Quality and Regulatory Manager - Back to Nature

Back to Nature is on a mission to bring consumers super tasty remakes of America’s classic snacks with quality, simple ingredients. We helped plant the seeds of the natural foods movement in the 1960s and are reigniting the brand for a new generation of snackers. Our brand is ready for its next phase of growth driven by our dedicated Back to Nature team with the support & resources of the Barilla Group, a multinational expert in delicious, quality food.  

We believe that the best snacks are made by happy people. Our collaborative team is building a unique culture focused on driving success while making employee well-being a top priority. We were recently awarded Great Place to Work certification with 95% of our employees stating that they have excellent work-life balance. We are proud of how we support our hard-working employees through strong benefits that align with our values. In the spirit of achieving high levels of employee satisfaction and productivity, we don’t cap time away from work, provided job performance remains acceptable. In addition, we proudly offer competitive health and wellness benefits along with provide leave policies that allow for taking the time you need, when you need it. 

Job Purpose 

The primary responsibility of this position is to provide quality support and management for the Back to Nature bakery business (such as cookies, crackers, & granola) and to identify and industrialize technologies to advance growth and quality objectives and ensure business continuity for the Back to Nature brand. Additionally, this role leads all regulatory requirements for all Back to Nature products. Communication and teamwork skills are essential in this role which operates in a dynamic and cross-functional environment. Partnership with functions such as Marketing, Operations, Product Development, Packaging, Sales, Purchasing, Finance, external ingredient/product Suppliers, co-manufactures and other business partners. The candidate must also have a food safety and quality background and be able to apply prior learning or scientific principles to new situations. This position requires an individual to manage multiple assignments concurrently with some supervisor guidance. The candidate is expected to lead their projects and exhibit a collaborative, start-up mindset to apply innovative solutions for the Back to Nature business.  

How the Role Will Measure Success 

• Proactively able to anticipate risks and create control plans as preventative measures 

• Lead data analysis related to Quality and Food Safety KPI’s and use it to promote continuous improvement 

• Assure complaint management system is being communicated and acted upon 

• Audit facilities and suggest improvements to the quality and food safety management systems with follow up 

• Drive quality and food safety culture within facilities and among project team to assure business promotes high quality and practices in everything we do 

• Create, establish, and track priorities for yourself and assure the team and peers understand the food safety and quality priorities to achieve goals for the business 

• Develop, implement, or build upon existing Quality, HACCP, FSMA, and other program at various manufacturing locations (internal and copacker) to assure regulatory compliance of the facility, equipment, and plant practices.  

• Lead regulatory programs and projects across Back to Nature including identity preservation, labeling, and cross-contamination prevention for specialized claims.  

• Lead audit work across Organic, Kosher, and Gluten-Free certification programs. 

What You Will Bring to the Table 

• Bachelor’s Degree Required: BS/MS in Food Science, Food Engineering, or related field 

• 5+ years in previous Quality Assurance and Food Safety experience is required, ideally with at least 2+ years in a high-growth CPG environment 

• Certifications: GFSI Lead Auditor; FSMA PCQI Certified; HACCP Manager Certified; Thermal Processing Certification 

• Knowledge of GFSI requirements to quality systems (Food, drug and device) 

• Experience with nut food safety and control plans is required 

• Experience with hygienic design food production equipment 

• Self-starter with passion to learn is a must 

• Manage multiple assignments/tasks concurrently with the ability to question the priority of work 

• Willingness to travel 40% with no destination restrictions 

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to function effectively in a team environment. Commitment to results; ability to incorporate new learning into existing plans and act decisively, adaptability to meet the customer and consumer needs 

Barilla is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of Barilla to prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status or any other classification protected by federal, state and local laws and ordinances, nationally and internationally. Other classifications include, but are not limited to, family status, health status, multicultural differences, political ideas and sexual orientation.