Program Manager 2, Compliance (seattle, Washington)

Nordstrom Nordstrom · Retail · Seattle, WA

Program Manager for food and beverage compliance infrastructure, focusing on licensing, permitting, and process optimization within Nordstrom's Legal Department. The role involves designing, implementing, and optimizing systems and governance frameworks, with an emphasis on AI adoption and data-driven recommendations.

What you'd actually do

  1. Support the design, implementation, and optimization of food and beverage compliance operations infrastructure—license and permit management, workflow tracking, recordkeeping, reporting, and AI adoption.
  2. Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, governance frameworks, and program processes, and coordinate change management as new concepts, locations, and regulations come online.
  3. Assess existing workflows and business support processes, identify gaps and undocumented processes, and design scalable improvements that increase efficiency and reduce risk.
  4. Maintain organized documentation and knowledge management—capturing institutional knowledge and keeping strategy, priorities, and program reviews aligned to enterprise standards.
  5. Build strong cross-functional relationships and drive alignment across Legal, Business Resiliency, Restaurant Operations, Facilities, Events, and Stores to break down silos and advance shared objectives.

Skills

Required

  • legal or compliance operations experience
  • program management experience
  • project management experience
  • experience within a legal department
  • experience within a regulated corporate environment
  • experience within a multi-unit operations setting
  • ability to collaborate with and influence cross-functional teams
  • building and enhancing operational infrastructure
  • scalable processes
  • governance frameworks
  • documentation
  • reporting systems
  • proactive change agent
  • strong curiosity
  • build coalitions
  • drive adoption of new tools and processes
  • strong communication skills
  • interpersonal skills
  • translate complex operational topics into clear, persuasive messaging
  • strong organizational skills
  • analytical skills
  • attention to detail
  • manage multiple workstreams
  • familiarity with compliance and operations technology
  • workflow automation
  • data visualization
  • document management platforms

Nice to have

  • Working knowledge of food & beverage compliance (e.g., FDA Food Code, HACCP, allergen management, licensing, health permitting)

What the JD emphasized

  • 7+ years of legal or compliance operations, program management, or project management experience within a legal department, regulated corporate environment, or multi-unit operations setting.
  • Track record of building and enhancing operational infrastructure—scalable processes, governance frameworks, documentation, and reporting systems.