Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs & Specifications (GB & EMENA)
About this role

Position Title: Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs & Specifications (GB & EMENA)
Position Type: Regular - Full-Time
Grade: Grade 06
Requisition ID: 37501
In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences - together. With a customer-first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.
About the role.
The Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs & Specifications (GB & EMENA) is responsible for ensuring end-to-end regulatory compliance and specification governance across potato and appetiser-based products within the region. This role provides expert guidance on food regulations, owns raw material and finished product specifications, and enables safe, compliant, and efficient product commercialization while aligning global standards with local requirements.
The position is ideally located in Lille (France), Amsterdam (Netherlands), or Scarborough (United Kingdom).
What you’ll be doing.
- Lead regulatory compliance across GB & EMENA, ensuring adherence to food laws related to labeling, ingredients, contaminants, and import/export requirements
- Own and govern end-to-end product and material specifications (raw materials, packaging, finished goods)
- Provide regulatory guidance for innovation, product development, and reformulation initiatives
- Monitor regulatory changes and assess business impact; implement compliance strategies across markets
- Approve product claims, labeling, and marketing materials to ensure regulatory accuracy and compliance
- Partner cross-functionally (R&D, Quality, Supply Chain, Marketing, Legal) to support compliant product launches and supply continuity
- Manage regulatory and specification risks, including crisis response, recalls, and non-conformance investigations
- Maintain specification systems (e.g., PLM/SAP), ensuring data accuracy, traceability, and version control
- Engage with external stakeholders (regulatory bodies, trade associations, certification agencies) as a subject matter expert
- Lead and develop a team, fostering strong governance, accountability, and continuous improvement
What you’ll need to be successful.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Regulatory Affairs, Chemistry, Agricultural Science, or a related field
- Minimum of 8+ years’ experience in regulatory affairs and specification management within the food/FMCG industry
- Strong knowledge of GB & EMENA food regulations (labeling, additives, allergens, contaminants, claims, MRLs, etc.)
- Proven experience working with specification management systems (e.g., SAP, PLM) and strong data governance skills
- Demonstrated success in leading cross-functional initiatives in a matrix organization
- People leadership experience with a track record of coaching and developing teams
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills
- Experience engaging with regulatory authorities, trade associations, or certification bodies (preferred)
Benefits of the role.
- Competitive salary package aligned with experience and market benchmarks.
- Opportunity to be a part of a global iconic brand, fun and high performing team
- A varied and responsible job in an effective and international team with flat hierarchies
- Local benefit (Health and Pension insurance)
- Work in an environment you actively help to shape and create.
Our purpose is grounded in building meaningful relationships. We’re big believers in the power of working together in person—it helps us stay connected, collaborate more effectively, and grow as a team. At the same time, we recognize the importance of flexibility. Most office-based roles follow a hybrid model, with the option to work remotely two days a week. There may be exceptions depending on the role and location, so we encourage you to speak with your recruiter for more details.
About the team.
This role is part of the Regulatory Affairs & Specifications function within the GB & EMENA region. The Senior Manager leads a team of 6 direct reports. The team is responsible for ensuring regulatory compliance and specification governance across the product portfolio, working closely with cross-functional partners including R&D, Quality, Supply Chain, and Marketing to support safe and compliant product commercialization across the region.
About McCain.
Click Here to learn more about McCain and how we provide you with opportunities to make an impact that matters.
Leadership principles.
At McCain, our leadership principles guide how we engage with customers, collaborate as a team, and achieve success. We focus on understanding customer needs, driving innovation, empowering people, and taking ownership to clear obstacles and deliver results.
The McCain experience.
We are McCain. This statement is a testament to our collective strength and our individual value. Your contributions play a vital role in our success. Our winning culture is rooted in authenticity and trust, empowering us to bring out the best in one another. Here, you’ll find opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Join us and experience why we’re better together.
McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. As a global family-owned company, we strive to be the employer of choice in the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that inclusion drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.
McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know and we will work with you to find appropriate solutions.
Your privacy is important to us. By submitting personal data or information to us, you agree this will be handled in accordance with McCain’s Global Privacy Policy and Global Employee Privacy Policy, as applicable. You can understand how your personal information is being handled here.
Job Family: Research & Development
Division: Global Research and Development
Department: Regulatory Affairs
Location(s): NL - Netherlands : North Holland : Amsterdam || FR - France : Nord : Villeneuve-d'Ascq || GB - United Kingdom : England : Scarborough
Company: McCain Alimentaire SAS
Company at a glance
At McCain, we believe food plays an important role in people’s lives, with the power to bring individuals, families, and communities together.
As a privately owned family company with over 67 years of experience, a presence in over 160 countries, and a global team of 23,000+ people, our values and culture are at the heart of everything we do. Our product quality, people and customer dedication help us achieve global sales in excess of CDN $14 billion. Through our investment and innovation agenda, we continue to be a global leader in prepared potato products, including our famous French Fries and appetizers.
Guided by our purpose—celebrating real connections through delicious, planet-friendly food—we believe that working together with our teams, business and community partners will bring sustainable growth and positive change. At McCain, sustainability goes to the heart of our purpose as a business. That purpose means putting agronomy at the forefront of all we do to ensure healthier soils which lead to more sustainably sourced food. It means reducing our climate impact and supporting the communities where we operate—today, tomorrow and for generations to come. 🌱🥔🍟
Connect with McCain Foods on
Instagram: @McCainGlobal
Twitter: @McCainGlobal
YouTube: @McCainFoodsGlobal
Threads: @mccainglobal
💛 #WeAreMcCain
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