Product & Regulatory Compliance Manager

Work at Simmons•Siloam Springs, AR

About The Position

The Product & Regulatory Compliance Manager drives process improvements and efficiencies and provides oversight and guidance throughout the complete Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) process. The role supports accurate creation, validation, and maintenance of specifications and graphics to promote product accuracy and regulatory compliance before production. It leads managers and team members across multiple business units and areas of expertise. The position leads regulatory and labeling compliance, including cross-functional strategic planning and alignment, adherence to applicable state, federal, and international regulations, artwork review, claim substantiation, product registrations, tonnage reporting, and annual cost reporting. It monitors relevant USDA, FDA, AAFCO, and export requirements; advises on regulatory compliance; responds to customer and sales requests for product information; and escalates unresolved compliance or registration issues. The role oversees specification stewardship and change management through the PLM system across business units and specification types. It ensures specifications are complete, accurate, correctly routed, and supportive of production workflows; partners with MDM and IT on system governance and roadmaps; maintains data integrity across PLM and downstream references; trains and supports system users; and reports on cycle time, work in flight, and change-order activity. The manager oversees supplier documentation and compliance programs, vendor compliance criteria and setup, supplier data accuracy, renewal cycles, aging reports, and closure of documentation gaps. The role works with Procurement, R&D, suppliers, and Food Safety & Quality to support onboarding standards, food safety and quality programs, and readiness for customer, third-party, and regulatory audits. The position also oversees specification authoring standards, templates, naming conventions, and required attributes; partners with R&D on authoring support and the transition of product knowledge into structured specifications; coordinates handoffs and verification feedback; and incorporates regulatory input. It coaches and develops authoring team members and supports onboarding. The manager leads and participates in process-improvement initiatives, provides training and guidance, and collaborates across functions to produce actionable reports and insights. As a team member, the role contributes to team concepts, programs, policies, meetings, cohesion, and organizational alignment, and supports Simmons operating systems and continuous improvement. Other duties may be assigned in support of business objectives. This is a salary-exempt position. Travel to industry meetings, plants, and other locations occurs occasionally, approximately 10–20%.

Requirements

Minimum 2 years of experience in Product & Regulatory Compliance.
A proven track record of delivering results across multiple business units.
Bachelor’s degree in animal nutrition, business, graphics, food science, or a related field, or four years of equivalent work experience.
Ability to travel occasionally to industry meetings, plants, and other locations, approximately 10–20%.

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree in animal nutrition, business, graphics, food science, or a related field.
Food labeling laws and regulations experience or knowledge.
Project Management Professional (PMP) qualification.
Knowledge of PLM systems and supplier portals.
Military experience is valued.

Responsibilities

Lead cross-functional initiatives related to strategic planning and regulatory integration.
Ensure compliance with applicable state, federal, and international regulations for the Simmons portfolio.
Manage artwork review and claim substantiation with Marketing, R&D, and Legal, ensuring claims are defensible and labels meet requirements before release.
Manage product compliance, including tonnage reporting, applicable state and federal registrations, and annual cost reporting for budgeting.
Monitor regulations affecting USDA, FDA, AAFCO, and other government entities, as well as export guidelines; support Regulatory Affairs team members.
Provide expert guidance on regulatory compliance and respond to customer and sales team requests for product information.
Escalate unresolved registration and compliance issues to appropriate internal and external stakeholders and agencies.
Oversee specification stewardship and projects in the PLM system across business units and specification types.
Verify submitted specifications for completeness, accuracy, and proper routing before release.
Manage specification changes across business units, including formulation, packaging, supplier, and regulatory-driven changes.
Partner with MDM and IT on specification-system governance, configuration, and roadmap; oversee PLM data integrity and downstream system references.
Own training and support for specification system users and operational reporting on cycle time, work in flight, and change-order activity.
Oversee supplier documentation programs and ensure PLM supplier documentation is current, complete, and accurate.
Ensure new and existing vendors meet compliance criteria; oversee supplier setup and accurate supplier data maintenance.
Manage renewal cycles, aging reports, and gap closure for new suppliers, ingredients, and packaging components.
Partner with Procurement leadership on supplier onboarding documentation standards and with Food Safety & Quality on supporting documentation.
Coordinate supplier and internal stakeholder compliance updates and audit readiness for customer, third-party, and regulatory audits.
Oversee specification authoring across business units and item types, ensuring consistency with organizational standards.
Partner with R&D on specification authoring support, capacity, and transfer of product knowledge into structured, system-ready specifications.
Own specification templates, naming conventions, and required attributes; oversee standards supporting consistency across business units and item types.
Manage handoffs of authored specifications to the Specification Management team and resolution of verification feedback.
Partner with Regulatory Compliance to incorporate regulatory inputs into specifications.
Coach and develop authoring team members and lead onboarding on authoring practices and standards.
Lead and participate in process-improvement initiatives to streamline workflows and reduce inefficiencies.
Provide targeted training and guidance on data collection objectives, methodologies, and program goals.
Collaborate across functions to produce actionable reports and insights for decision-making and continuous improvement.
Participate in team development, communication, implementation, meetings, and coordination of work and best practices.
Help foster team cohesion and raise and work to resolve issues affecting alignment.
Maintain familiarity with Simmons operating systems and communicate concerns and improvement ideas.
Perform other duties as necessary in support of business objectives.