Regulatory Affairs Manager
Hela Spice Canada Inc. – Uxbridge, Ontario Full-Time | Permanent | On-Site
About Hela Spice Canada
Hela Spice Canada Inc. is a leading manufacturer of custom seasoning blends and functional ingredient systems serving customers across the food industry. As part of the international Hela Group, we combine global expertise with local manufacturing, innovation, quality, and customer service.
We are seeking an experienced Regulatory Affairs Manager to lead and manage our regulatory department at our Uxbridge, Ontario facility.
Position Summary
The Regulatory Affairs Manager is responsible for ensuring that Hela Spice Canada's products, ingredients, labels, documentation, and regulatory programs comply with applicable Canadian and U.S. food regulations and customer requirements.
The Regulatory Affairs Manager acts as the company's regulatory subject-matter expert and works closely with Research & Development, Quality Assurance, Sales, Purchasing, Operations, and other departments throughout product development, commercialization, and ongoing product maintenance.
This position has two direct reports and is responsible for providing day-to-day leadership, technical guidance, workload management, coaching, development, and performance management for the Regulatory Affairs team.
This position requires a strong understanding of Canadian and U.S. food regulations, excellent attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to interpret regulatory requirements and translate them into practical requirements for the business.
Key Responsibilities
Regulatory Compliance & Leadership
- Lead the regulatory affairs function and provide regulatory guidance across the organization.
- Maintain current knowledge of applicable Canadian and U.S. food regulations and communicate relevant regulatory changes to internal stakeholders.
- Ensure products and ingredients comply with applicable requirements of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Health Canada, Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
- Assess the impact of new or changing regulatory requirements on products, ingredients, labels, processes, and customers.
- Develop, maintain, and continuously improve regulatory policies, procedures, and documentation.
- Provide regulatory guidance to senior management and cross-functional teams.
Product & Ingredient Compliance
- Review raw materials, ingredients, formulations, and finished products for regulatory compliance.
- Evaluate ingredient permissibility, food additives, processing aids, allergens, flavours, colours, and other regulated components.
- Review supplier documentation and technical information to support regulatory assessments.
- Support R&D during new product development and reformulation to ensure regulatory requirements are considered throughout the development process.
- Identify potential regulatory concerns before products are commercialized.
Labelling & Claims
- Review and approve Canadian and U.S. food labels for regulatory compliance.
- Ensure compliance with ingredient declarations, allergen declarations, Nutrition Facts tables, net quantity, common names, bilingual requirements, and other mandatory labelling elements.
- Review nutritional, composition, marketing, and other product claims for regulatory compliance.
- Support the development and review of customer-specific labels and documentation.
Customer & Commercial Support
- Respond to regulatory and technical requests from customers.
- Complete and review customer questionnaires, regulatory forms, declarations, and supporting documentation.
- Provide regulatory guidance to Sales and R&D regarding customer requirements and new business opportunities.
- Communicate complex regulatory requirements clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Support regulatory requirements related to Canadian, U.S., and export customers as applicable.
Documentation & Regulatory Records
- Maintain accurate regulatory documentation, SOP’s, product records, approvals, and supporting evidence.
- Ensure regulatory information and specifications remain current and appropriately controlled.
- Maintain documentation supporting ingredient compliance, allergens, claims, nutritional information, and product labelling.
- Support regulatory documentation required for customer audits and third-party certification programs.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Quality Assurance, R&D, Sales, Operations, Purchasing, and Supply Chain.
- Participate in product development and commercialization projects.
- Support investigations involving regulatory or labelling concerns.
- Participate in customer, regulatory, and certification audits as required.
- Provide regulatory training and guidance to employees where appropriate.
- Manage, coach, and develop regulatory team members, where applicable.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or diploma in Food Science, Nutrition, Regulatory Affairs, Chemistry, Biology, or a related discipline.
- 5–7 years of progressive regulatory affairs experience, preferably within food manufacturing, food ingredients, seasonings, flavours, or a related industry.
- Previous experience leading regulatory projects, programs, or employees is strongly preferred.
- Strong working knowledge of Canadian food regulations, including CFIA, Health Canada, and SFCR requirements.
- Working knowledge of U.S. FDA food regulations is strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience reviewing food labels, ingredient declarations, Nutrition Facts tables, allergens, and product claims.
- Experience reviewing ingredients and formulations for regulatory compliance.
- Experience responding to customer regulatory and technical documentation requests.
- Strong understanding of food allergens and ingredient documentation.
- Experience working in a manufacturing environment is strongly preferred.
- Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Ability to interpret complex regulatory requirements and communicate them effectively across the organization.
- Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office applications.
- Bilingual proficiency in English and French is considered an asset, including the ability to read, write, speak, and understand technical and business documentation in both languages.
What We're Looking For
We are looking for someone who combines strong regulatory knowledge with a practical, business-minded approach. The successful candidate will be comfortable taking ownership of regulatory matters, making well-supported recommendations, working directly with customers and internal departments, and managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.
This role is well suited to an experienced regulatory professional who is ready to take a leadership role and have a direct impact on product development, compliance, customer support, and the continued growth of Hela Spice Canada.
Why Join Hela Spice Canada?
At Hela Spice Canada, you will work with a collaborative team in a growing food manufacturing organization with both Canadian operations and international expertise. This position offers the opportunity to lead the regulatory function and work closely with multiple areas of the business, from product development through commercialization and customer support.
Hela Spice Canada Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates participating in all stages of the recruitment process.
