Employment Type: Full-time

Location: Sydney based

Hybrid Work arrangement: 3 days in the office to 2 days per week working from home, reporting to the Compliance Manager

Salary: $80k Annual base salary plus superannuation

About APCO

The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is a not-for-profit member-based organisation. We are a co-regulator for packaging that are driving the development of a circular economy for packaging.

The Role

The Quality and Compliance Specialist plays a key role in strengthening the governance, documentation, and overall effectiveness of APCO’s compliance programs. A central responsibility of the role is to coordinate and manage member audits, with a focus on evaluating compliance with packaging metrics reporting requirements and the correct use of the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL).

You’ll also be responsible for developing and maintaining clear, consistent compliance processes, procedures, and supporting documentation. This includes producing accessible guidance materials and ensuring a standardised approach to compliance monitoring, reporting, and auditing. Collaboration with both internal teams and external stakeholders will be essential to ensure that audit processes are efficient, accurate, and aligned with Australian packaging regulations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Audit Coordination & Oversight: Lead and manage compliance audits focused on packaging metrics and ARL application to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements and the Australian Packaging Covenant. Ensure audits are conducted consistently and to a high standard, applying quality assurance principles to audit design, execution, and reporting.
• Process Development & Documentation: Develop and maintain compliance policies, procedures, and documentation to ensure consistency and accessibility. This will include writing clear processes for auditing and reporting, based on regulatory requirements, and ensuring they are accurate, repeatable, and quality-assured.
• Stakeholder Engagement:Work closely with internal teams and external partners to ensure audit readiness and enhance compliance awareness across the industry. Promote understanding of quality expectations alongside compliance requirements, supporting a culture of continuous improvement.
• Process Improvement: Analyse audit outcomes to identify trends and implement process improvements that streamline packaging reporting and compliance. Evaluate changes not only for compliance effectiveness but also for improved process quality and reliability.
• Risk Management: Identify compliance risks, recommend mitigation strategies, and contribute to governance frameworks. Support the development of QA controls that help detect and mitigate process or data quality issues early.

We are seeking someone with:

• Demonstrated experience in compliance, audit, or risk management, ideally within a regulatory, environmental, or sustainability-focused organisation.
• Strong understanding of audit methodologies, governance frameworks, and process documentation.
• Ability to analyse audit findings, identify trends, and drive process improvements.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills to liaise with internal teams and external partners.
• A proactive and detail-oriented mindset, with the ability to work independently in a stand-alone role.
• Tertiary qualification in Law, Business, Science, Compliance, or a related field.

You will be a great candidate if you have:

• A background in compliance, auditing, or governance, with experience in environmental or sustainability programs being highly regarded.
• Practical knowledge of Australian regulatory and compliance frameworks, particularly in packaging, waste management, or environmental reporting.
• The ability to interpret complex regulations and translate them into clear, actionable processes.
• Experience managing audit coordination and process improvements in a structured compliance environment.
• Experience applying quality assurance techniques within compliance, such as reviewing documentation for accuracy, validating process consistency, or supporting QA checks in system workflows.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Experience working with member-based programs or industry compliance schemes is desirable.
• Certifications in auditing, compliance or similar fields are desirable but not essential.
• Membership with relevant industry bodies such as GRCI (Governance, Risk & Compliance Institute) or IIA (Institute of Internal Auditors) is desirable but not essential.