Compliance/Product Development Specialist

Job Title: Compliance/Product Development Specialist

Type: Perm

Start Date: ASAP

Location: Hybrid - New York NY

Work Hours: Mon - Fri, 40 hours a week

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Salary: up to $85,000

Benefits: 401(k), Dental insurance, Health insurance, Life insurance, Vision insurance, and Paid time off,

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Job Overview

We are seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented Compliance/Product Development Specialist to join our team. The ideal candidate will play a crucial role in ensuring that our organization adheres to all regulatory requirements while driving innovation in product development. This role is responsible for monitoring vendor compliance with FDA, USDA, and Customs regulations, managing trade documentation, and maintaining key compliance programs such as CTPAT and social compliance audits. Additionally, this position will support the sourcing and development of new food products by collaborating with suppliers, cross-functional teams, and customers to bring innovative ideas to market.

Job Responsibilities

Compliance – 60%

• Assist in monitoring vendor compliance with FDA/USDA/Customs
• Maintain Harmonized Tariff Schedule and work with Customs Brokers to ensure correctness
• Produce trade documents for Customers- NAFTA, COFS, European Trade Agreements
• Manage customer portals and provide status updates
• Maintain compliance with Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) and manage portal
• Draft supplier contracts for management review and maintain tracking system
• Attend industry events/meetings and keep management updated on current events and changes
• Monitor new regulations, legislation, and any changes that affect the organization's compliance
• Manage Supplier Social Compliance Status track supplier audits based on customer requirements. Update social compliance survey accordingly and ensure that all suppliers are meeting our standards and our customers
• Assist suppliers as needed with technical process and compliance issues
• Develop trainings for staff regarding compliance topic

Product Development/Sourcing – 40%

• Investigate and collect information on Retail, Private Label, and Club Store projects from customer request through full scale production
• Assist in the development and renovation of products and formulas requested by Corporate Sales, Upper Management, Customers, and Company Ideation Sessions
• Engage existing suppliers or identify and qualify new manufacturers and suppliers of food products and ingredients for current and new products
• Assist with project launches by executing processes for various cross-functional departments including Quality, Finance, Marketing, Purchasing, and Sales; Develop operating procedures utilized by cross-functional teams to streamline internal processes
• Generate and implement product launch timelines for Internal Teams and Customers to ensure milestones and required deadlines are met effectively for market launch execution
• Track and organize new product samples, database and reference document maintenance; Ensure all relevant project information is up to date to achieve and streamline projects
• Assist departmental vendor scheduling and planning of approved product deliverables needed to gain market placements at Industry Trade Shows
• Maintain databases up to date with all relevant information for various on-going projects
• Organize reference documents by collecting and compiling information on new projects
• Stay engaged with the cross functional teams from concept to commercialization.
• Complete other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's required, food-related concentration preferred
• QA background welcome
• Professional experience in the food industry preferred
• Strong understanding of import regulations and regulatory agencies- FDA,USDA, Customs
• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills
• Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written

Skills Required

• 3-5 years of FDA and/or USDA experience quired
• Knowledge of food pairings/culinary trends is a plus
• Confident working on a daily basis with foreign suppliers, dual language is a plus
• Adept at Microsoft Office and Outlook
• Confident in ability to learn new computer programs
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing business priorities
• Self- Starter with ability to prioritize and meet regulatory and customer deadlines
• May involve some light lifting (up to 20 pounds)