Quality auditing and compliance are both incredibly important areas of any business’s operations. An individual or team will oversee the way the business works and/or what the business offers to ensure the quality of products, services and business operations are at the highest level of compliance.
Quality auditing can relate to ensuring the quality of products and services within a business. Professionals in this role work closely with an organisation to make sure quality standards are being met. Those working in Compliance are generally known as compliance officers or compliance managers. Like auditors, they can work both directly with a company or contracted out. This is a common profession in government bodies, and enjoy working in a range of different industries and workplaces.
The benefit of a career in quality auditing and/or compliance is that professionals with skills and experience in quality assurance and compliance are required in a multitude of industries, particularly fast-growing industries like manufacturing, medical and healthcare, supply chain and transport and finance.
Working in a quality auditing or compliance role is about identifying problems and risk factors to reduce and resolve. Employers are looking for individuals who have excellent attention to detail for this reason. Problem-solving is a big part of the job, as coming up with recommendations and advice for organisations to improve quality or meet compliance standards is imperative. As a skilled quality auditing or compliance professional, you must have great communication skills, be able to work well under pressure and time constraints, as well as be an honest and integrity-based individual.
Manages a business’s WHS requirements. This role ensures the workplace complies with all relevant WHS laws and requires a higher level of technical knowledge than a Health and Safety Advisor.
Oversees all quality processes, procedures and programs to ensure the standards exceed governmental requirements and match the quality standard of the company. This role also manages a team of quality experts.
Provides evaluations to a business on their quality processes and standards and recommends changes to be made. This role may be employed independently to ensure they can properly audit the business.
Oversees all compliance processes, procedures and programs to ensure the standards meet governmental legislation and guidelines. This role manages a team of compliance experts.
Advises management on any workplace health and safety issues that may arise and either existing or potential future risks. This role identifies, manages, trains staff and communicates on how to improve safety standards.
Collects and assesses data for an organisation. This role is also responsible for writing detailed reports and recommendations to improve compliance standards and processes.
Improves a business’s standards in quality processes. This role is responsible for conducting inspections and proposing solutions to potential quality issues that may arise within the organisation.
Implements and improves safety systems within an organisation. This role identifies risks and hazards and puts the processes and controls in place to remove, mitigate or reduce those risks to employees.
Ensures all WHS guidelines are followed and responsible for providing operational assistance and advice to the business regarding the day-to-day management of WHS risks. This role may work under a Health and Safety Manager.
Conducts reviews of products when they are being made to ensure they are meeting industry and company standards. This role includes running quality tests, writing up reports and identifying risks and issues.
Helps organisations achieve compliance. This role is responsible for auditing, training staff in work health and safety practices, financial compliance, risk assessment and management, and keeping up-to-date with legislation.
Manages a business’s WHS requirements. This role ensures the workplace complies with all relevant WHS laws and requires a higher level of technical knowledge than a Health and Safety Advisor.
Oversees all quality processes, procedures and programs to ensure the standards exceed governmental requirements and match the quality standard of the company. This role also manages a team of quality experts.
Provides evaluations to a business on their quality processes and standards and recommends changes to be made. This role may be employed independently to ensure they can properly audit the business.
Oversees all compliance processes, procedures and programs to ensure the standards meet governmental legislation and guidelines. This role manages a team of compliance experts.
Advises management on any workplace health and safety issues that may arise and either existing or potential future risks. This role identifies, manages, trains staff and communicates on how to improve safety standards.
Collects and assesses data for an organisation. This role is also responsible for writing detailed reports and recommendations to improve compliance standards and processes.
Improves a business’s standards in quality processes. This role is responsible for conducting inspections and proposing solutions to potential quality issues that may arise within the organisation.
Implements and improves safety systems within an organisation. This role identifies risks and hazards and puts the processes and controls in place to remove, mitigate or reduce those risks to employees.
Ensures all WHS guidelines are followed and responsible for providing operational assistance and advice to the business regarding the day-to-day management of WHS risks. This role may work under a Health and Safety Manager.
Conducts reviews of products when they are being made to ensure they are meeting industry and company standards. This role includes running quality tests, writing up reports and identifying risks and issues.
Helps organisations achieve compliance. This role is responsible for auditing, training staff in work health and safety practices, financial compliance, risk assessment and management, and keeping up-to-date with legislation.
