Job Description

Compliance Lead

Application Deadline: 25 October 2026

Department: Business Support

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Manchester, UK

Description

Empowering organisations to achieve their highest potential.At ISOQAR, we draw on our experience, knowledge, and ambition to empower organisations to achieve their highest potential. As a UKAS-accredited certification body, we conduct audits against ISO standards and issue ISO certifications. Through a portfolio of progressive solutions, including ISO certification, training, and consultancy, we work with customers to strengthen their businesses, all delivered by our in-house experts.

The Compliance Lead plays a key role in maintaining and improving ISOQAR’s compliance framework, helping ensure our certification activities meet accreditation, regulatory and internal requirements.

Working closely with the Director of Risk & Compliance and teams across the business, you’ll coordinate audits, accreditation assessments, corrective actions, competence management and compliance reporting, while supporting certification schemes and business development projects.

What that means day to day

Compliance Framework & Management System

• Support the day-to-day operation and continuous improvement of ISOQAR’s compliance framework and management system.
• Maintain and develop compliance policies, procedures, guidance and records.
• Review process and documentation changes for compliance, accreditation and impartiality considerations.
• Provide practical guidance to colleagues on certification and conformity-assessment requirements.
• Identify and escalate significant compliance risks, control weaknesses or potential breaches.

Internal Audit & Assurance

• Support the delivery of a risk-based internal audit programme.
• Plan, conduct and report on internal audits, identifying nonconformities, risks and improvement opportunities.
• Review root-cause analysis and corrective actions, monitoring progress through to effective closure.
• Analyse audit findings to identify recurring or wider compliance issues.

Accreditation Assessments

• Coordinate preparation for accreditation and external assessments.
• Collate and review documentation, records and supporting evidence.
• Participate in assessments and coordinate responses to assessor queries and findings.
• Track corrective actions and evidence through to acceptance and closure.

Competence Management

• Coordinate and continually improve ISOQAR’s competence framework.
• Support the development and review of competence criteria, learning materials and assessments.
• Help ensure auditor, reviewer and decision-maker approvals are supported by appropriate evidence.
• Analyse competence information to identify learning needs and areas for improvement.
• Work with technical and operational teams to support consistent competence decisions.

Scheme & Product Support

• Support the governance of allocated certification schemes, initially including ISO 9001.
• Monitor changes to standards, accreditation criteria and scheme requirements.
• Coordinate updates to processes, training and documentation where required.
• Support competence management for colleagues working across allocated schemes.
• Provide compliance input into new products, schemes and wider business-change projects.

Impartiality, Complaints & Appeals

• Coordinate compliance and impartiality forums, including supporting documentation, actions and reporting.
• Review potential impartiality risks and support appropriate controls.
• Coordinate or undertake investigations into escalated complaints, appeals and compliance concerns.
• Ensure investigations are evidence-based, appropriately documented and escalated where required.
• Identify trends and recurring themes across complaints, appeals and compliance concerns.

Reporting & Stakeholder Support

• Maintain compliance dashboards, action trackers and management information.
• Prepare compliance data and insights to support management review and planning.
• Monitor the completion and effectiveness of compliance actions.
• Deliver briefings and training on compliance requirements and changes.
• Build strong relationships across technical, operational, commercial and international teams.
• Provide constructive challenge where activities may create compliance, accreditation or impartiality risks.

What you’ll need to be successful

Essential

• At least three years’ relevant experience within a certification body, accreditation environment, regulated assurance function or similar compliance role.
• Practical knowledge of ISO/IEC 17021-1 and a good understanding of management-system certification.
• Experience planning, conducting and reporting internal audits, including corrective actions and root-cause analysis.
• Knowledge of risk assessment and risk-based assurance.
• Confidence interpreting standards, mandatory requirements, policies and regulatory criteria.
• Strong analytical, report-writing and evidence-evaluation skills.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines and stakeholders.
• A methodical, objective and evidence-led approach, with strong attention to detail.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex requirements clearly and constructively challenge where needed.
• Sound judgement and the confidence to work independently, escalate significant concerns and maintain professional independence.

Desirable

• Experience working directly with UKAS or another recognised accreditation body.
• ISO 9001 Lead Auditor qualification.
• Lead Auditor qualification in ISO 14001, ISO 45001 or ISO/IEC 27001.
• Knowledge of ISO/IEC 17065, ISO/IEC 17029 or ISO 14065.
• Experience in certification-body competence management and/or coordinating accreditation assessments.
• Project or change-management experience.
• Strong Excel, SharePoint and data-analysis skills.
• A relevant professional qualification, membership or equivalent professional experience.

What you'll get in return

ISOQAR has a hybrid workplace policy, where you will work from the office 3 days per week. We want you to be able to do your best work here. We emphasize providing many ways to support our team to do their best work and below are some of the perks and benefits we offer:

Personal Health & Wellbeing / Benefits

🍼 Enhanced Parental Leave

🌴Generous annual leave

🏥 Healthcare Plan

💟 Annual Giving Day – an extra day to give back to yourself or your community

🚲 Cycle-to-work Scheme

Future Planning

💰Pension scheme with employer contributions

🧬 Life Assurance – 3X base salary

💸 Rewards Program – access to discounts and cashback

🏫 LinkedIn Learning License for upskilling & development

Embracing AI at Veriforce

As part of our commitment to innovation and continuous improvement, we're actively embedding AI tools and ways of working across the business. We encourage all employees to explore how AI can enhance productivity, improve decision-making, streamline processes, and create value for our customers.

The effective adoption and use of AI will form part of role expectations and will be considered as part of regular objective reviews and performance conversations. We're looking for individuals who are curious, adaptable, and excited about leveraging technology to work smarter and drive better outcomes.

What you can expect if you apply:

• A response to your application within 15 working days
• An interview process consisting of:
• An initial discovery call with the recruiter
• A first stage interview via Microsoft Teams
• Additional interview (likely face to face) with the stakeholders you’ll be working with closely in the role

We’re keen to ensure our hiring process allows you to be at your best, so if you need us to make any adjustments, please just let us know.