The Director of Food Safety Standards and Regulatory Compliance exercises influence internally and externally to shape the direction of food safety and regulatory policy, domestically and internationally, in alignment with the goals of the association. The role contributes to the long-term strategic planning for, and tactical execution of the association’s scientific and policy objectives related to the global harmonization of food safety standards and regulatory compliance. The individual will engage existing networks and cultivate additional industry, academic, and government partnerships around the globe to anticipate and develop appropriate resources to support the produce safety standards and regulatory compliance membership needs worldwide. The individual serves as the association’s subject matter expert on domestic and international regulatory policy, providing technical support for industry members, staff, and other stakeholders. Through leadership roles, this individual will advocate for science-based standards that support all aspects of the produce supply chain. This individual must be well-versed in technical aspects of food safety standards and have established relationships with regulatory agencies and government officials to actively advocate on behalf of the industry. In addition, when applicable, this role will collaborate with the Science and Government Relations teams on cross-functional compliance topics affecting regulatory policy in the US and abroad.

Position Responsibilities

• Leadership and Advocacy- 35%
  • Contribute to the development of the global strategy on harmonization of global food safety standards and regulatory compliance for the association.
  • Partner with the global insights, science & technology, government relations teams and country managers to identify and implement strategic goals for global food safety standards and regulatory compliance.
  • Conduct horizon scanning on current and anticipated regulatory issues, domestic and international, to inform the development of a global regulatory strategy for food safety.
  • Enhance the visibility and eminence of the association’s global produce safety resources and initiatives through partnerships and collaboration with other associations, coalitions, alliances, regulatory and government agencies.
  • Represent the association and the global industry at scientific standards and regulatory meetings and invited talks.
  • Cultivate and maintain a network of expert representatives from domestic and international regulatory bodies, intergovernmental organizations, and other subject matter experts in related roles for support with domestic and international food safety and regulatory issues.

• Global Food Safety Standard Development- 35%
  • Represent the global produce industry perspective in domestic and international meetings impacting produce standards and regulations to support the adoption of science-based standards and prevent non-tariff trade barriers.
  • Play an active role in GFSI and other global standard setting bodies, ensuring that produce safety audits and requirements are held to an appropriate standard relative to manufactured foods to product public health without causing undue burden on the industry.
  • Serve as the global produce representative within Codex Alimentarius and keep members abreast of Codex developments that impact their businesses.
  • Work with Vice President, Food Safety and Quality to identify global training requirements around food safety standards and regulatory compliance to be included in the development of a global training strategy for food safety, (e.g., expansion of Spanish-language resources and education; identification of regions with gaps in food safety training).
  • Develop food safety technical guidance and resource tools on global food safety standards and regulatory compliance for use by the domestic and international membership base.

• Membership Support & Regulatory Compliance- 30%
  • Serve as internal and member support on food safety and other regulatory compliance issues such as labeling, pesticide residues, heavy metals, and biotechnology.
  • Communicate emerging issues and updates with membership and develop technical resources in collaboration with the Vice President, Food Safety and Quality as well as the Manager, Food Safety Programs as needed.
  • Serve as the association contact and steward of collaboration efforts with WGA, CPMA, FMI, NASDA and other associations and coalitions working to advocate on regulatory issues and food safety standards development and harmonization in support of produce safety.
  • Lead member workgroups and other stakeholders in preparing comments on regulatory proposals and draft regulations.
  • With support from the Manager, Food Safety Programs, serve as the technical subject matter expert for the Harmonized Standard (HGAP) Program. Provide oversight to the HGAP program by executing an integrity program to ensure licensees are following the standard, conduct calibration meetings and lead technical review efforts at least once every three years (or as needed) to ensure the standard incorporates the latest science.
  • Serve as the technical subject matter expert in review of other voluntary standards within the industry including but not limited to CA and AZ LGMA, Florida T-GAP, etc. when such standards are under routine review.
  • Deliver training on a variety of regulatory and compliance topics, such as FSVP, FSMA implementation, recall readiness, GAPs (including HGAP), and labeling.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Miscellaneous Position Information

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Bachelor (or comparable) degree in microbiology, public health, food science, agriculture or related scientific field required.
• Master of Science (or comparable) degree or higher in listed disciplines preferred.
• Experience in domestic and/or international agriculture, science policy, and/or regulatory affairs are a preferred.
• At least 5 years’ experience in a technical food safety or regulatory affairs role; experience with supervisory and managerial responsibilities is a plus but not required.
• Experience establishing common ground and achieving consensus within diverse groups of stakeholders.
• Familiarity and experience with voluntary produce safety standards and governmental food regulations in the US (food safety, labeling) is required; familiarity with government food regulations internationally is strongly preferred.
• Able to translate complex and technical topics into relevant, actionable information in both written and oral form.
• Bi or multi-lingual, especially Spanish fluency, is strongly preferred.

Measures for Success

• Successfully advocates for and positively influences voluntary and regulatory produce standards for the benefit of the produce the industry.
• Technical acumen and collaborative approach boost the visibility of and respect for support in international training and education by the association.
• Must be resourceful, able to tap into networks as needed to provide timely support of member questions and competing demands from staff and industry members.
• Growing recognition by membership of the association’s role in the international regulatory arena.

Travel

Business related travel, including international travel, required on average 18 times per year.