Regulatory Compliance Specialist

At Häns Kissle, we strive to deliver the simple goodness of home in every bite. Founded in 1984, Häns Kissle began as the regional commissary for a small, high-end grocery chain in New England, MA, crafting fresh, upscale prepared foods and deli salads. Today we have two manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts and North Carolina.

Purpose

The Regulatory Compliance Specialist ensures that all food manufacturing operations and products comply with local, state, and federal regulations, including FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, and other industry standards. This role involves monitoring regulatory changes, customer requirements, maintaining and reviewing documentation, coordinating audits, and collaborating with internal teams to uphold food safety and quality standards and department goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Stay abreast of changes in food laws, regulations, and industry standards.
• Monitor and ensure compliance with customer requirements, and all applicable food safety and regulatory standards (FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, SQF, etc.), communicate updates to relevant departments.
• Support the company’s certification and inspection processes, preparing and coordinating internal and external audits, including regulatory and third-party certifications for programs (e.g., Kosher, SQF, USDA, FDA).
• Develop or implement necessary policy changes to maintain compliance.
• Prepare and submit regulatory filings and reports as required.
• Respond to inquiries from regulatory agencies and customers regarding food safety compliance.
• Review, approve and maintain regulatory documentation, including suppliers, ingredients, packaging, regulatory submissions, product labels, certifications, and licenses.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Quality, Production, R&D, Supply Chain) to ensure regulatory adherence in manufacturing processes and new product development by reviewing formulations, labels, production processes and claims.
• Ongoing review and maintenance of product labeling and packaging to comply with local and federal food regulations, nutrition facts, allergen declarations, and claims.
• Generically approve, or submit USDA labels for approval, maintaining all applicable documentation.
• Verify and validate product claims (e.g., Bio-Engineered, organic, non-GMO, gluten-free) for accuracy and regulatory approval.
• Assists in generating and maintaining nutritional information through utilization of nutrition software and nutritional analysis.
• Development and Maintenance of Technical Product Specification Sheets.
• Assist in crisis management, recall and traceability exercises, ensuring regulatory requirements are met.
• Identify and assess food safety risks in production processes and implement corrective actions.
• Organize and conduct supplier audits as necessary.
• Support root cause analysis and corrective actions for supplier’s non-conformances and violations.
• Release incoming products, conducting Certificates of Analysis (COA’s) reviews for compliance.
• Assist sales and customer service with any customer requests or questions as needed.
• Investigate and resolve compliance-related issues, including customer/consumer complaints, non-conformances and corrective action plans.
• Create quarterly regulatory update report summaries.
• Conducts special projects as assigned.
  
  

Safety & Continuous Improvement

• Promote and enforce workplace safety policies and procedures.
• Support factory improvement initiatives individually and with cross-functional teams.
• Participate in root cause analysis and problem-solving initiatives.
  
  

Education

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, Regulatory Affairs, Microbiology, related field or industry experience.
• HACCP and PCQI certifications.
  
  

Experience

• 2 year’s experience in food manufacturing, regulatory compliance, or food safety.
  
  

Skills

• Knowledge of FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, and GFSI standards.
• Strong understanding of food labeling laws and ingredient compliance.
• Experience with audits and regulatory inspections.
• Detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, both written and verbal, and ability to work cross-functionally.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to analyze data, troubleshoot problems, and implement solutions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and compliance management software.
  
  

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit or stand for long periods, lift up to 50 lbs., and work in varying temperatures.
• Must be able to work flexible shifts, including weekends and holidays as needed.
  
  

Hans Kissle takes pride in its people and product. We strongly believe in our philosophy to uphold the highest level of integrity in everything we do. Each employee is expected to understand and act appropriately per our philosophy and policies. This job description reflects essential functions assigned by management which are subject to change at any time

• STAFFING AGENCIES AND RECRUITING FIRMS - PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT HANS KISSLE FOR THIS ROLE**********