• 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: $85,000 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 Compliance Specialist plays a key role in enhancing the governance, documentation, and effectiveness of APCO’s compliance programs. This role ensures compliance processes are applied consistently, accessible, and aligned with regulatory requirements across APCO’s member-based programs, including The Covenant and the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) Program.

The Compliance Specialist manages audit coordination, reviews outcomes, maintains process documentation, and drives continuous improvement. The role involves overseeing audits to assess member compliance, with a focus on delivering quality results and identifying areas for process refinement.

Collaboration with internal teams and external stakeholders is essential to ensure audit readiness and compliance integrity. Experience in auditing is required, informing audit methodology, process governance, and risk management across compliance activities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Audit Coordination & Oversight: Lead and manage compliance audits to assess member adherence to regulatory requirements and APCO’s programs.
• Process Improvement: Review audit outcomes and refine compliance processes to enhance effectiveness and efficiency.
• Governance & Documentation: Maintain and update compliance policies, procedures, and audit documentation to ensure consistency and accessibility.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders to support audit readiness and compliance awareness.
• Risk Management: Identify compliance risks, recommend mitigation strategies, and contribute to governance frameworks.
• Regulatory Alignment: Ensure compliance programs are aligned with Australian regulatory requirements and industry best practices.

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.
• 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.