Chief Scientific Officer

Heartland Food Products Group is seeking a visionary Chief Scientific & Policy Affairs Officer to establish and lead the company's scientific and regulatory affairs. This person will serve as the company's senior scientific representative, providing strategic counsel to leadership while representing the company and its brands with regulators, policymakers, scientific organizations, academic experts, and media on issues related to nutrition, ingredient science, food regulation, and public health.

The Chief Scientific and Policy Affairs Officer will strengthen the company's scientific credibility, thought leadership, and trusted voice by translating emerging science into business insight, developing corporate scientific and regulatory positions, leading engagement on public policy and regulatory matters, and ensuring the organization is prepared to address evolving scientific, regulatory, and public policy issues.

The Opportunity

Consumers, healthcare professionals, regulators, and policymakers are increasingly shaping conversations around sugar reduction, ingredient safety, nutrition policy, and emerging food science. These discussions shape consumer trust, the evolving regulatory landscape, and long-term business growth.

This role will establish the scientific and regulatory affairs capability needed to help the company anticipate emerging issues, inform executive decision-making, strengthen relationships with external stakeholders, and position Heartland Food Products Group and its brands as trusted, evidence-based leaders in nutrition and food science.

This role is based out of our Carmel, Indiana corporate headquarters.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the company's scientific and policy affairs strategy, ensuring science informs business strategy, policy and regulatory decision-making, external engagement, and corporate reputation.
• Monitor emerging scientific research, regulatory developments, and public policy issues relevant to the company's business and brands, translating findings into strategic recommendations.
• Identify and translate emerging scientific insights into opportunities to strengthen product positioning, support development of substantiated benefit statements, and inform innovation pipelines for future products and ingredients.
• Develop and maintain evidence -based corporate scientific and regulatory positions on priority issues by integrating scientific evidence, regulatory considerations, stakeholder perspectives, and business objectives.
• Establish governance processes that ensure scientific positions are consistently applied across business decisions, external engagement, and corporate communications.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO and executive leadership on emerging scientific, regulatory, and reputational opportunities and risks.
• Develop and lead the company's scientific affairs, policy and regulatory strategy, and external engagement with policymakers, regulatory agencies, scientific organizations, academic experts, and industry associations.
• Represent the company and its brands in scientific, policy and regulatory discussions with regulators, policymakers, scientific organizations, industry groups, and other external stakeholders.
• Serve as the company's scientific spokesperson with media and external audiences, as appropriate, on issues related to nutrition, ingredient science, public health, and emerging scientific topics.
• Lead development of scientific and regulatory positions supporting regulatory submissions, public comment opportunities, external engagement, and executive decision making.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the company's scientific credibility, reputation, and thought leadership while proactively addressing emerging scientific and regulatory issues that may impact the business.
• Priority areas include low- and no-calorie sweeteners, ingredient safety and benefits, nutrition science, sugar reduction, nutrition policy, and other emerging scientific issues relevant to the company's business and brands.

Qualifications & Experience

The ideal candidate combines exceptional scientific expertise with strategic business acumen and the ability to influence executive leaders, external stakeholders, and public conversations.

Required qualifications include:

• PhD, MD, or DO in Nutrition, Food Science, Toxicology, Public Health, Medicine, or a related scientific discipline.
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in scientific and regulatory affairs, regulatory science, nutrition science, food science, healthcare, consumer products, academia, government, or related fields.
• Demonstrated expertise evaluating complex scientific evidence and translating it into strategic business recommendations.
• Experience building credibility and productive relationships with regulators, policymakers, scientific organizations, academic leaders, media, and other external stakeholders.
• Experience serving as an external spokesperson or representative on scientific, regulatory, or public policy issues.
• Strong understanding of nutrition science, food regulation, scientific communication, and public policy.
• Exceptional communication, executive presence, relationship-building, and influencing skills.
• A collaborative leadership style with the ability to build alignment across diverse functions and lead through influence.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience within the consumer packaged goods, food, nutrition, or health and wellness industries.
• Experience building or leading scientific and regulatory affairs, regulatory, public policy, or external affairs functions.
• Established credibility and professional relationships within relevant scientific, regulatory, or policy communities.

Measures of Success

Success in this role will be demonstrated by:

• Establishing clear, evidence-based scientific and regulatory positions on priority issues affecting the company's business and brands.
• Integrating scientific and regulatory insights into business strategy, executive decision-making, and external engagement.
• Building trusted relationships and credibility with regulators, policymakers, scientific organizations, academic leaders, and other key external stakeholders.
• Proactively identifying and addressing emerging scientific and regulatory opportunities or issues before they become business or reputational risks to grow brands.
• Building a scientific and regulatory affairs capability that strengthens the company's scientific leadership, reputation, and long-term strategic objectives.