Advisor, Food Compliance

Dollarama•Mont-Royal, QC

About The Position

Reporting to the Director, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs, the Advisor, Food Compliance will assist with maintaining, conceptualizing, building, and implementing Dollarama’s food preventive control plan. They will be knowledgeable and current on all legislation surrounding food safety issues in Canada and will anticipate developments and recommend responsive measures. The incumbent will assist with managing food safety and quality through the entire product lifecycle, ensuring compliance and adherence to governmental requirements while validating manufacturing sites, reviewing new and existing product files, and food nutrition labelling. This role also involves involvement in assigned category safety and quality investigations in response to customer complaints or mandatory regulatory actions for products sold by Dollarama. The Advisor, Food Compliance will play a key role in ensuring Dollarama’s food products meet and exceed quality and safety standards for their customers.

Requirements

University degree, diploma, or DEC in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Regulatory Affairs, or a related discipline.
Minimum of 3–5 years of experience in regulatory compliance, quality assurance, or product safety directly related to food industry.
Strong knowledge of Canadian regulatory frameworks (e.g., Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, Food and Drugs Act and Regulations, Health Canada and CFIA.)
Ability to monitor and interpret regulatory and industry developments and assess their impact on business operations.
Demonstrated experience supporting and maintaining Compliance Programs, Preventive Control Plans, food safety systems, and risk assessment methodologies.
Proven ability to conduct regulatory assessments and interpret technical documentation in support of new product development and sourcing processes (e.g., formulations, labels, certifications, claims, etc.)
Experience determining supplier compliance through evaluation of certifications, third-party audits, and risk assessment methodologies.
Experience supporting product investigations, including quality or safety incidents, customer complaints, and regulatory inquiries.
Working knowledge of preventive actions, root cause analysis, deviation management, corrective actions and product recall processes.
Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to assess compliance risks and provide sound, practical recommendations.
Ability to adapt to a broad and evolving regulatory landscape.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and external vendors.
Ability to respond promptly and effectively to product quality and safety concerns.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with a wide range of food categories, particularly shelf-stable products (e.g., canned goods, snacks, spices, coffee, and dry goods), is considered an asset.

Responsibilities

Maintain and ensure the effective implementation of the Dollarama Preventive Control Plan in compliance with applicable Canadian regulatory requirements.
Collaborate cross-functionally with internal stakeholders, including buyers, the legal department, and vendors, to support new product development and procurement processes, and conduct regulatory assessments for new items.
Review vendor certifications, audit reports, and technical documentation to perform risk assessments for both new and existing vendors and provide recommendations in line with applicable standards and guidelines.
Collect and assess product technical documentation, including labels, packaging, formulations, and claims, to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, internal specifications, and quality standards.
Support investigations into product quality and safety concerns raised internally, by customers, or by regulatory authorities.
Initiate, support, and follow up on corrective actions as required, including product recalls.
Act promptly and efficiently during investigations to ensure timely resolution in collaboration with buyers and vendors.
Monitor and stay informed of product safety and quality trends across various food categories, including canned meats, honey, condiments, baked goods, nuts, dried fruits, snack products, coffee, tea, spices, and other shelf-stable goods.
Conduct product sample reviews as part of the Food Control Plan or during investigations to verify quality consistency and ongoing compliance with established standards.
Utilize internal systems to document, analyze, and approve product information related to all activities.
Proactively monitor regulatory and industry developments, assess their potential impact on assigned product categories, and escalate key concerns to the Director, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs.
Contribute to the development, review, and revision of internal procedures and policies as needed.
Actively engage in continuous learning objectives around key activities and assigned categories.