REGULATORY MANAGER

About the Role:

The Regulatory Manager is responsible for leading Capitol Food Company’s Regulatory and Certificates of Analysis (COA) teams, ensuring compliance with all applicable food safety, labeling, and certification requirements. This role builds upon the foundation of the SQF Specialist by assuming expanded responsibilities for regulatory oversight, SQF system management, labeling compliance, documentation integrity, and audit readiness.

The Regulatory Manager drives consistency across all facilities and fosters a culture of accountability, ensuring Capitol remains a trusted leader in food safety, quality, and compliance.

Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Team Management

• Direct and oversee the Regulatory and COA teams, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant execution of responsibilities.
• Develop team goals, workflows, and performance standards that align with Capitol’s food safety and regulatory priorities.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and professional development to direct reports.

• Food Safety & SQF Program Leadership

• Lead the development, implementation, and maintenance of the SQF system across all facilities.
• Ensure system integrity through verification, validation, and internal audit programs.
• Maintain expertise in the current version of the SQF Code and communicate requirements to cross-functional teams.
• Serve as the primary subject-matter expert during audits by regulatory bodies, customers, and third parties.

• Regulatory Affairs & Compliance

• Oversee compliance with FDA, USDA, FSMA, GFSI, and other relevant domestic and international regulations.
• Ensure all product labels, allergen declarations, ingredient statements, and nutritional panels are accurate and compliant.
• Monitor regulatory changes and communicate implications to leadership and affected teams.

• Documentation & Certifications

• Oversee preparation, review, and release of Certificates of Analysis (COAs) to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
• Manage product specifications, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and other required regulatory documentation.
• Maintain and update third-party certifications (Organic, Kosher, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, etc.).
• Develop and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across all facilities related to regulatory and COA processes.
• Audits & Inspections
• Lead preparation, execution, and follow-up for SQF, FDA, USDA, customer, and third-party audits.
• Ensure audit-ready compliance across all sites, and oversee corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs).
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Partner with R&D to review formulations and new product launches for regulatory compliance.
• Support Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service with documentation and responses to regulatory and COA requests.
• Collaborate with Operations and Quality to ensure regulatory and documentation practices are embedded in daily workflows.

Candidate Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Regulatory Affairs, or related field required.
• Minimum 7+ years of progressive experience in food safety, quality, or regulatory compliance.
• Prior leadership experience managing regulatory or COA/documentation teams strongly preferred.
• SQF Practitioner certification or equivalent highly desirable.
• Strong working knowledge of FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, and GFSI standards.
• Proven success in leading audits and managing customer/regulatory relationships.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain accuracy in a fast-paced environment.

Work Environment and Physical Demands:

The work environment and physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit.
• The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.
• The employee frequently is required to talk and hear and use her hands to touch, handle, type and write.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.  The noise level can be elevated in the office when the employee is communicating with other employees or when other employees are communicating with customers or vendors on the phone.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit.
• The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.
• The employee frequently is required to talk and hear and use her hands to touch, handle, type and write.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.  The noise level can be elevated in the office when the employee is communicating with other employees or when other employees are communicating with customers or vendors on the phone.