ABOUT the role

This is an exciting period of growth for Ethical Clothing Australia. With support from the federal government, Ethical Clothing Australia will focus on further growing the Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation program nationally. This position is 3 days per week and is located in Queensland, with a preference for Brisbane.

The Accreditation Program Advisor manages the administrative function of the Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation program. They support businesses through the accreditation cycle, including providing information about the accreditation program to businesses interested in Ethical Clothing Australia Accreditation and, should a business move forward with accreditation, support the business in the application and each subsequent yearly renewal process. This involves liaising with businesses about their application or renewal, confirming the information provided about their operations and supply chain is correct in the relevant forms, raising invoices, working with the compliance team throughout the audit, providing confirmation certificates and facilitating engagement and connection with the Ethical Clothing Australia's marketing team. The Accreditation Program Advisor will also be responsible for organising site visits with businesses and members of the Ethical Clothing Australia team.

The auditing process of the accreditation program is undertaken by the Compliance Officers from the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union (TCF Union) under Ethical Clothing Australia's Service Level Agreement. Accreditation Program Advisors are not involved in the audit process and are not provided information about a business’s level of compliance beyond compliant or non-compliant; however, they will work closely with Compliance Officers throughout the process to ensure there is consistency with information.

The Accreditation Program Advisor will support businesses to use the Ethical Clothing Australia trade-mark correctly, and will liaise with accredited businesses to rectify any non-compliance with the use of the trade-mark. They will ensure Ethical Clothing Australia’s information and systems are up-to-date, and ensure there is clear communications with the marketing team regarding the removal of any non-compliant or non-renewing businesses from our outward facing communications and platforms.

The successful candidate will need to manage the detailed administrative work associated with the accreditation program outlined above and must have a keen eye for detail.

In addition to managing the existing accredited businesses, the Accreditation Program Advisor will play a critical part in growing the number of accredited businesses under the program. They will build strong relationships with manufacturers and brands across the Textile, Clothing and Footwear industry in Australia. with a focus on Victoria. They will research and identify new businesses who fit the scope of the Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation program, and approach these businesses about becoming Ethical Clothing Australia accredited. They will work with the Accreditation Team to continually improve our growth strategy, as well as support the work to retain accredited businesses.

This person will support the work to continually develop, strengthen and streamline the processes associated with the Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation program, with a particular focus on our growth strategy.

This person will be part of a committed but small team nationally. Ultimately their work will ensure the rights of people working in the TCF industry in Australia are upheld.

ABOUT Ethical Clothing Australia

Ethical Clothing Australia is not-for-profit accreditation body. We work collaboratively with local textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) businesses to protect and uphold the human and labour rights of Australian TCF workers.

The accreditation program protects the hardworking and skilled people who are an integral part of the Australian industry by ensuring that they are working in safe conditions and receiving their correct rate of pay and their legal entitlements. This includes outworkers who are particularly vulnerable in the TCF industry as they often work in isolation, facing unrealistic deadlines, long hours, irregular work and occupational health and safety issues. These workers can have a lack of awareness of their legal rights and entitlements and can have a powerlessness to speak out about problems in fear of losing work altogether.

Our accreditation program maps a business’s Australian supply chain from design to dispatch including initial design, pattern making, cut, make, trim and all value adding services. This crucial work is done via annual compliance audits conducted by the TCF Union team and ensures an ethical and transparent local supply chain by independently confirming they are compliant through their supply chain with the relevant Australian workplace laws. To be Ethical Clothing Australia accredited, a business’s Australian-based manufacturing operations in the supply chain must be compliant.

Once compliant, accredited businesses can display the Ethical Clothing Australia trademark on their Australian-made products, providing consumers and major purchasers with a way to identify and support ethical and locally made products. The program encourages companies to view supply chain management as a fundamental part of the business.

Ethical Clothing Australia is a collaborative, joint union and business initiative and is governed by an independent Committee consisting of representatives from union and employer organisations as well as business representatives.

To be successful

We are looking for an individual who is dedicated to addressing exploitation in the local textile, clothing and footwear industry by driving growth in the Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation program. The successful candidate will need to have excellent communication, customer service and stakeholder engagement skills.

Required:

1. Previous experience in a customer focused role in sales or retail or similar environment with the ability to communicate with influence to support the growth of the program in both getting more businesses accredited and retaining existing accredited businesses.
2. You are driven and energetic, with highly developed interpersonal skills with an ability to liaise with a diverse range of stakeholders including businesses in the TCF Industry encompassing manufacturers, brands and value-adders; the union and government agencies.
3. You have strong attention to detail and you have the capacity to understand programmatic work and processes, and identify areas for continuous improvement.
4. You have excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to tailor your communications to diverse stakeholders.
5. You are familiar with relevant office suite program (word and excel) and have experience is using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, internal information management databases and/or systems.
6. You share a commitment to the values and objectives of Ethical Clothing Australia.
7. You can work positively within a small but dedicated team and are always working towards the organisation’s overarching goals.

Desirable:

1. Knowledge of the textile, clothing or footwear industry.
2. Experience working with the Union.
3. Experience working in cross-cultural contexts.
4. Skills in languages other than English.
5. A valid driver’s license.

A position description is attached.