The Regulatory Affairs Specialist is responsible for product composition and label regulatory compliance for finished goods manufactured and sold in the Canadian market.
The position supports the region’s commercial goals and includes key day-to-day business continuity activities, e.g. ingredient & formula reviews, labelling & marketing claim exploration. The Regulatory Affairs Specialist is also responsible to represent & defend McCain activities with external stakeholders for the US and Canadian markets.
The role is expected to be 85% internally focused on supporting the regional R&D team & business operations. The other 15% will be externally focused and include work in Technical Committees of Canadian Trade Associations.
Responsibilities
Product Compliance
Acts as expert on food legislation and guidelines issued by regulatory authorities in Canada (national/regional):
Interprets legislation requirements, shares industry best practices, and recommends regulatory positions.
Develops and maintains regional procedures to approve product formulas, ingredients, labels, and other marketing material aligned with business requirements.
Supports business partners (Procurement, R&D, Marketing, etc.) on new product development, product reformulations, product claims exploration and label redesigns as needed to ensure regulatory compliance.
Liaises with Global and other regional regulatory contacts to review compliance on export/import requirements.
Conducts regulatory risk assessments (regulatory investigation, data collection, industry calibration, etc.) in collaboration with other cross-functional teams, e.g. Global Regulatory, QA/Food Safety, Legal, GR/EA teams.
Advocates and sponsors training initiatives to support cross-functional team members and their contribution to regulatory compliance for continued efficiency and accuracy.
Legislation Monitoring & Communication
Coordinate the monitoring of regional regulatory environment changes and/or evolution on product composition, ingredient, and food labelling requirements.
Communicates and works with cross-functional team members to estimate impact and evaluate state of readiness.
Monitors and communicates regional emerging legislation to Food Safety team members on microbiological parameters, food contaminants, and Food Safety Management programs, as required.
External Activities
Participates in relevant Technical Committees of Trade Associations for the Canadian Market
Establishes and maintain working relationships with Canadian regulatory authorities, as appropriate.
Required Qualifications, Experience & Education
Degree or equivalent in Food Science, or related technical discipline.
Minimum 2 years of experience working within a large global food manufacturing organization, preferably in Regulatory Affairs.
Demonstrated knowledge and experience in Regulatory Affairs in Canada:
knowledge of product marketing claims substantiation and other labelling information.
Awareness of food safety requirements (microbiological standards, food contaminants).
Proven participation in Trade Associations and working committees to review regulatory and industry initiatives and positively influence regulatory outcomes.
Record of having led transformative initiatives, demonstrating an ability to influence the business to achieve positive results.
Ability to influence key stakeholders and peers. Ability to stand alone, set clear standards and hold other accountable to a critical requirement.
Courage to have difficult discussions with groups from all levels of the organization.
Strong team player, who can effectively interface with all levels of management and teams across the business.
McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. We see value in ensuring we have a diverse, antiracist, inclusive, merit-based, and equitable workplace. As a global family-owned company we are proud to reflect the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that diversity drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger.
McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.
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Job Family: Research & Development
Division: Global Research and Development
Department: Regulatory NA
Location(s): CA - Canada : Ontario : Toronto || CA - Canada : New Brunswick : Florenceville-Bristol
Company: McCain Foods (Canada)
