Certification and Compliance Sr Specialist

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own and continuously evolve the global certification and compliance program, including strategy, governance, and roadmap development.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to ensure alignment with regulatory, customer, and sustainability requirements.
• Identify emerging regulatory trends and proactively assess business risk and opportunities, advising leadership on impacts.
• Establish KPIs and dashboards to track certification performance, risks, and compliance status across the organization.
• Lead end-to-end management of Forestry Chain of Custody certifications (FSC, SFI, PEFC) and expansion into new certification schemes.
• Drive standardization and optimization of certification processes globally, improving efficiency, scalability, and audit readiness.
• Oversee audit strategy and execution, including preparation, coordination, and issue resolution across internal teams.
• Maintain executive visibility into certification status, risks, and remediation plans.
• Translate customer compliance requirements into actionable internal standards and processes.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing teams to enable market access and support customer growth through certification readiness.
• Review and interpret customer contracts to assess risk and ensure alignment with certification and regulatory obligations.
• Serve as the central point of accountability for certification and compliance across functions, ensuring clear ownership and follow-through.
• Influence and guide stakeholders (Operations, Procurement, Sales, R&D) to meet compliance requirements and deadlines.
• Lead cross-functional working groups and project teams to deliver compliance initiatives.
• Identify and lead initiatives to improve systems, tools, and workflows related to certification and compliance.
• Develop and maintain governance frameworks, documentation standards, and internal controls.
• Lead training and capability-building efforts across the organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Engineering, Environmental Science, Sustainability or related field.
• A Master’s degree or additional certifications in sustainability, product stewardship, ISO or Forestry Lead Auditor is a plus.
• Advanced project and program management capabilities, including ability to manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence without authority.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to translate regulatory requirements into business processes and risk insights.
• Experience developing dashboards, metrics, or reporting frameworks to support decision-making.
• Proficient in using regulatory compliance software, environmental databases, and standard office applications (e.g., Microsoft Office).
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, to communicate regulatory requirements, compliance issues, and technical information clearly to various stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and work independently.
• Detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills, with the ability to work across departments and influence cross-functional teams.
• Experience 7+ years in sustainability, compliance, regulatory, or related field.
• Proven experience leading enterprise or multi-site certification programs.
• Demonstrated success managing complex, cross-functional initiatives with high business impact.
• Experience interfacing with senior leadership and external stakeholders (auditors, certification bodies, customers).