Head of Certification & Regulatory
The Head of Certification & Regulatory ensures that products, advertising and documents meet regulator and platform requirements in the nutra vertical.
What a Head of Certification & Regulatory does
The Head of Certification & Regulatory in nutra projects makes sure that dietary supplements and health products can be sold and advertised legally. In a vertical where products easily fall under bans on medical claims and advertising is constantly reviewed by ad platform moderation, this role directly determines whether the business can keep operating. A single blocked offer or a withdrawn declaration can halt traffic and supply for weeks.
The role is needed by companies that sell or resell dietary supplements, cosmetics with functional claims and other health products, including through a partner network. The head builds the system: which certificates and declarations are required for each country and product, how landing pages and creatives are checked, who approves changes to composition and packaging, and how to respond to regulator inquiries and consumer complaints.
The position usually reports to the business owner, the COO or the head of legal, and manages a small team of regulatory managers, certification specialists and sometimes external experts. It works closely with procurement, product suppliers, marketing, the affiliate team and the risk-compliance department.
Responsibilities
- Build and maintain a register of certificates, declarations and permits for each product and each country of sale
- Approve composition, packaging and marketing claims for each product before it goes on sale
- Review landing pages, creatives and copy for compliance with platform ad policies and regulator requirements
- Manage suppliers: request product dossiers and check quality certificates and their validity periods
- Set up the recall and product-blocking process when a non-compliance is identified
- Prepare responses to regulator inquiries, audits and consumer complaints together with lawyers
- Train marketing and affiliate teams on acceptable wording and common causes of blocks
- Assess new verticals, geos and traffic channels from the standpoint of regulatory restrictions
- Maintain an internal base of decisions and precedents so that similar issues are resolved consistently
Skills
- Knowledge of regulatory requirements for dietary supplements and health products in target countries
- Ability to translate legal requirements into clear checklists for marketing and product teams
- Skill in quickly reviewing ad copy and creatives for the risk of being blocked
- Working with suppliers and laboratories: understanding test protocols and document issuance timelines
- Team management and prioritization between urgent blocks and planned work
- Communicating with lawyers, procurement and marketing in a way that preserves meaning
- Writing formal correspondence with regulators and platforms in a calm, factual tone
- Risk management: assessing the likelihood of a block and its impact on the business
Tools
- Document register in Google Sheets or Notion
- Jira or Trello for certification and approval tasks
- Confluence or Google Docs for procedures and checklists
- Email and corporate messenger for work with suppliers and platforms
- Electronic document management systems for storing product dossiers
- Monitoring tools for ad platforms and policy changes
- Spreadsheets for batch tracking and product shelf-life control
How performance is measured
- Share of products and offers running without regulatory blocks
- Average time to approve a new product or creative
- Share of documents in the register that are up to date
- Number of critical blocks and recalls over a period
- Response time to a regulator or platform inquiry
- Share of creatives that pass a preliminary check before launch
By vertical
Nutra
In nutra this role is central: most blocks are caused by medical claims, incorrect functional claims and missing supporting documents. The head sets the boundaries of acceptable wording for the entire team and is responsible for the dossier for each formula and batch.
Levels
Head of / Director
The head is responsible for the entire compliance system: country and product policy, the budget for certification and laboratories, decisions on entering new geos and on dropping risky products. They make decisions that affect revenue and are accountable to the business owner for the company's regulatory risks.
How to get there
People usually enter this profession from regulatory or legal functions at pharmaceutical, food or supplement companies, from quality control and certification, or from moderation and compliance teams at advertising or payment projects. Experience with documents, regulator requirements and real audits matters more than general knowledge of laws.
To prepare, study regulatory requirements for dietary supplements and health products in several target countries, review typical causes of ad blocks in nutra, and understand how products are manufactured and tested. It is useful to build a document register for a single product on your own and a landing page review checklist. Such an artifact clearly shows the level of your work.
Growth comes through responsibility for more products, countries and channels: from reviewing individual creatives to managing the system and the team. At the start, companies often hire a regulatory manager or certification specialist and expand their scope, while the Head role requires proven experience making decisions under pressure and working with senior management.
Next steps: Regulatory Director, Head of Compliance, Head of Quality & Certification, Chief Risk Officer, Head of Legal
FAQ
How is a Head of Certification & Regulatory different from a lawyer at a nutra company?
A lawyer handles contracts, legal assessment and defense in disputes. The Head of Certification & Regulatory runs the operational compliance system: dossiers, certificates, ad review and work with suppliers and platforms. These roles usually work together.
Is a medical or pharmaceutical degree required?
There is usually no direct requirement, but it is important to understand how testing, protocols, quality standards and product documentation work. A relevant degree or experience in pharmaceuticals, the food industry or quality control makes entry into the role considerably easier.
What determines income in this position?
Pay usually depends on the size of the product and country portfolio, the size of the company, the level of responsibility for market entry decisions and experience working with regulators. It also matters how strategic the role is rather than purely executive.
Which mistakes most often lead to blocks in nutra?
The most common are direct medical promises such as "cures" or "eliminates", lack of confirmation for the claimed effect, a mismatch between the landing page text and the composition or packaging, and outdated documents. Many problems are avoided if the check happens before the creative launches.
Does this role exist in companies that do not sell supplements directly?
Yes, if the company works with partner sales, reselling or advertising health products. Even then, it remains responsible for what claims are made on its behalf and what documents it must hold for the product.
Looking for a job in the industry?
Post an anonymous resume in our bot — recruiters from iGaming, payments and crypto search it every day.
Related roles
- Anti-Money Laundering / Know Your Customer Manager (AML/KYC Manager)
- Anti-Money Laundering / Know Your Customer Specialist (AML/KYC Specialist)
- AML/KYC Team Lead
- Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (AML Specialist)
- Anti-Fraud Manager
- Anti-Fraud Specialist
- Chief AML Officer (CAMLO)
- Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)