Organic Reviewer

Organic Reviewer (Remote)  

Company Overview 

For more than two decades, FoodChain ID has been at the forefront of the New Food industry, providing global expertise to navigate the requirements of an increasingly regulated food economy. Serving more than 30,000 companies in over 100 countries, FoodChain ID offers technical and business services including clean label support, food safety, sustainability claims, Non-GMO Project standard and verification, USDA Organic certification, BRC and SQF food safety certification, DNA and contaminant testing, and more. Our vision is to assure the safety, transparency, and integrity of the global food chain, one client and product at a time. 

Job Summary 

The Organic Reviewer serves as a primary contact for clients seeking USDA Organic certification. This role is responsible for assessing, reviewing, and determining compliance of application and products against organic regulations, interpreting technical data, and supporting the certification. The role reports to the Technical Operations Director. 

Duties and Responsibilities 

Review and approve client applications, compliance plans, supporting documents, site additions, seed stock compliance, product formulations, product labels, and material/input substances for USDA Organic. 

Conduct technical reviews of products, including product labels, ingredients, SOPs, facilities, and inspection reports.  

Consistently communicate findings, non-compliances, and outstanding issues to clients via FoodChain ID proprietary software, SupplyTrak, or email. Provide technical support to clarify regulatory requirements and resolve issues. 

Maintain record keeping systems in compliance with internal procedures, and participate in team meetings, workflow improvements, and training sessions. 

Conduct desk audits, supply chain evaluations, traceability audits, and mass-balance audits to determine conformance with USDA Organic regulation. 

Identify and report ingredients, processes, and technical issues. 

Support new business development efforts through program, quality system, and certification documentation development. 

Fulfill other administrative duties and special projects as assigned by the Technical Operations Director. 

Qualifications 

Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, science, or a related field from an accredited college or university. 

Minimum 1 year of experience in the NOP Organic Certification program (crop, handling, or livestock scopes). 

Certification in GFSI is preferred but not required. 

Previous experience in Non-GMO Project Verification or other product certification programs is preferred but not required. 

Knowledge and practical work experience in food/agricultural safety, food regulation/certification/policy, and related industries (farm, food, seed, cosmetic, packaging, supplement/vitamin, textile, etc.) 

Working knowledge of regulatory standards from agencies such as FDA, USDA, CFIA, and experience with auditing software, checklists, and corrective action management systems. 

Competency in word processing, formatting, databases, and email applications, including Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel. 

Excellent organizational, monitoring, and tracking skills; ability to manage multiple activities throughout the year. 

Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to clearly communicate complex and technical concepts. 

Training Requirements 

• Initial training on FoodChain ID policies, forms, files, and web-systems. 

• Standards training for USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project requirements. 

• Monitored training period to demonstrate competence in certification and verification review processes. 

• Yearly attendance of department update meetings, review of industry notifications, and annual training seminars. 

• All certification review personnel continuously maintain adequate knowledge and skills in the current USDA organic standards, certification and compliance processes, traceability audits, mass-balance audits, and practices applicable to the type, volume, and range of review activities assigned. 

• Certification review personnel with less than one year of certification review experience must complete at least 50 hours of training within their first year performing certification review. 

• Certification review personnel with one or more years of certification review experience must annually complete at least 10 hours of training if conducting certification review related to one area of operation and an additional 5 hours of training for each additional area of operation.