Sr. Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Specialist - Packaging Sustainability Compliance

The Sr. Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Specialist at Mars in Chicago, IL focuses on packaging sustainability compliance. Responsibilities include assessing sustainability claims, ensuring labeling compliance with evolving regulations, managing documentation for chemicals of interest, and providing guidance on risk mitigation. The role involves collaboration with various departments to maintain audit readiness and support sustainable packaging practices, contributing to informed business decisions.
About the position

As a member of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs (SRA) Team, the Sr. Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Specialist - Packaging Sustainability Compliance supports Mars Snacking North America efforts to assess, implement, and govern evolving sustainability requirements across claims, labeling, chemicals of interest, and packaging composition. Serving as a key SRA partner to Marketing, Legal, Corporate Affairs, Packaging R&D, Procurement, and Quality, this role conducts risk assessments of environmental and sustainability claims to ensure they are substantiated and not misleading, provides clear mitigation recommendations, and escalates issues to support informed business decisions. The position evaluates portfolio impacts of emerging state and federal labeling laws, leads execution of compliant label updates supported by robust data, and coordinates supplier documentation for chemicals of interest such as PFAS. Through structured supplier engagement, regulatory tracking, change management, and documentation oversight, the Senior Specialist delivers actionable guidance, maintains audit readiness, and strengthens internal capability to ensure consistent, compliant, and business-aligned sustainable packaging practices.

Responsibilities

Sustainability Claims Management Conduct risk assessments of environmental and sustainability claims to ensure claims are substantiated, accurate, and not misleading.Partner with Marketing, Legal, and Corporate Affairs to establish appropriate oversight, documentation standards, and approval processes for sustainability claims.Provide clear, business-relevant recommendations on claims risk and mitigation strategies, and escalate as needed to facilitate decision making.Sustainability Labeling Compliance Assess portfolio impact of evolving state and federal labeling regulations, e.g., California SB 343Lead execution of required label updates, and partner with cross-functional teams to ensure substantiating data (e.g., recyclability testing, material composition validation) is complete and audit-ready.Coordinate cross-functionally to implement compliant and timely packaging changes.Chemicals of Interest & Regulatory Documentation Management Monitor and assess fast-evolving state regulations addressing packaging chemicals of interest, such as PFAS and other restricted substances.Coordinate with suppliers, converters, and internal stakeholders to collect and review required regulatory documentation (e.g., PCR certifications, PFAS-free declarations, compliance statements, recyclability verification).Maintain organized documentation systems to support audits, regulatory inquiries, and customer requests.Regulatory Change Management & Tracking Track and manage regulatory developments related to sustainability claims, labeling, packaging composition, and chemicals of interest.Support the implementation of structured change management processes to ensure timely internal alignment and compliance execution.Develop summaries and impact assessments to inform business stakeholders of regulatory changes and associated risks.Serve as a trusted technical partner to R&D, Packaging, Procurement, Marketing, and Legal teams on sustainable packaging topics.Contribute to internal capability building by sharing regulatory insights and supporting training initiatives.Requirements

Minimum of a bachelor's degree in a technical area, such as chemistry, toxicology, food chemistry, food science, packaging engineering.Minimum of 5 years of experience in scientific and/or regulatory compliance with food products and/or related product categories (such as food supplements, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals) with proficiency in food law, and ingredient and packaging management in North America.E xperience in Treating and Snacking category is preferred.Experience working with trade associations and government agencies to clarify and resolve regulatory matters.Experience working on large-scale regulatory projects involving packaging; a demonstrated track record of working successfully across functions to achieve shared goalsProven ability to interact cross-functionally at all levels within the organization and suppliers are required.Nice-to-haves

Master's preferred.E xperience in Treating and Snacking category is preferred.Benefits

Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.A strong focus on learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.medical and dental benefitsparticipation in 401k planpaid time off benefits