A day in the life of a quality auditing professional or compliance officer varies greatly depending on the industry. In general, professionals in these roles can expect to be writing, viewing or assessing reports, meeting with stakeholders or other employees, communicating new or improved procedures or policies to teams and department heads, conducting audits or compliance assessments and more. Quality auditors in certain industries such as manufacturing may need to visit different plants or locations, or, as a skilled quality assurance professional, visit different practices in the healthcare sector. Compliance officers can work autonomously or within a team reporting to a compliance manager and have a financial and data analysis focus with assessing operational processes or business activities.
Compliance challenges in the finance sector
Reports on the top compliance challenges that organisations experience show that there are three major and consistent challenges faced in compliance, particularly in the finance sector:
Resource constraints (42%)
Time (35%)
Capability (23%)
Improving visibility in compliance
Since the Royal Commission, data shows that Australian business leaders in this sector have in fact taken a strong approach to ensure visibility is increased in compliance, with almost 75% of surveyed executives reporting this increase, which is significant to the approximately 45% reported in 2017. (IDM, 2019)
This opens up plenty of career opportunities for professionals seeking a compliance career, with Seek reporting a strong job growth trajectory for compliance managers, with 9.8% projected job growth in five years (SEEK).
As the world adapts to post-COVID, in the work world, quality auditing and compliance have never been so important. Deloitte’s survey of executives around the globe identified that 90% of leaders feel their company would greatly benefit from an increased auditing approach to all business operations, to be more prepared for risks in these times.
“Adhering to sound internal controls principles and practices, employing robust systems of quality control and entrenching a culture of ethics and integrity can go a long way to helping an organisation remain resilient in times of crisis.” – Forbes, 2020
Having one of the best compliance certifications under your belt will allow you to be prepared to confidently step into a variety of business compliance roles. Develop key skills in risk management and compliance risk functions, leadership and quality auditing.
100% Online Learning
Approx 14-16 months part-time
Approx 12 months full-time
Compliance Manager$94,000
Compliance Coordinator$68,000
Compliance Officer$66,000
Enhance your Quality Auditing career and refine your skills to manage and implement quality measurement procedures and audits, ensuring compliance across your organisation. Learn to manage the quality of projects and processes, develop continuous improvement initiatives, and to get the most out of your team.
100% Online Learning
Approx 14-16 months part-time
Approx 12 months full-time
Quality Assurance Coordinator$69,000
Quality Manager$98,000
Internal Auditor$71,000
Develop a basic understanding of occupational health and safety law, and how to navigate the technical aspects related to WHS processes within any organisation. Learn how to best contribute to WHS decisions, supporting their implementation and influencing change within your organisation.
100% Online Learning
Approx 10-12 months part-time
Approx 8 months full-time
Safety Officer$69,000
Work Health Safety Coordinator$72,000
Health Safety Advisor$85,000
Develop key occupational health and safety skills and strengthen your ability to make informed decisions, preparing you to take on leading WHS roles within any organisation. Consolidate and develop your skills around risk analysis and incident response while increasing your ability to lead WHS practices.
100% Online Learning
Approx 12-14 months part-time
Approx 12 months full-time
Work Health Safety Coordinator$72,000
Health Safety Advisor$85,000
Health and Safety Manager$117,000
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Our team, assessments and feedback are all focused on helping you in your career, not just completing your course. As the only RTO offering this, our guarantee is part of our ongoing work to go beyond just a piece of paper.
[I] started on the tools … [then went on to study] project management/construction management, which then saw me lead into the role I am now and the company that I’m with. Everyday I use the topics learned, it doesn’t end at study, from risk assessing to quality control and so on.
[It] was good to get first-hand knowledge from people who have done this for many, many years. I was able to implement that in my learning, which has now rolled over into my career.
We support you beyond achieving your qualifications – we want to help you be as prepared as possible for taking the next step in your career. Our Careers Hub gives you complimentary and exclusive access to resources and personalised advice from our in-house Career Coach.
My experience with Jenni the career counsellor was exceptional…The feedback was so helpful. She was encouraging too, and made me feel more sure about how to ‘sell myself’ to the target employers. I am very impressed with CAL’s careers hub – many resources that I will use. Thank you very much for your help.
– Samantha M.
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