Compliance Officer

COMPLIANCE OFFICER Location : Rochdale (Greater Manchester) Working hours : Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm Friday 9am-2:30pm Salary : £30,000-35,000/annum (depends on experience) About Company Our client has been a leader in textile manufacturing specializing in innovative and high-quality fabrics made in the UK. Renowned for being the original manufacturer waxed cotton, the company has continuously invested in research and development to maintain its position as the market leader in heritage textiles. With a history of innovation, they customize their machinery and processes in-house to create unique fabrics for outerwear and accessories. Rooted in over a century of craftsmanship and expertise, the company is committed to delivering excellence and inspiring design to its global clients. Job Purpose This is a newly created, hands-on role for someone looking to build a career in textile compliance and technical quality. You will become the site's central point of ownership for customer compliance requirements, ethical and quality audits, and restricted substance management, working closely with our commercial, lab, and production teams. The role carries genuine responsibility and visibility, reporting directly into site leadership and liaising regularly with suppliers. Key Responsibilities: Chemical & Sustainability Compliance Manage and complete the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) submission annually, coordinating data collection across site functions. Maintain ZDHC MRSL conformance and liaise with chemical suppliers to gather conformance certificates and safety data sheets. Oversee OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification renewal and ongoing compliance, including sample submission and testing coordination. Review and interpret customer Restricted Substance Lists (RSLs), checking against current formulations and flagging any gaps to the lab and commercial teams. Maintain accurate, audit-ready records of MSDS, test certificates, and chemical inventories. Meet with chemical suppliers as needed to discuss conformance, new product compliance, and emerging regulatory requirements. Ethical & Quality Audits Coordinate and help prepare the site for SMETA ethical audits, working with HR and production to ensure documentation and practices meet requirements. Support the ISO 9001:2015 quality management system, including assisting with internal audits, management reviews, and recertification audits. Track corrective and preventive actions arising from audits, ensuring timely closure. Keep the site's compliance calendar up to date, flagging upcoming renewals, audits, and submission deadlines. Customer Platforms & Relationships Manage and maintain customer compliance portals (e.g. Higg, Worldly, customer-specific supplier platforms), uploading documentation and responding to queries. Act as the day-to-day point of contact for customer technical and compliance teams on certification and RSL matters. Work with the commercial team to understand incoming customer compliance requirements and translate them into actionable site tasks. Product Development & Lab Support Assist the lab team with sample testing, sample tracking, and recording of results relevant to compliance and certification. Support new product development by checking proposed materials and treatments against customer RSLs and chemical standards from the outset. Help build compliance considerations into the product development process so new fabrics are right-first-time for customer requirements. Required Skills Degree (or equivalent qualification/experience) in Chemistry, Textile Science, Materials Science, or a related scientific discipline. A genuine chemistry mindset, comfortable reading safety data sheets, understanding chemical formulations, and assessing substances against restricted substance thresholds. Strong organisational skills and meticulous attention to detail. Comfortable managing multiple deadlines, documents, and stakeholders simultaneously. Good written and verbal communication skills; able to liaise confidently with customers, suppliers, and colleagues. A proactive, problem-solving approach and willingness to learn technical and regulatory detail. Competent with Microsoft Office (Excel in particular) and comfortable learning new online platforms and portals. Desired Skills Experience in textiles, apparel, or another manufacturing environment. Some laboratory or testing experience (textile, chemical, or general scientific). Prior exposure to compliance frameworks such as Higg FEM, ZDHC, OEKO-TEX, SMETA, or ISO 9001 (training will be provided where needed). A relevant qualification in textiles, chemistry, science, or a related discipline. What we offer The opportunity to build genuine ownership of a function within a historic, well-respected British manufacturer. Direct mentoring and support from experienced technical, commercial, and production leadership. Exposure to international customers and a broad range of compliance disciplines, supporting strong career development in textile technical/compliance roles. How to Apply If you are a motivated individual with a strong work ethic and a desire to contribute to the growth of our client's business, we encourage you to apply for this opportunity. LMIND

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