Fulfilment Compliance Team Manager

We are seeking a Fulfilment Compliance Team Manager to join our Distribution Centre in St Neots, Cambridgeshire. This role also covers Northampton, requiring travel as needed.

You will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the fulfilment compliance team, ensuring that all compliance processes meet or exceed industry standards. By working shoulder to shoulder on a daily basis you will improve team openness and awareness of our standards whilst collaboratively building processes and identifying opportunities to improve.

As a Fulfilment Compliance Team Manager, you will be leading in reporting on our Distribution operating model standards and compliance, whilst supporting the maintenance of BRC standards & audits. You will lead the monitoring & reporting our supplier conformance ensuring our deliveries meet clear food quality and delivery standards. As we roll out our new WMS and increase supplier standards you will own and maintain the Fulfilment Goods In manual.

Shift Pattern: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, based on a 37.5-hour contract.

The on-site location for this role is at 'Alpha Site', in St. Neots, Cambridgeshire. This is the Home of Box Selections and Gifting collections.

Alpha is just off the A1 (Wyboston Interchange) and 3.4 miles from St Neots train station. With free parking on site.

This role also covers Northampton, our Distribution Centre 'Beta', in Harpole, Northampton. We opened the doors to our impressive Distribution Centre - all 429,107 square feet of it - in October 2022.

You will find us just off Junction 16 of the M1.

As well as a competitive salary and a range of company benefits including enhanced maternity and paternity leave and Company pension contributions, you'll receive 50% discount on all products, and a 70% discount for you and your guests when you stay at our Rabot Estate hideaway on the paradise island of Saint Lucia.

What you'll be doing....

You will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the fulfilment compliance team, ensuring that all compliance processes meet or exceed industry standards. By working shoulder to shoulder on a daily basis you will improve team openness and awareness of our standards whilst collaboratively building processes and identifying opportunities to improve.

Key responsibilities include:

• Internal Compliance Management - Conducting regular assessments, audits, and improvements to maintain operational excellence.
• Supplier Compliance Oversight - Managing external compliance through a cost-effective and robust supplier compliance process, alongside supporting to be WMS ready and supplier compliant to maximise the business benefits of the change.
• Training & Inductions - Ensuring new employees receive comprehensive inductions and ongoing training, with all documentation completed accurately.
• Health & Safety Adherence - Upholding company policies and procedures to reduce workplace near-misses and incidents.
• Process & Policy Development - Ensuring all changes to processes are accurately reflected in policies, procedures, and the supplier compliance manual.

You will be a proactive leader who thrives in a structured yet evolving environment and is eager to make a tangible impact. You will play a key role in auditing, training, and driving a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and best practices across our fulfilment network.

Show us how it's done.

Leadership & Compliance Management

• Provide strong leadership as the Line Manager for the Fulfilment Compliance Team or operational experience with a strong knowledge of Goods In standards, Policy and process creation whilst fostering a culture of accountability, development, and high performance.
• Chair monthly Fulfilment Compliance Meetings, ensuring clear communication of key updates, action points, and strategic insights to the Fulfilment Leadership Team (FLT) and Leadership Team (LT).
• Act as the subject matter expert on BRC Storage & Distribution Standards, embedding best practices with a collaborative shoulder to shoulder approach across fulfilment operations.

Audits & Training

• Lead and take full ownership of monthly Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) audits within fulfilment, driving compliance excellence.

• Develop and implement structured team growth initiatives, including Day-in-the-Life (DILO) exercises, Personal Development Plans (PDPs), regular 1:1s, and goal-setting frameworks.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Deliver clear, data-driven compliance reports and dashboards, providing Executive-level visibility into key performance and service metrics.
• Manage team holiday approvals, ensuring alignment with business needs, budget constraints, and operational demands.
• Proactively addressing any issues and highlighting any breaches to commercially negotiated standards, or creation of additional workload tasks.

Collaboration & Risk Management

• Partner with the Health & Safety (H&S) team to align compliance strategies with safety regulations.
• Lead root cause investigations into non-conformances, escalating risks and associated costs to the appropriate stakeholders.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams-including Technical, Procurement, Merchandise, and Supply Planning-to proactively mitigate compliance risks across the supply chain.
• Represent the compliance function in key business meetings and forums, acting as a trusted and influential voice.

Additional Responsibilities

• Manage procurement tasks, including raising purchase orders (POs) within D365.
• Provide leadership coverage by deputising for the Planning & Compliance Manager as needed.

Systems

• Leading the deployment of Goods in standards with our Procurement team to enable WMS benefits.
• As we deploy the WMS you will create new reports and visibility of our supply base performance and compliance.

Who you are...

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Proven People Management
• Compliance & Regulatory knowledge - Strong understanding of BRC Storage & Distribution Standards, ensuring adherence to industry regulations and best practices.
• Experience within fast-paced FMCG warehousing and fulfilment operations.
• Compliance & Audit Experience or Strong Goods In operational knowledge
• IT Proficiency - Confident IT user, highly competent in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and warehouse management systems (WMS).
• Ability to Perform Under Pressure - Comfortable working in a high-paced, deadline-driven setting, managing multiple priorities effectively.
• Root Cause Analysis & Problem-Solving
• Confidentiality & Integrity - Capable of handling sensitive business information with discretion and professionalism.
• Strong Organisational & Time Management Skills - Able to work to strict deadlines, prioritising workloads.
• Team Player & Collaborative Mindset - Works effectively across multiple departments, engaging stakeholders at all levels.
• Proactive & Solutions-Oriented - A self-starter with a positive, can-do attitude that motivates and inspires others.

Desirable {Although full training and support will be given}

• Project Management Experience - Previous involvement in cross-functional projects, contributing to process improvements and operational efficiencies.
• HACCP & TACCP Trained - Competent in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Threat Assessment and Critical Control Points (TACCP).
• Warehouse, Storage & Distribution Background - Additional experience in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) environments, particularly food and beverage logistics.
• Change Management & Process Optimisation - Familiarity with implementing new ways of working, driving continuous improvement across teams.

Who are we?

We're one of the UK's favourite premium chocolate brands, with a range of products spanning luxury gifts, alcohol and our pioneering drinking chocolate system, the Velvetiser™.

A cacao pod takes years to grow - it can't be rushed if it's going to be just right for our products. The same can be said for Hotel Chocolat, which originally started as a mint production company before we realised it was luxury chocolate that we were really passionate about.

Now, we're market leaders in the industry. What began as an online-only business grew to over 140 stores across the UK, and we're still growing... Today, we're multi-category, multi-channel, and multi-territory, and our customers, colleagues, cacao farmers and suppliers all benefit from the success we make together.

To learn more about us and read about our People Pledge - our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion - click here: hotelchocolat.com/uk/engaged-ethics/our-people.html