UK Regulatory & Trade Business Partner

UK Regulatory and Trade Business Partner

Job title:                  UK Regulatory and Trade Business Partner       

Reports to:             Head of Regulatory and Trade Affairs, Dublin

Location:                Leek, Ornua Foods UK     

Salary:                     Generous salary available depending on experience          

Hours:                     36.25 hours per week          

Benefits:                 33 days annual leave, Matched Company Pension up to 8%, Discounted Cheese and Butter, Subsidised Staff Canteen,  Sports & Social Club, Staff Lottery, Discount on Bikes & Tech Scheme, Confidential Employee Assist Programme                      

Ornua (meaning “new gold”) is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, proudly bringing the unique taste of Irish dairy to the world for over 55 years.

Are you a Regulatory and Trade professional looking for the challenge of taking a mission driven organisation to its next level of success?

Ornua is actively seeking a conscientious, proactive and passionate UK Regulatory and Trade Business Partner to join our Risk and Compliance department as we continue our growth trajectory.

You will play a key role in; managing regulatory affairs, including monitoring and dissemination of key regulatory and trade related issues, across Ornua’s UK businesses.  You will represent Ornua UK in trade associations and national fora to further the interests and knowledge base of Ornua and will support business in managing external stakeholder relations in related areas. 

Based in the UK, the UK Regulatory and Trade Business Partner will report to the Head of Regulatory & Trade Affairs for Ornua Cooperative Ltd in Dublin and will strategically partner with internal and external stakeholders in Ornua Foods UK and Ornua Ingredients Europe UK, where required.  

You will have sectoral regulatory expertise to support and advise the business on complex issues, to input into the resolution of regulatory and compliance issues and to drive corrective actions.    

Key focus areas are: food legislation, labelling, packaging, ESG/sustainability programs and schemes, import/export, certification and trade activities. 

Why Ornua?

• Ornua operates as a commercial organisation from 10 business units worldwide, including 12 production facilities located in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa.
• The commercial organisation is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands including Ireland’s most successful food export: Kerrygold.
• It also manages the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products, the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers globally, and the implementation of de-risking and trading strategies to manage market volatility.
• Our co-operative ethos lies at the heart of how we do business as a purpose and values-led organisation, creating value for Irish dairy farming families.
• Our Values lie at the core of everything we do. Our five values encourage us to Seek and Embrace New Ideas, Make It Happen, Be Our True Selves, Show You Care, and Achieve Great Things Together.
• Dynamic Working policy in place which facilitates flexible hours and hybrid working
• We invest in our people and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Career Progression including Global Mobility opportunities.
• Comprehensive Benefits with regional specific offerings.

Why This Role Is Valuable:

As our UK Regulatory and Trade Business Partner you will be responsible for leading on;

• UK legislative, regulatory and policy horizon scanning,  
• Regulatory monitoring, reporting, interpretation and dissemination (relevant legislative proposals at UK level through to adoption and implementation), 
• Compliance advice for all UK operations, including on: 
• Placing product on the market – regulatory compliance (food safety, permitted additives/ingredients, product standards and packaging etc). 
• Labelling and marketing claims and dairy terms/designations. 
• Food contact material/packaging legislation monitoring and compliance. 
• Engagement with national and local authorities, regulatory bodies and third-party business advisory services on regulatory compliance issues, 
• Participation/engagement with Trade Associations and Industry bodies, in consultation and coordination with Senior Leadership teams, 
• Supporting where required, to group business functions such as environmental and operational health and safety, technical and R&D/innovation teams, supply chain ESG/sustainability and Risk Management. 
• Monitoring and supporting in the area of import and export functions including: 
• Import and Export SPS, warehouse, customs and shipping compliance. 
• Trade agreements – monitoring and market access advice. 

What You Bring To The Role:

• Regulatory or Legal qualification or experience, or similar experience 

• Significant experience with demonstrated regulatory expertise – Extensive experience preferably within the food or dairy sector
• Strong understanding of UK food law, labelling regulations, and trade procedures. 

• Business acumen and experience of working in or understanding of food/dairy industry. 

• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and meet tight deadlines. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 

• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building capabilities – able to work both independently and as part of the Regulatory and Trade Compliance Team. 

• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as required.  

• IT competency 

Our interview process is designed to be thorough yet supportive. This process includes a first stage via Teams to allow us to get to know you better and to understand your skills and experiences and, if successful, a second stage face-to-face interview that will build upon the first stage and give you the opportunity to get a feel for Ornua and the environment in which you will be working.

Ornua has ambitious growth plans and we’re building a team to help enable and accelerate that growth. We are looking for people who share our values, are curious, forward-looking, take ownership and work together to build a future for themselves and Ornua.

Would you like to make an impact?

To learn more, please visit Ornua at www.ornua.com

Ornua values diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds. We also strongly encourage women and other underrepresented groups in the manufacturing industry to apply. Your unique perspectives and experiences are highly valued and will be instrumental in driving our company’s continued success. Join us in shaping a more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable future.

Ornua is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. We will make every effort to provide for any reasonable accessibility needs you may have during your employment with us. If you require accommodations at any stage of the recruitment process or in your role, please let us know — we’re here to support you.