fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based nutrition company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and dairy products to nourish consumers.

With over $3B in annual retail sales, fairlife’s portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™, a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation.

To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit fairlife.com.

job purpose:

The Senior Manager of Dairy Scientific and Regulatory Affairs will provide oversight, strategy and advocacy support around all aspects of dairy regulatory compliance, from plant-level to end product on behalf of the business. This role will also serve as the technical subject matter expert related to the dairy regulatory, translating complex regulatory and scientific issues into practical guidance, policy positions and actionable recommendations. This role will maintain organizational awareness and engagement to influence dairy regulatory standards established by governmental agencies and industry bodies. This position partners with Operations, Quality, R&D, Legal, Marketing, Public Affairs and has a direct dotted line into the Scientific and Regulatory Affairs (SRA) team at TCCC.

responsibilities:

Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders including federal and state level government officials, policy makers, regulatory officials, industry associations, academia and advocacy groups.
Monitor, interpret and provide analysis on federal and state regulatory and legislative developments within portfolio areas to inform senior leadership and provide timely recommendations to advance the key interests of the business in conjunction with TCCC and SRA team.
Develop and lead advocacy strategies related to dairy regulatory landscape, including legislation and policies in the areas of nutrition, food safety, labeling, claims and other key areas based upon interpreted impact to the business in collaboration with TCCC SRA team.
Provide technical expertise, deepen leadership position and influence on behalf of the business’ regulatory priorities with organizations such as International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS), National Association of Dairy Regulatory Officials (NADRO), International Dairy Federation (IDF), CODEX and other related entities.
Work with dairy trade associations and related coalitions to develop positions, draft comments on dairy regulatory priorities including nutrition, food safety, labeling, claims, standards of identity in addition to other key areas.
Collaborate cross-functionally with regulatory operations, quality, research and development, legal, brand marketing, and public affairs teams along with liaising and alignment with the TCCC SRA to execute upon dairy regulatory strategy and projects.

skills/qualifications required:

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a scientific or technical field, such as dairy/food science, public health, microbiology, or nutrition.
Minimum of eight to ten years of experience in legislative, regulatory, scientific affairs or related fields, with preference given to experience within in the dairy industry.
Deep knowledge and experience with the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), dairy-related Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), including Low‑Acid Canned Foods (LACF), and dairy product processing, ingredients, labeling, claims, regulatory compliance, and consumer appeal. Hands on experience in dairy plant operations, supporting dairy inspections, regulatory findings and compliance would be beneficial.
Proven track record of successful advocacy and regulatory impact at the national (FDA, USDA) and state levels.
Strong understanding of the legislative and regulatory processes and environment, and political landscape related to dairy.