Product & Regulatory Compliance Manager

Purpose of the Position

The Product & Regulatory Compliance Manager drives process improvements and efficiencies and plays a critical role in ensuring seamless oversight and guidance throughout the complete Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) process. This position supports the accurate creation, validation, and maintenance of specifications and graphics, contributing to product accuracy and regulatory compliance prior to production, while leading other managers and team members across multiple business units and areas of expertise.

Essential Position Responsibilities – This is a salary exempt position.

Regulatory & Labeling Compliance. Leads cross-functional initiatives related to strategic planning, fostering alignment across teams and driving regulatory integration. Ensures adherence to all state, federal, and international regulations as they pertain to the Simmons portfolio. Manages artwork review and claim substantiation in partnership with Marketing, R&D, and Legal, ensuring claims are defensible and labels meet regulatory requirements before release. Manages overall compliance for Simmons products, including tonnage reporting and state and federal registrations where applicable, and prepares annual cost reporting to inform budgeting. Remains current on regulations impacting USDA, FDA, AAFCO, and other government entities, while monitoring export guidelines to ensure product accuracy and support Regulatory Affairs team members. Provides expert guidance on overall regulatory compliance. Manages responses to customer and sales team requests for product information. Flags and escalates unresolved registration or compliance issues to appropriate internal and external stakeholders and agencies.

Specification Management & Collaboration. Provides guidance and oversight for stewardship of specifications and projects through the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system across all business units and all specification types, ensuring specification data supports efficient production workflows. Oversees verification of submitted specifications for completeness, accuracy, and proper routing before release. Manages specification change management across business units, including formulation, packaging, supplier, and regulatory-driven changes. Serves as a business-side steward of the specification system, partnering with MDM and IT teams on system governance, configuration, and roadmap. Oversees data integrity across PLM modules and downstream system references. Owns training and support for specification system users across Simmons. Owns operational reporting on cycle time, work-in-flight, and change order activity.

Supplier Compliance. Provides guidance and oversight for the supplier documentation program across business units, working with Procurement, R&D, and suppliers to ensure documentation in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is current, complete, and accurate. Ensures new and existing vendors meet defined compliance criteria. Oversees supplier set-ups within the specification management system and the maintenance of accurate supplier data to enhance project launch efficiency and streamline operations. Owns the operational rhythm for renewal cycles, aging reports, and gap closure for new suppliers, ingredients, and packaging components. Partners with Procurement leadership on supplier onboarding documentation standards. Partners with the Food Safety & Quality team to ensure supplier documentation supports food safety and quality programs. Manages coordination with suppliers and internal stakeholders on ongoing compliance updates and audit readiness across customer, third-party, and regulatory audits.

Specification Authoring & Collaboration. Provides guidance and oversight for specification authoring across business units and item types, ensuring consistency and alignment with organizational standards. Leads partnership with R&D on specification authoring support, capacity, and the transition of product knowledge into structured, system-ready specifications. Owns the templates, naming conventions, and required attributes that define what a Simmons specification looks like, and oversees the standards layer that supports consistency across business unit and item type. Manages the handoff of authored specifications to the Specification Management team and the resolution of verification feedback. Partners with Regulatory Compliance on the incorporation of regulatory inputs into specifications. Coaches and develops authoring team members and leads onboarding for new team members on the craft and standards.

Process Improvement & Systems Optimization. Leads and participates in process improvement initiatives within assigned functional areas, identifying opportunities to streamline workflows and reduce inefficiencies in collaboration with cross-functional teams. Delivers targeted training and guidance to team members, clarifying data collection objectives, methodologies, and program goals to ensure consistent execution. Partners across functions to produce actionable reports and insights that support team-specific priorities, enabling informed decision-making and continuous improvement.

Participates as a member of the Team. Participates in the ongoing development, communication and implementation of team concepts, programs and policies; coordinates work to ensure best practices with all team members. Attends appropriate team meetings. As a member of the Team, fosters strong cohesiveness regarding all major issues; e.g., direction, annual plan, budget, policy changes, etc. Accepts responsibility to quickly identify any areas that lack cohesiveness, bringing them to the attention of the team leader and working with the team in a supportive manner to resolve issues and actively look for ways, and reinforce actions needed, to achieve synergy possible within the larger organization.

Simmons Operating systems principles and objectives: Is familiar with Simmons’ established operating systems (e.g. PLM, quality, security, office environment, company policies, LEAN); understands the responsibility to maintain familiarity with the systems and this position’s role in support of these systems - including a consideration of the impact of individual actions on the systems and the responsibility to communicate concerns and improvement ideas.

Performs other duties as necessary in support of business objectives: This position description is intended to guide the activities of the person in this position and is not intended to limit the thinking and creativity of the person as to the work of this function nor is it intended that this describe all the work that may be required of the person in this position.

Physical Activities: Enters and locates information on a computer. Visually verifies information, often in small print. Presents information to small or large groups. Communicates with Customers, Vendors, or Employees via telephone, in person, and/or electronic mail.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): As needed in required environment.

Travel: Travels occasionally to industry meetings, plants, etc. (approximately 10-20%).

Industry Experience: Minimum 2 years of experience in Product & Regulatory Compliance, with a proven track record of delivering results from multiple business units.

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree in animal nutrition, business, graphics, food science or related field, or 4 years equivalent work experience.

Preferred Education: Graduate degree in animal nutrition, business, graphics, food science, etc. Food Labeling laws and regulations or Project Management Professional (PMP) highly preferred. Knowledge of PLM Systems and Supplier portals a plus.

We value military experience and welcome veterans to join our team.

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