Location: Chicago,IL, USA
Job Description:
Principal Scientist Scientific & Regulatory Affairs North America - Ingredient and Packaging
As an associate of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs (SRA), the Principal Scientist Scientific and Regulatory Affairs North America creates and sustains a competitive advantage for Mars Wrigley by protecting the business against external regulatory headwinds and enabling packaging sustainability and innovation by ensuring food safety.
This position leads the regional development and execution of SRA strategy to manage regulatory headwinds on ingredients and contaminants, and proactively identifies potential regulatory risks and opportunities, and translates to business impact and actions and lead technical advocacy efforts to shape the external regulatory environment. This position supports the advancement the Mars sustainability and growth ambition by evaluating new processes and materials against MW safety standards.
What are we looking for?
* Education & Professional Qualifications:
* Minimum: A Bachelor's degree in a technical area, such as toxicology, food chemistry, nutrition, food science, biology, or chemistry.
* Preferred: A Master's degree in a technical area, such as toxicology, food chemistry, nutrition, food science, biology, or chemistry.
* Knowledge / Experience
* 8+ years of experience in scientific and/or regulatory compliance/affairs and/or a related technical area with food products or related product categories (such as food supplements, cosmetics, and natural health products) with proficiency in food law, ingredient and packaging safety, and regulatory affairs for North America.
* Experience working on large-scale regulatory affairs project that involves working internally with cross-functional team and externally with trade associations and regulatory bodies; a demonstrated track record of working successfully across functions to achieve shared goals is required.
What will be your key responsibilities?
* 1. Protect the business against external regulatory headwinds on ingredients, packaging and contaminants in North America.
* Proactively monitor scientific and regulatory activities in North America in the areas of food ingredients, packaging and contaminants
* Develop and execute the external scientific and regulatory influencing strategy related to food ingredients, packaging and contaminants legislation in the region. Work with internal partners to understand priorities and impacts of developing legislation, aligns appropriate external positions, and advocates Mars positions through relevant trade associations
* Turn scientific and regulatory insight into foresight and build appropriate internal and external network (e.g., key experts and allies) to anticipate the impact on the business and shape the regulatory environment
* Translate external regulatory development into business impact to provide visibility to business stakeholders (e.g. Product Development, Packaging Development, Science and Technology, Corporate Affairs), and drive proactive actions to protect our Freedom to Operate
* Accountable for leading internal cross-functional communities of practice or technical working groups in order to provide strategic scientific and regulatory guidance and clear recommendations to relevant internal partners and leadership forums on existing and emerging scientific and regulatory issues on food ingredients, packaging and contaminants
* 2. Ensure safety and compliance of novel ingredient and packaging and their extension of intended use.
* To enable innovation or renovation projects, review scientific literature on the safety of the new ingredient and packaging in the context of its intended use, collaborate with cross-functional partners, provide safety and compliance evaluation and recommendation, and compile regulatory dossiers and petitions as needed.
* Conduct toxicological risk assessments of food ingredients, packaging and contaminants based on available scientific data
What can you expect from Mars?
* Work with over 140,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
* Join a purpose driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
* Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
* An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.