Product & Regulatory Compliance Manager

Simmons Foods•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 the 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 role leads regulatory and labeling compliance, including cross-functional planning, adherence to state, federal, and international regulations applicable to the Simmons portfolio, artwork review, claim substantiation, product registrations, tonnage reporting, and annual cost reporting. It monitors regulations affecting USDA, FDA, AAFCO, and other government entities, as well as export guidelines; provides regulatory expertise; responds to customer and sales-team product-information requests; and escalates unresolved registration or compliance issues. The manager oversees specification stewardship, verification, change management, and data integrity across PLM and related systems. This includes partnering with MDM and IT on system governance and configuration, training and supporting users, and reporting on cycle time, work in flight, and change-order activity. The position also oversees supplier documentation, vendor compliance, supplier setup and data maintenance, renewal cycles, gap closure, onboarding standards, food-safety documentation, and audit readiness. The position guides specification authoring standards, templates, naming conventions, required attributes, and handoffs between authoring and specification management teams. It partners with R&D and Regulatory Compliance, coaches authoring team members, and leads onboarding. It also leads and participates in process-improvement initiatives, provides training and guidance, and partners across functions to produce reports and insights supporting decision-making and continuous improvement. The manager participates in team development and coordination and supports Simmons operating systems and business objectives. Occasional travel to industry meetings and plants is expected, 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 4 years of equivalent work experience.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Lead cross-functional regulatory and labeling compliance initiatives and support strategic planning and regulatory integration.
Ensure adherence to applicable state, federal, and international regulations for the Simmons portfolio.
Manage artwork review and claim substantiation with Marketing, R&D, and Legal before product release.
Manage product compliance, including tonnage reporting, applicable state and federal registrations, and annual cost reporting.
Monitor regulations affecting USDA, FDA, AAFCO, and other government entities, as well as export guidelines; provide regulatory guidance to team members.
Respond to customer and sales-team requests for product information and escalate unresolved registration or compliance issues.
Oversee specification stewardship and projects through the PLM system across business units and specification types.
Oversee verification of 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 and ensure new and existing vendors meet defined compliance criteria.
Oversee supplier setup and data maintenance in the specification management system, renewal cycles, aging reports, and gap closure.
Partner with Procurement leadership on supplier onboarding documentation standards and with Food Safety & Quality on food-safety and quality documentation.
Coordinate supplier and internal stakeholder updates and audit readiness for customer, third-party, and regulatory audits.
Oversee specification authoring across business units and item types, including standards, templates, naming conventions, and required attributes.
Partner with R&D on specification authoring support, capacity, and transition of product knowledge into system-ready specifications.
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 authoring team members and onboard new team members.
Lead and participate in process-improvement initiatives to streamline workflows and reduce inefficiencies.
Deliver targeted training and guidance on data collection objectives, methodologies, and program goals.
Collaborate across functions to produce reports and insights that support team priorities and continuous improvement.
Participate in team development, communication, implementation, meetings, and coordination of work and best practices.
Maintain familiarity with Simmons operating systems, policies, and procedures; communicate concerns and improvement ideas.
Perform other duties as necessary in support of business objectives.
Travel occasionally to industry meetings, plants, and other destinations, approximately 10–20%.