Regulatory Affairs & Quality Lead

About The Job

Position: Regulatory Affairs & Quality Lead Pet Food

Work Set-up: Remote Work

Job Summary

The Regulatory Affairs & Quality Lead Pet Food is responsible for leading and strengthening the company's regulatory and quality compliance framework across product labels and marketing claims, food safety and quality standards, nutrition compliance, product registration, import permits, and complaint management. This role takes a proactive leadership position in ensuring the business remains compliant in all relevant aspects of pet food regulation and quality standards across markets.

The role is not limited to administering the completion of all regulatory and quality tasks. It is expected to identify compliance gaps, assess risks, and put in place the right people, processes, systems, and tools to ensure sustainable and effective compliance. The position works closely with cross-functional teams including Quality Assurance, Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, and external partners to drive a strong culture of compliance and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the company's regulatory affairs and quality compliance activities across all relevant markets and product categories.
• Oversee the review and approval of product labels, packaging content, and marketing claims to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and internal standards.
• Ensure compliance with quality and food safety standards, including relevant OMAR requirements and other applicable local and international regulations.
• Oversee nutrition compliance, including adherence to applicable standards such as AAFCO, MARA, and other relevant pet food regulatory frameworks.
• Manage product registrations, import permits, export permits, and related regulatory submissions required for market access and ongoing compliance.
• Lead the complaints management process, including monitoring, investigation, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and trend reporting to support continuous improvement.
• Identify regulatory and quality compliance gaps across products, processes, documentation, and systems, and proactively recommend and implement solutions.
• Establish, improve, and maintain effective processes, controls, SOPs, and compliance systems to support sustainable regulatory and quality performance.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure compliance requirements are understood, embedded, and consistently executed.
• Provide regulatory and quality guidance to internal stakeholders, including support on OEM, product development, packaging, supplier, and commercial initiatives.
• Oversee or support supplier accreditation and compliance activities to ensure suppliers meet company and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and deliver training on relevant topics such as food safety, HACCP, product compliance, labeling, complaints handling, and regulatory requirements.
• Stay updated on changes in international and local pet food regulations, industry standards, and market access requirements, and translate these into practical business actions.
• Drive a proactive compliance culture by influencing stakeholders and ensuring accountability for regulatory and quality obligations across the business.
  
  

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Animal Nutrition, Chemistry, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in regulatory affairs, quality compliance, or food safety, preferably within the pet food, food manufacturing, or related FMCG industry.
• Strong knowledge of labeling and marketing claims compliance, product registration, import/export permits, and regulatory documentation.
• Solid understanding of food safety, quality standards, and regulatory compliance frameworks, including OMAR and other relevant market requirements.
• Familiarity with pet food nutrition standards and regulatory frameworks, such as AAFCO, MARA, and equivalent standards in key markets.
• Experience in complaint management, investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective action implementation.
• Demonstrated ability to identify gaps, improve systems, and implement practical compliance solutions across functions.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams and influencing stakeholders without relying solely on direct authority.
• Certification in HACCP, Food Safety, Regulatory Affairs, or equivalent is an advantage.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical guidance for the business.
  
  

Key Competencies

• Strong leadership and proactive ownership of compliance matters
• Strategic thinking with hands-on problem-solving ability
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration
• High attention to detail and sound judgment
• Ability to identify risks, gaps, and improvement opportunities
• Process-oriented mindset with a focus on systems and sustainability
• Strong analytical and investigation skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment