Senior Chemist - Product Stewardship, Food Contact Regulatory Affairs

Overview

We are seeking a Senior Chemist – Product Stewardship (Food Contact Regulatory Affairs) to join our Product Stewardship team in Asturias, Spain or Forli, Italy.

This role will serve as a subject matter expert (SME) for European Food Contact regulations, providing regulatory leadership and technical expertise to support the development, manufacture, and commercialization of products used in food contact applications.

The successful candidate will proactively and independently monitor and interpret evolving regulatory requirements, assess product compliance, and manage food contact regulatory portfolios across Celanese’s business lines. This position is responsible for ensuring that food contact compliance is established, maintained, and continuously evaluated in line with regulatory developments and business needs. The role will provide strategic regulatory guidance to internal cross-functional stakeholders, enabling business growth while ensuring compliance with applicable food contact legislation and customer requirements.

Responsibilities

YOU will be involved in the following tasks:

• Serve as the European Product Stewardship SME for food contact regulations, with primary focus on:
  • Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004.
  • Commission Regulation (EU) No. 10/2011 on plastic food contact materials.
  • Good Manufacturing Practice Regulation (EC) No. 2023/2006.
  • Relevant national food contact regulations and guidance across Europe.
• Monitor, evaluate, and communicate emerging regulatory developments, legislative changes, and enforcement trends impacting food contact applications.
• Assess raw materials, additives, formulations, and finished products for compliance with applicable food contact requirements.
• Maintain and manage the food contact product portfolio, ensuring regulatory assessments and compliance determinations remain current and aligned with evolving legislation.
• Conduct product risk assessments and risk management activities in close collaboration with toxicologists to evaluate substance status, migration considerations, and food contact compliance.
• Lead the assessment of complex food contact compliance questions, providing regulatory expertise to support customer requirements, business decisions, and commercialization activities.
• Define and oversee external testing strategies, including collaboration with accredited laboratories and test institutes, as needed to support food contact compliance assessments.
• Partner with manufacturing, quality, procurement, legal, and technology teams to ensure compliance throughout the product life-cycle.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of product stewardship processes, regulatory databases, and compliance management systems.
• Develop and provide food contact regulatory guidance, knowledge-sharing, and training initiatives for internal stakeholders.

Qualifications

What YOU will bring to the team:

• Master's degree or higher in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, Regulatory Affairs, or a related scientific discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in Product Stewardship, Regulatory Affairs, Product Safety, Food Contact Compliance, or a related technical regulatory role.
• Demonstrated experience interpreting and applying European food contact regulations, particularly for chemicals, polymers, additives, compounds, or specialty materials.
• Strong understanding of food contact compliance assessments, migration principles, substance authorization frameworks, and regulatory risk evaluation.
• Experience working with cross-functional business and technical teams in a global environment.
• Familiarity with SAP EHS, Product Compliance systems, and regulatory databases.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent analytical thinking, problem-solving, organization, and risk assessment capabilities.
• Ability to balance business objectives with regulatory compliance requirements and provide pragmatic, risk-based recommendations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with food contact regulations outside the European Union, including U.S. FDA, MERCOSUR, China, and Japan food contact regulatory frameworks.

• Experience supporting EU food contact compliance for polymers, compounds, and related materials, including substance assessments, compliance determinations, and portfolio management.