Qhse Manager

Colchester, Essex
Reed

QHSE / Compliance Manager

Location: Colchester (with occasional travel to Welshpool)

Hours: Part-Time 3 Days per Week

Salary: £28,800-£33,000 DOE

The Opportunity

Operating at the heart of the organisation, you will be responsible for establishing and embedding consistency across corporate and product compliance. Working closely with the Creative Director, you will shape processes, lead audits, manage risk, and ensure the business continues to operate safely, ethically, and efficiently.

This role offers flexibility across the working week and is supported by excellent benefits.

What You’ll Be Doing

Corporate Compliance (QHSE, Sustainability, ESG)

• Lead all Health & Safety compliance across two sites, including risk assessments, training, and internal audits
• Manage internal quality processes: incoming QC, AQL standards, and product-category quality procedures (toys, textiles, plush, hardlines)
• Oversee client-specific quality procedures and support third-party inspections/testing
• Develop and maintain QMS processes aligned to ISO 9001, ensuring audit readiness
• Host external audits (e.g., FSC, Sedex, customer audits) and manage corrective actions
• Maintain and update company-wide policies, T&Cs, insurances, GDPR documentation, and compliance statements
• Deliver or coordinate compliance training across H&S, FSC, GDPR, Modern Slavery and more
• Manage environmental and sustainability initiatives including packaging reduction, carbon reporting and ESG commitments
• Oversee EPR, Waste Packaging, WEEE and Batteries compliance with accurate, centralised reporting
• Track emerging legislation relevant to materials, packaging and sustainability
• Lead product-recall procedure development and act as point of contact for quality-related recalls.

Product & Supplier Compliance

• Manage supplier vetting and onboarding, maintaining audit records and performance grading
• Ensure international product-compliance standards are met for export markets
• Maintain the company’s FSC and Sedex memberships and support associated audits and data accuracy.

Tender & Contract Compliance

• Provide compliance documentation for tenders, RFQs and PQQs (policies, certifications, ESG data, H&S evidence).
• Highlight compliance risks in tender requirements and contracts.
• Translate contractual obligations into internal deliverables (SLAs, testing needs, reporting cycles).
• Manage customer compliance documentation and maintain a comprehensive register of obligations and audit cycles.

What We’re Looking For

Essential

• NEBOSH General Certificate.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 9001 and experience managing audits.
• Proven experience in QHSE or corporate compliance within a product-based SME.
• Working understanding of ISO 14001.
• Familiarity with regulated product compliance (toys, consumer goods).
• Understanding of UK H&S and environmental legislation.
• Knowledge of REACH, RoHS, EN71, UKCA/CE.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-influencing skills.
• Excellent organisational, documentation, and audit-readiness skills.

What’s on Offer

• 3 days per week (either 3 full days or spread across 5 shorter days)
• Working hours: 8:30am-4:30pm (1-hour lunch)
• Lunch provided daily
• Free on-site parking
• Quarterly company events
• Increasing annual leave with length of service (starting at 21 days, capped at 25)
• Future opportunity to line-manage a Product Compliance Manager

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