Regulatory Compliance Specialist

Position Summary

The Regulatory Compliance Specialist owns and advances the company’s regulatory compliance program across corporate operations and the franchise network. This role interprets complex regulatory requirements, translates them into scalable internal controls, and partners cross-functionally to mitigate risk, maintain licensing/permit readiness, and enable responsible growth. The position operates with substantial autonomy and exercises independent judgment on matters of significance impacting operational continuity, brand reputation, and regulatory exposure.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• May provide functional leadership to a coordinator, contractor, or vendor partners; may lead cross-functional project teams.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Regulatory Strategy, Interpretation, and Program Governance

• Monitor, interpret, and advise on applicable federal, state, and local regulatory requirements impacting operations (e.g., health department, food/warehouse-related requirements, business licensing, inspections, recordkeeping, and related compliance standards).
• Serve as a subject-matter resource to leadership by assessing regulatory changes, evaluating risk impacts, and recommending proactive controls and implementation plans.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve compliance policies, SOPs, checklists, and internal control frameworks to ensure consistent execution across jurisdictions.

Compliance Risk Management and Decision Support

• Conduct jurisdictional and operational risk assessments (new market entry, new store launches, operational changes), identify gaps, and recommend mitigation actions.
• Provide guidance to internal stakeholders and franchise partners on compliance risk and readiness; escalate material risks and propose practical, business-aligned solutions.

Regulatory Readiness, Auditing, and Corrective Action

• Design and lead internal compliance reviews and readiness assessments; validate evidence of compliance and determine adequacy of controls.
• Lead corrective and preventive action (CAPA) processes to remediate deficiencies, including root-cause analysis, ownership assignment, and verification of sustained corrective action.
• Prepare executive-ready compliance dashboards, trends, and risk reporting; communicate key insights and recommendations to senior management.

Licensing, Permitting, and Regulatory Engagement (Program Ownership)

• Own the licensing/permit strategy and governance model for ongoing renewals and new business activity; set standards, timelines, and accountability mechanisms.
• Act as the primary liaison with regulatory agencies as appropriate, coordinating responses, documentation standards, and inspection readiness strategies.
• Evaluate jurisdiction-specific requirements, determine the most efficient compliance path, and guide cross-functional execution to meet regulatory obligations.

Training, Communication, and Stakeholder Enablement

• Develop and deliver compliance training, toolkits, and communications to improve awareness and consistency across internal teams and franchise partners.
• Partner with Operations, Legal, QA, and other stakeholders to embed compliance requirements into scalable workflows, onboarding, and operational playbooks.

Continuous Improvement and Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead compliance-related projects that improve efficiency, reduce risk, and support growth (e.g., digitizing compliance records, standardizing evidence retention, streamlining audit readiness).
• Identify opportunities to reduce administrative burden through process redesign, automation, and vendor/partner optimization.

Decision-Making Authority

• Independently determines compliance approaches for multi-jurisdiction requirements and recommends operational controls to leadership.
• Establishes compliance priorities, escalation thresholds, and readiness standards aligned with risk exposure and business impact.
• May recommend pausing/adjusting operational activities when regulatory risk is material, partnering with leadership to drive resolution.

Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply complex regulations with sound, independent judgment.
• Program governance mindset; strong risk assessment, prioritization, and decision-quality.
• Executive-level written communication and stakeholder influence.
• Strong analytical, documentation, and audit-readiness discipline.
• High ownership, accountability, and continuous-improvement orientation.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Compliance, Risk Management, Public Health, Food Safety, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 5+ years of progressively responsible regulatory compliance experience, preferably in multi-site, multi-jurisdiction operations (food/retail/manufacturing/franchise environments a plus).
• Preferred: Compliance, audit, or food safety credentials (e.g., HACCP, PCQI, CCEP, internal audit training), depending on your environment.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of desk work and computer use.
• Ability to travel to facilities for audits/inspections; may require occasional lifting of light materials (e.g., binders/laptops).

Work Environment

• Professional office environment with periodic visits to operational sites and facilities.
• Occasional exposure to manufacturing/warehouse environments where PPE may be required.

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Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the contractor for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

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Equal Opportunity Statement

GBC Food Services, LLC is an equal opportunity employer, deeply valuing diversity. Our commitment is to foster an inclusive environment for all employees, basing employment decisions on merit, qualifications, and business needs.