Internal Compliance Officer (Maternity Cover)

About this role

Short Intro and About the Job

The Internal Compliance Officer plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the site’s Quality Management System (QMS) and ensuring continuous audit readiness. Working closely with the Site Governance Manager, Quality function, and cross‑functional teams, the role ensures that regulatory, customer, and Danone Specialised Nutrition standards are consistently upheld. The mission is to proactively strengthen site compliance, embed a culture of quality excellence, and support the delivery of products of consistent, specified quality and uncompromising safety.

Success in this role means delivering a resilient and well‑governed QMS, ensuring effective internal controls, driving continuous improvement, and enabling the organisation to anticipate and respond to risks with confidence.

The Internal Compliance Officer will

• Strengthen and maintain the Quality Management System (QMS)

Develop, review, and sustain QMS processes to ensure regulatory compliance, operational effectiveness, and consistent audit readiness.

• Lead and develop key compliance systems

Own the implementation, development, and ongoing management of the site’s:

• •

Food Defence System

• Food Fraud Prevention Programme
• Internal Audit Framework
• PRP verification
• Change Management deputisation and coordination
• iCare coordination to embed and reinforce a strong quality culture
• Drive proactive compliance and continuous improvement

Champion a “Right First Time” mindset across the organisation, using lean principles and structured problem‑solving to improve quality performance, reduce failure costs, and enhance operational reliability.

• Lead and support change management in compliance activities

Coordinate, assess and deputise in change management

• Oversee PRP (Prerequisite Programme) verification & compliance assurance

Conduct routine verification, review, and documentation of PRPs to ensure foundational food safety controls remain robust, effective, and in line with legislation and standards.

• Build capability through training & communication

Develop, deliver, and evaluate compliance‑related training to strengthen competency across the site, ensuring all employees understand their role in safeguarding product quality and safety.

• Promote safe and responsible behaviour

Ensure all activities under your remit adhere to Fire Evacuation procedures, Accident Reporting requirements, and Food Safety/Quality protocols. Act as a point of guidance to foster safe working practices and positive behavioural standards.

What Success Looks Like

• A compliant, well‑maintained, and continuously improving QMS.
• An engaged site with a strong quality culture and high levels of ownership.
• Effective internal audits that identify risk proactively rather than reactively.
• Smooth, confident performance during regulatory, customer, and corporate audits.
• Clear, timely training programmes that enhance site awareness and capability.
• Robust PRP verification ensuring foundational food safety standards never drift.
• A stable food defence that is understood, tested, and operationally ready.
• Demonstrated cross‑functional collaboration with visible improvements in “Right First Time” performance.

Key accountabilities, deliverables & KPIs, impact on business results

• Food Defence Leadership & Coordination
• Oversee full implementation of Food Defence Procedures, ensuring compliance with corporate directives and audit expectations.
• Establish and lead a multidisciplinary Food Defence team with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, aligned to the Food Defence procedure and central requirements.
• Act as the primary Food Defence Coordinator for the site, ensuring adherence to security, threat‑mitigation measures, and regular inspections in partnership with Facilities and Security teams.
• Up‑to‑date Food Defence Plan, risk assessments, access‑control measures, and inspection records.
• Annual Food Defence Review and ongoing gap‑analysis reports
• Completion of annual Food Defence training and awareness programmes
• Quality Management System (QMS) Development & Maintenance
• Support the Governance Manager in the development, maintenance, and continual improvement of the site’s QMS to ensure compliance with Food Safety, Legality and Quality requirements.
• Maintain and update site QMS templates, procedures, and records in line with central, third-party, FDA/FSMP and country‑specific requirements.
• Updated and verified QMS documentation including PRP evidence, FFVA/FD programme updates
• Accurate and current legal register and compliance documentation including reviewing emerging requirements
• Monitor changes to regulatory requirements, certification standards, Danone requirements and industry guidance.
• Conduct gap assessments and coordinate implementation plans for new or revised requirements
• Continuous Improvement & Process Monitoring
• Monitor and trend key Quality performance indicators across multiple processes.
• Identify improvement opportunities and collaborate cross‑functionally to implement sustainable solutions (Ops, Engineering, Facilities).
• Continuous improvement proposals and implemented projects
• Monthly/quarterly/Annual Quality trend reports.
• Develop and maintain governance dashboards and KPI reporting covering audits, training, Food Defence, Food Fraud, PRPs, corrective actions and culture initiatives.
• Escalate compliance risks and overdue actions to site leadership.
• Audit & Review Readiness
• Support internal, external and regulatory audits (ISO, FDA, EHO, Corporate, FSSC22000, ISO 9001, China inspections).
• Maintain robust internal audit systems and lead the internal audit team.
• Internal audit schedule, reports and tracker of corrective actions.
• Coordinate Management Review inputs, performance data, actions and follow-up activities to ensure compliance with certification and regulatory requirements
• Closure of relevant audit actions and continuous improvement
• Conduct site audits for relevant areas
• Regulatory Compliance
• Support readiness for regulatory inspections and country-specific requirements (FDA, China FSMP, customer and market registrations).
• Coordinate documentation requests and compliance evidence as required.
• Food Fraud & Vulnerability Management
• Serve as the Food Fraud Coordinator, overseeing system maturity, documentation and team performance.
• Perform certification change reviews, Food Fraud analyses and gap assessments aligned with central Food Fraud prevention requirements.
• Annual FFVA update, Food Fraud risk assessments and mitigation plans.
• Training and awareness programmes on Food Fraud controls.
• Training, Competence & Culture Development
• Maintain and improve training matrices for the Quality Group, supporting role competence development.
• Act as the iCare Coordinator to drive a positive quality culture.
• Deliver training on Food Defence, Food Fraud, Quality Culture
• Updated training matrix with competency tracking.
• Sitewide Quality communication materials and cultural engagement activities.
• Change Management & Cross‑Functional Support
• Act as deputy coordinator for site change control assessments and leading meetings
• Coordinate weekly change control schedule and communication
• Provide governance oversight and compliance support for contractor management, waste disposal, secure destruction and third-party services impacting product quality or food safety
• Support agency worker processes and documentation.
• Governance & Compliance Programme Management
• Coordinate and monitor site compliance programmes including Internal Audits, Food Defence, Food Fraud, PRP Verification, Management Review, Culture of Quality, training compliance, legal compliance obligations and corrective action management for audits, ensuring actions are completed effectively and risks are escalated appropriately.

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