These could include outlining the requirements of quality in manufacturing, distributing them, and making them known to the relevant audiences. The responsibility can extend to outlining standard operating procedure (SOP) as well as generating guidelines for production records. Here, it has to be kept in mind that manufacturing could involve external contractors and compliance specialist jobs can involve a thorough analysis of the methods followed by these contractors as well.
However, it is not right to say that compliance jobs involve just ensuring that manufacturing rules are followed. Apart from identifying manufacturing quality guidelines and reviewing compliance with them, the quality assurance professional also has to analyze documentation. This could also extend to conducting audits to verify whether compliance guidelines are being met or not.
Customers demand high quality results and if these are to be met, there are several areas that need to be remembered. These can include ensuring that critical parameters such as the International Standardization Organization requirements are being met by the manufacturing facility. Providing critical quality inputs, and if needed, day-to-day attention, could be part of standard requirements for the compliance specialist.
Why does any entity require a compliance professional? It is primarily to ensure that the quality of products being made is consistent and that standard operating procedures are being followed evenly across the board. A compliance specialist will basically ensure that all operating standards are being met and that the goods are meeting requirements as per guidelines set down. This is especially significant in a facility that is involved in multiple manufacturing and there could be chances of errors.
Everyday duties involved in a compliance job can be diverse. These can include inspection of goods for obvious or physical defects that can be ascertained by means of a visual inspection. Further, there can be tests such as measuring for the standard weight, size, and other proportions. A quality compliance job will include running quality checks and putting the products through tests that will determine their safety in use, functionality, and adherence to established standards. Maintaining records and logs of defects found, action taken, and analyzing the eventual result is also a function of the quality assurance professional. This information is then communicated to the professionals involved in the process of manufacturing, for example technical experts, supervisors, and managers.
To build a compliance career, a person requires undertaking training as per the employer's requirements. To qualify as compliance specialist for a particular facility, the professional needs to pass tests that have been set down as per manufacturing that is taking place in that particular facility. In that sense, requirements can differ vastly from employer to employer. If a sophisticated software manufacturing unit is involved, qualifications of a potential compliance specialist will differ vastly from those possessed by the quality assurance professional in, say, a shoe-making facility. The factor common to both of these professionals, however, will be a thorough and in depth understanding of the business.
As a result, the compliance specialist will need to possess excellent communication and analytical abilities and the skills to interpret complex data as well.
