define key metrics to measure team progress, customer experience, and operational excellence. Spend a significant portion of your time coaching, mentoring, and developing your team of Produce Field Inspectors to ensure they are operating at the highest level and delivering consistent, reliable results. Provide strategic direction and oversight to your team, ensuring they provide effective feedback and coaching to suppliers & growers, drive continuous improvement, and communicate effectively with all stakeholders. Develop and lead the implementation of comprehensive quality assurance processes, procedures, and best practices, optimizing for operational excellence. Collaborate cross-functionally with leadership, sourcing, and other key stakeholders to drive win-win strategies that move the business forward. Identify and mitigate risks, areas of opportunity, and potential customer value, delivering innovative solutions that create differentiation for Whole Foods Market. Qualifications: Bachelor's degree preferred + 10+ years of relevant experience, including leadership experience Recognized subject matter expert in produce and floral quality standards, organic and natural foods inspection, and related supply chain best practices Proven track record of leading complex, ambiguous initiatives and driving organizational transformation through people, process, and technology Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and strategic decision-making skills to distill diverse inputs and design the right long-term solutions Outstanding communication and stakeholder management abilities, with the ability to foster constructive dialogue and build consensus Collaborative and empathetic leadership style, with the ability to develop and inspire high-performing teams Passion for organics, sustainability, and delivering the highest quality produce and flowers to customers This is a senior leadership role responsible for defining the vision and strategy for a critical function within Whole Foods Market. The ideal candidate will be a respected thought leader, demonstrating the ability to independently manage a team, influence cross-functional partners, and drive sustainable operational and customer experience improvements. The wage range for this position is $111,819.00-$190,092.00 Annual, commensurate with experience. Whole Foods Market offers "Whole Benefits". Whole Benefits may include health insurance, retirement plan benefits, eligibility for a store discount, paid time off and access to other benefit programs. Eligibility for Whole Benefits is determined under the terms of the applicable Whole Benefits plan at a person's date of hire. For additional information, visit our Whole Foods Market Careers site: https://careers.wholefoodsmarket.com/benefits. At Whole Foods Market, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all Team Members and candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Whole Foods Market hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs. Whole Foods Market works with job sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, and ZipRecruiter to promote opportunities at our company. Please be aware that other career sites may not be accurate or up to date and may even be fraudulent. We encourage and recommend all candidates to apply via our site.