Specialist, Responsible Sourcing Assurance

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Responsible Sourcing Assurance role involves coordinating and conducting factory audits in adherence to VF's guidelines. Responsibilities include updating audit schedules, ensuring accurate data management, resolving technical issues, and staying informed on regulations. Maintaining auditor accreditation and supporting the 3rd party audit program are key tasks. Beyond compliance, the role supports Sustainability and Responsibility programs, aids in remediation activities for 3rd party audited factories, and collaborates on specific topics with the S&R program manager.

Factory Audit Management:

• Accept factory audit assignments, schedule audits, and liaise with factories, agents, and relevant parties to confirm audit appointments.
• Update the planned audit schedule in the Fair Factories Clearinghouse (FFC) database to ensure accuracy and transparency.
• Resolve technical problems with suppliers promptly and effectively.

Audit Execution:

• Conduct social audits on VF active factories, focusing on health and safety, worker rights, environmental issues, and CTPAT compliance.
• Utilize the VF proprietary audit tool to perform comprehensive audits, encompassing worker and management interviews, documentation reviews, and visual inspections.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Ensure the accurate and timely completion of the offline audit tool, encompassing all violations and remedial actions.
• Upload audit reports into FFC, generate reports, and communicate findings to factories and internal stakeholders.

Data Management:

• Timely and accurately update all factory audit and scheduling data in FFC.
• Inform, update, and share any revised local labor laws, standards, and compliance issues with suppliers and key stakeholders as necessary.

Compliance Knowledge:

• Maintain a working knowledge of labor laws and stay informed about associated updates.
• Sustain auditor accreditation with SAI or other external certification bodies, if available.

Program Support:

• Engage with in-scope industry initiative programs (e.g., Better Work, SLCP) and resolve issues.
• Support Manager for Global Compliance in managing the 3rd party audit program, including audit report reviews, shadow audits, auditor trainings, and feedback delivery.

Contributions to Departmental Goals:

• Contribute to achieving departmental goals, objectives, and responsibilities.
• Submit travel expense reports promptly and accurately.

Beyond Compliance
In addition to your primary responsibilities, you will play a crucial role in supporting various Responsible Sourcing Programs and contributing to broader sustainability initiatives. The tasks will encompass:

• Provide support, when required, to other Responsible Sourcing Programs, with a focus on areas such as Worker Rights & Safety, Environmental Sustainability, Worker & Community Development, and Product Stewardship & Traceability.
• Assist in CAP (Corrective Action Plan) remediation activities and advisory for factories that have undergone 3rd party audits.

Regional Program Accelerator (RPA)
You will serve as a Regional Program Accelerator (RPA) for Worker Rights, bridging the Worker Rights Program Manager and regional execution through the following activities: (Approximately 15% of your time)

• Support the WR team in initiating a roadmap to address WR issues in the upstream supply chain. In collaboration with the Program Manager, drive activities and coordinate actions with internal stakeholders to start mitigating and preventing worker rights risks in commodities and materials.
• Engage with the S&R, GMS and Traceability teams on assessing new (and existing) materials supply chains for worker rights risks, including strengthening worker rights criteria in annual traceability commodity surveys and identify similar opportunities to create synergies for increased visibility upstream.
• In collaboration with the Program Manager, propose ideas, revise and adjust the worker rights upstream engagement strategy according to new legislation and ESG reporting requirements, if needed.

Key Competencies

• Embodies the highest level of personal and professional integrity and ethics.
• Experience in factory compliance audits with excellent knowledge on labor, Health & Safety, and environment local laws.
• Thorough knowledge on auditing processes and database administration.
• Excellent report writing and communication skills in both oral and written English.
• Ability to develop and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders across the business.
• Independent worker, strong problem-solving skill.
• Ability to consider perspectives aside from their own.
• Has a keen sense of urgency & able to prioritize and complete the assigned task in a tight schedule.

Qualifications And Expereince

• 3+ years Corporate Social responsibility or Social Auditing experience or equivalent combination of relevant work experience and education.
• Post-graduation in labor laws, environmental engineering, safety engineering, chemical engineering, will be advantageous
• Expertise in using Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, Outlook and Web skills
• Subject Matter Expert In:
• Labour, Health, Safety, and Environmental auditing.
• Laws, Regulations and Industry Standard of the region
• Laws & Regulation of Labor & Employments;
• Knowledge of human and labor rights.

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