• Certifications or training in HACCP, PCQI, Lead Auditor, ASQ, Lean Six Sigma, risk assessment, regulatory science, or related technical disciplines preferred
• Deep expertise in food-relevant chemical hazards, including pesticides, heavy metals, acrylamide, mycotoxins, allergens at chemical safety interfaces, process contaminants, packaging migrants, food additives, colors, flavors, preservatives, and emerging contaminants.
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. and global food regulatory frameworks and standards relevant to finished products, ingredients, additives, contaminants, GRAS, food contact materials, packaging, Codex, FDA, USDA, EPA, state-level requirements, and customer expectations.
• Strong understanding of analytical chemistry methods, laboratory operations, data quality, method validation, uncertainty, exposure calculations, toxicological thresholds, and interpretation of testing results for decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex scientific and regulatory information into clear, concise, practical recommendations for senior leaders, Legal, Regulatory, R&D, Quality, Procurement, Operations, and external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to anticipate business risks and opportunities, develop proactive mitigation plans, manage issue response, and support crisis management with sound scientific judgment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop technical positions, executive summaries, external responses, training materials, and governance documents.
• Strong collaboration, influencing, and relationship-building skills across corporate functions, plants, suppliers, co-manufacturers, regulators, trade associations, scientific organizations, and external experts.
• Strong program management, change management, prioritization, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with a practical, risk-based mindset.
• Quality and usefulness of chemical safety metrics, dashboards, horizon scanning, and senior leadership reporting.