Quality & Compliance Administrator

Role: Quality & Compliance Administrator

Location: Bournemouth

Reference: HOB1124719

Closing Date: 01/08/2025 23:59

Creativity is Hobbycraft’s reason for being, so when you join our fantastic team, you will be surrounded by like-minded imaginative people. We believe that working together and embracing new and innovative ideas are the best way to make our colleagues feel part of something. 

Salary - £28k  dependent on experience - Pension with a 4% contribution, 25 days holiday increasing every year, 25% discount in our stores

This is a full-time role, working 37.5 hours. Our core business hours are Monday to Friday – 10am to 3pm with a flexible approach to start and finish times

Our hybrid working model is 3 days in the office, 2 days working from home

Our Story

Founded in 1995, we are the largest arts and crafts retailer in the UK with over 100 stores nationwide. With over 25,000 products for 250 inspirational activities and hundreds of exciting ideas, you'll discover everything you need to get crafty.

About the role  

The QC Administrator will work with branded and own branded suppliers ensuring we are informed and compliant. The role will involve driving our record keeping and conformity, together with providing buying colleagues with specialist advice from local/national authorities and testing labs.

The QC Administrator will work with the Quality and Compliance Manager. The role will also work with the buyers, packaging design, sourcing teams, distribution centre, central operations, our stores, ecommerce, Supply Chain and our international and UK suppliers and their factories to provide QA/QC advice on product development and testing requirements.

The QC Administrative Assistant role will report to the Quality and Compliance Manager.

Key Accountabilities

Maintain Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) Procedures

Ensure Hobbycraft maintains a suitable due diligence system and appropriate ethical and environmental audits by:

• Maintaining and developing record keeping and conformity
• Working with buying colleagues and third-party partners for Audit compliance

Control documentation relating to the following:

• Placing all Hobbycraft Own Brand product MSDSs for appropriate products on the Hobbycraft website
• Ensure that branded suppliers have appropriate MSDSs and that these can be available upon request
• Maintain & Report Sedex SMETA audit scheduling of factories.
• Technical file reviews with third party specialist UK service provider.
• Validating technical information on our Product New Line Forms (including topics such as waste packaging, testing, traceability etc.)
• FSC registrations and documentation of suppliers
• Records of plastic packaging that contains recycled material.

Support QC Manager in ensuring Hobbycraft is compliant with product related safety legislation and is supported by a suitable due diligence system and appropriate ethical and environmental audits.

Work with internal and external teams for waste packaging reporting in conjunction with:

• PRN scheme administrator
• EPR Government Scheme Administrator (when appointed Summer 2023)

Support and develop improvements in product legal and technical knowledge within the buying teams, and wider HC teams as appropriate.

Support Hobbycraft Own Brand artwork with warnings and legal notices on products. Also, to advise on misleading product artwork through our product systems.

Maintain complaints process so that customers complaints are responded through customer services team in a timely manner and that more serious issues are raised to the appropriate teams.

Monitor and update records of quality issues. Support the QC manager with continuous improvement measures around inspections.

Be involved in returns analysis for products and help support QC Manager to agree with commercial teams’ acceptable returns percentages for incorporation into commercial contracts.

Working with approved test labs to validate all HCOB test reports for product technical files are acceptable and consistent across categories.

Deliver specific benefits of our ‘Primary Authority Scheme’ membership in partnership with QC Manager.

About You

Essential qualities

• Committed to quality and continuous improvement with an eye for detail.
• Flexible attitude with a “hands on” approach.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Motivated, self-starter, ability to work well under deadlines and at times unsupervised.
• Good organisation, time management and systems skills.
• Able to travel internationally, if required.
• Must hold a valid UK Driving Licence.

Desirable qualities (but what we can help you develop)

• Experienced in working with testing labs and factories internationally.
• Understanding about our products, how they work and how they are manufactured.
• Excellent influencing skills.
• Ability to communicate at all levels, right through to the Main Board.

About our benefits

• Competitive Salary
• 25% Discount Card for Hobbycraft Stores and Haskins
• Free Onsite Parking
• EV Charging Point
• Free Hot Drinks
• 33 days holiday inclusive of Bank Holidays with an increase each holiday year
• Birthday Day Off
• Hybrid Working
• Company pension contribution – up to 4% contribution
• Employee Assistance Programme provide by Retail Trust
• Cash Health Plan with Health Shield
• Contribution towards eyesight test and glasses
• Subsidised gym membership
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Long service awards and gifts
• Continuous training, development, and performance management
• Colleague Wellness Programme
•  A creative working environment

We are completely committed to supporting anyone with a disability in applying for our vacancies.  If you have a disability and require support throughout our recruitment process, you can contact us at recruitment@hobbycraft.co.uk and let us know what adjustments you may need.

At Hobbycraft we celebrate the joy of crafting, and we celebrate all of our colleagues and customers.  As a retailer we have a diverse Colleague base from a broad range of all communities. Our colleagues are recruited for their skill, passion, love of craft and customer service, which is also reflected in our customer base. It is this skill and love of crafting which defines them. Hobbycraft, is an equal opportunity employer who takes equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging very seriously, we regularly review our policies and practices to ensure not only compliance, but also best practise from an employment perspective.

Hobbycraft are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, and we are committed to equal and fair treatment for all colleagues or potential colleagues irrespective of race, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnic origins, religion or belief, disability, age, gender, marital or family status.