Corporate Food Safety & Regulatory Manager

The Corporate Food Safety & Regulatory Manager is responsible for establishing, harmonizing, and maintaining food safety and regulatory compliance programs across all Tulkoff Food Products manufacturing facilities. This role partners closely with plant-level Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) teams, Assistant Site Directors, and Supply Chain leadership to ensure consistent execution of GFSI/SQF-aligned food safety systems, readiness for customer and third-party audits, and compliance with FDA, USDA, and applicable state regulations. The role serves as a key resource during regulatory inquiries, customer non-conformance investigations, and new capability or product launches.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

- Serve as the corporate subject-matter expert on food safety regulatory requirements (FDA FSMA, USDA where applicable, state and local health authorities) and translate requirements into site-level policy and procedure.

- Own and continuously improve Tulkoff's multi-site Food Safety Management System in alignment with SQF/GFSI standards, ensuring consistency across the Baltimore and Cincinnati facilities.

- Lead corporate readiness for SQF audits, customer audits (including Boar's Head and other key accounts), and regulatory inspections; coordinate corrective action and preventive action (CAPA) responses to audit findings and critical non-conformances.

- Lead or support root cause investigations for food safety and regulatory issues, including drafting formal written responses to customers and certifying bodies.

- Maintain and oversee the corporate recall, mock recall, and traceability programs; ensure each facility can execute traceability exercises within required timeframes.

- Monitor and interpret evolving food safety regulations and customer requirements; proactively communicate changes and required actions to plant FSQ and operations leadership.

- Oversee allergen control and claims substantiation programs across all facilities.

- Lead label review and approval, including verification of ingredient statements, allergen declarations, nutritional claims, and regulatory formatting requirements prior to release.

- Verify item and specification setup in Ross/ERP (e.g., formulas, allergen flags, supplier and item attributes) for accuracy against approved specifications and label claims.

- Own the supplier approval program, including supplier food safety questionnaires, documentation review, risk assessment, and ongoing supplier monitoring in coordination with Procurement.

- Prepare and maintain FDA filings, including facility registration, Prior Notice, and other required regulatory submissions, and ensure timely renewal.

- Partner with R&D, Operations, and Engineering on HACCP/HARPC risk assessments for new products, processes, and capital projects (e.g., new lines or storage capabilities).

- Develop and deliver food safety and regulatory training for plant FSQ teams, operations leaders, and new hires; build training documentation and sign-off systems consistent with Tulkoff's SOP standards.

- Represent Tulkoff in interactions with regulatory agencies, customers, and third-party certification bodies on food safety and regulatory matters.

- Attend SQF, regulatory, and customer audits in person across facilities as needed, and serve as the primary point of coordination with customers on audit scheduling, findings, and follow-up.

- Support the VP of Quality in setting FSQ strategy, goals, and metrics as part of the annual Supply Chain planning cycle.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related field required.

- 5–7+ years of progressive food safety and/or regulatory affairs experience in a food or beverage manufacturing environment; multi-site experience strongly preferred.

- HACCP certification required; Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) certification required or obtained within first 6 months.

- SQF Practitioner certification required.

- Working knowledge of FDA, USDA, and state regulatory frameworks applicable to sauce, condiment, or co-manufactured food products.

- Demonstrated experience leading audits, regulatory inspections, and customer non-conformance investigations.

- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience drafting formal responses to customers, auditors, and regulatory bodies.

- Ability to travel regularly between Tulkoff facilities.

PHYSICAL & WORK ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS

- Ability to walk manufacturing and warehouse floors, including cold, wet, and refrigerated environments, for extended periods.

- Ability to wear required PPE (hairnets, beard nets, safety glasses, hearing protection, non-slip footwear, etc.) in accordance with plant GMP requirements.

- Ability to travel by car or air to other Tulkoff facilities on a recurring basis.