Associate Manager, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs - Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition North America, Inc.

About Us:

At Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition, we are making significant advances in food and health with new ideas and innovative technologies. We are seeking candidates with energy and enthusiasm to be part of our growing team throughout North America. As an Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition employee, you are part of a diverse, innovative, and collaborative community committed to enhancing lives through nutrition and health. Our team is committed to providing amino acid-based solutions that create better lives for all.

Overview:

Responsible for activities within the Solutions and Ingredients (S&I) Division of Corporate Scientific and Regulatory Affairs (SRA) Department such that regulatory systems are established, implemented, and maintained.  Oversee planning, coordinating, controlling, reviewing, and communicating policies within the regulatory compliance section of SRA department to meet departmental goals in alignment with S&I Division strategic goals. 

Qualifications:

EDUCATION, CERTIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Advanced scientific training (MSc. or Ph.D.) degree in food science and technology or related fields.
• Six to eight years combined experience in food regulations in the Food/Beverage Industry

 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Proficient in MS Office 365 products: MS Teams, SharePoint, etc.  
• Detailed, analytical, and efficient in making sound decisions.
• Strong math and science-related technical skills.
• Ability to transfer scientific knowledge to practical applications.
• Strong regulatory risk assessment skills with an ability to work under pressure.
• Knowledgeable of U.S. and Canadian food regulations
• Results-driven and committed to delivering business impactful solutions.

Working Conditions / Physical Requirements:

Job may require long periods of sitting; telephone/or computer work as well as interactions with other employees, filing cabinets.  The employee is frequently required to use hands and or finger.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.  Some offsite business visits (plant) and vendor locations are required.

 

This position requires email or virtual MS Teams communications with U.S. and some overseas business locations with time differences (e.g., Europe, Asia, and Latin America).

Business travels <5%, mostly domestic

Responsibilities:

• Develop and review annual regulatory compliance section objectives and goals.
• Implement robust corporate regulatory compliance systems. 
• Supervise regulatory/Quality Document Administrators.
• Oversee handling of customer-facing regulatory/quality document requests, expectation manuals & questionnaires.
• Oversee response of customer facing documents, including complaint response letters and customer concession agreement letters.   
• Oversee the maintenance of documentation and records for the corporate regulatory compliance section.
• Participate in regulatory assessment during planning and new product launches by R&D department. 
• Effective cooperate and provide support to stakeholders: product managers, R&D, quality assurance, supply side team members and resolve regulatory issues.   
• Support R&D and Commercialization team members with preparation and finalization of Product Technical Standards.
• Participate in regulatory discussions and assessments of new product launches. 
•  Conduct food regulatory compliance presentations/trainings (corporate and plant level) as required.
• Proactively collaborate on planning and execution of projects, gaining alignment and support with different departmental team members to deliver against strategic goals.
• Manage day- to-day regulatory issues and be at the same time abreast of FDA and USDA proposed regulation and guidance documents that could impact business objectives.
• Oversee customer satisfaction surveys related to quality document administration activities.
• Ability to work well as a team in a dynamic environment and maintain a level of flexibility to support the broader team.
• Passionate about delivering consistent, high-quality products to our stakeholders that are compliant with all relevant food laws and regulations.
• Provide regulatory support of ISO certification audits at the corporate office.

 

Personnel Development

• Oversee the professional development of regulatory compliance team members including but not limited to evaluation of performance, counseling, and disciplining.
  • Review objectives and goals of regulatory compliance section members and provide quarterly feedback.
  • Resolve issues and set deadlines to ensure timely completion of work.
  • Coach team members to improve work related skills.
  • Build and maintain positive work environment.

 

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Other duties as assigned.

          

EEO Statement:

Ajinomoto is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, disability, age (40 or older) or genetic information (including family medical history) for recruitment, hiring, and promotion decisions.