Food Compliance Officer

Costco Wholesale is the 3rd largest global retailer already operating more than 772 locations in 11 countries, catering to both business and individual members. We are dedicated to quality in every area of our business, and have a unique opportunity for an Inventory Control Specialist to join our growing Buying team and develop a career at Costco.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Assistant General Merchandise Manager, you will be responsible for assessment and review of imported food product against all pertinent regulations, for compliance to Australian and New Zealand Laws (e.g. Food Standards Code, Australian Competition Law, Australian Consumer Law, Trade Measurement regulations, Customs Act, Intellectual Property etc.) for the Foods Buying team.

Job Duties/Essential Functions:

• Determining import requirements for a cross section of food items
• Managing import item packaging and labelling approval
• Artwork & label development, as well as the management of relabelling and repackaging activities
• Developing in-house labelling for ‘fresh’ food areas
• Liaising with key external stakeholder groups such as testing facilities, Customs, DAFF (Biological and Plant) and
• other government agencies and NGO’s to ensure imported items meet all regulatory obligations
• Obtaining regulatory approval on new products being imported into Australia
• Generating new company policies and procedures as well as launching global initiatives. Monitoring uptake and maintenance of programs and associated documentation.
• Coordinating product reviews, assessing quality and benchmarking exercises
• Providing technical support for the investigation of product incidents
• Coordinating and managing of product testing and validation schedule
• Actively managing Costco’s Food Vendor Assurance Program
• Coordinating, actioning and maintenance of recall and withdrawal program and activities
• Private Label Product development
• Providing specialised trouble shooting across complex product issues
• Providing internal training and education (e.g. Food Safety, Import requirements, product regulations)
• Preparing government submissions
• Proactively identifying opportunities and issues and take decisive action
• Assists in other areas of the department as necessary.

Required qualifications / industry specific skills

Education/Training:

•  A degree in Food Science/Technology, Applied Science or like discipline                             

Experience/Skills:

• 3+ years’ experience in a regulatory, compliance or associated area in either retail, government or manufacturing
• Sound understanding of the Australian labelling requirements within the regulatory landscape (State, Federal, and Local; e.g., ACCC, Food Standards Code, Australian Competition Law, Australian Consumer Law, Trade Measurement Regulations, Customs Act, Quarantine Act, Fair Trading Laws, Australian Standards, etc.).
• Thorough understanding of Australian import requirements (including associated tools)
• AS400 experience
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Advanced skills in Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
• Advanced skills in Microsoft (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

* If successful, you will be required to undertake role & department specific training within specified timeframes