Qfs Regulatory Associate

ofi (olam food ingredients), part of the Olam Group, offers sustainable, natural food products and ingredients, including cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts, and spices. Operating in Vietnam since 1997, ofi has built a strong presence with its head office in Ho Chi Minh City, along with regional offices and seven major factories across various provinces. As the largest exporter of cashews, pepper, and instant coffee, and among the top exporters of green coffee, ofi Vietnam works closely with a vast network of farmers. With over 4,500 employees, the company is committed to performance, diversity, and talent development. Its ‘Choices for Change’ strategy targets long-term impact by 2030, focusing on prosperous farmers, thriving communities, climate action, and sustainability.

Key Responsibilities

ofi global policies and guidelines deployment

• Ensure all company-wide policies and guidelines are cascaded and implemented across all regulatory activities.

Regulatory Compliance System

• System Maintenance: Implement, maintain, and provide feedback on the regulatory compliance system for raw materials, packaging, manufacturing processes, and finished goods.

• Innovation: Act as a key team member in conducting regulatory reviews throughout the entire innovation process.

• Importing: Conduct regulatory reviews throughout the material importing process.

• Audits & CAPA: Assist the QFS Regulatory Manager with internal and external regulatory reviews, including audits, site visits, and Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) plans.

• Product Registration: Manage and deploy product and facility registrations, including Organic Certification, FDA, GACC, Health Certificates, and Vietnam self-proclamation. Regularly review and ensure all registrations are current and renewed in a timely manner.

• Document Filing: Maintain a systematic and accessible document filing system for all regulatory compliance records, including country-specific registrations (e.g., Vietnam self-proclamation, FDA, Health Certificates for exporting, Organic certificates for exporting lots).

Customer Management

• Product Specification Analysis: Proactively review customer product specifications to identify regulatory compliance requirements and feasibility.

• Technical Document Review: Conduct regulatory compliance reviews for all Technical Document Requests (TDRs) from customers.

• Complaint Management: Serve as a core team member in managing customer regulatory compliance complaints through a defined process.

Daily Operations

• Regulatory Monitoring: Proactively monitor and propose updates on current, emerging, and potential regulatory matters by staying informed on market and customer trends, and using platforms such as RASFF, FDA, and Foodakai.

• Regulatory Analysis: Analyze regulatory landscapes and trends in target markets and update the regulatory compliance system accordingly.

• Coordination: Coordinate with relevant stakeholders to ensure traceability of products in the pipeline, submitted Pre-Shipment samples (PSS), re-allocation of finished goods lots, and allocation records for test results.

• Labelling: Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure all artwork and label claims comply with market and customer requirements.

• Testing Plans: Review, update, and propose comprehensive testing plans to mitigate non-compliance and regulatory hazards.

• Organic Documents: Oversee the entire organic documentation process for finished goods across all target markets, ensuring full compliance with documents like Transaction Certificates (TC), NOP Import Certificates (NOPIC), and Certificates of Inspection (COI).

• Risk Assessment: Conduct material contaminant risk assessments to define maximum residue limits (MRLs) for each product, customer, and market. Review customer pesticide and contaminant requirements and align with the management team for approval.

• Educational Background: A university degree or higher is required. A degree in Microbiology, Chemistry, or Food Technology is preferred.

• Regulatory Expertise: Must be familiar with international food regulations, particularly in the European, USA/Canadian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Australian markets. Experience with the practical application of these regulations in Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) models is essential.

• Industry Connections: Experience with and insight into food associations, such as the American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) and the European Spice Association (ESA), is preferred.

• Specialized Knowledge: Knowledge of and experience with organic products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is a plus.

• Professional Experience: A minimum of 4-5 years of experience in food regulatory quality assurance is required. Experience with agricultural products is a plus.

• Language Proficiency: Excellent English language skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) are mandatory.

• Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Must have excellent skills to work with multi-disciplinary teams, demonstrate strong teamwork, and engage with stakeholders in a professional manner.