Director, International Standards Development

Role Purpose & Context

Role Summary

As our Director of International Standards Development, you'll set the multi-year strategic direction for our organisation's engagement with global standards bodies. This means deciding where we invest our time and resources, ensuring our participation actually helps the business. You'll be the one guiding our teams to influence standards that matter for our products, our market position, and frankly, our bottom line. This role sits right at the intersection of our product development, regulatory compliance, and market access teams. You'll translate our business goals into a clear standards agenda, then rally the troops—both internal experts and external volunteers—to make it happen. When you do this well, we'll have a competitive edge, our products will sail through global approvals, and we'll avoid costly regulatory surprises. If it's not done right, we could see market delays, increased compliance costs, or even be locked out of certain markets entirely. The challenge? You're often influencing without direct authority, navigating complex international politics, and trying to speed up processes that move at a glacial pace. The reward, though, is seeing standards published that directly reflect our company's best practices, giving us a real advantage and shaping the future of our industry.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: VP, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs
• Direct reports: Roughly 5-8 Standards Managers and Specialists
• Matrix relationships: Head of Global Standards, VP of Standards & Compliance, Standards Strategy Director, Director, Technical Harmonisation,

Key Stakeholders

Internal:

• Product Development Leadership
• R&D Directors
• Legal & Regulatory Affairs Team
• Sales & Marketing VPs
• Operations Leadership

External:

• ISO, IEC, CEN, CENELEC Technical Management Boards
• National Standards Bodies (e.g., BSI, DIN, ANSI)
• Key Industry Consortia & Trade Associations
• Government Regulators (e.g., HSE, European Commission)
• Certification Bodies

Organisational Impact

Scope: This role directly shapes our ability to bring new products to market globally, ensures our compliance posture is proactive rather than reactive, and significantly impacts our competitive advantage by embedding our technical expertise into international benchmarks. You're essentially future-proofing our business through strategic standards involvement.

Performance Metrics

Quantitative Metrics

1. Metric: Strategic Standards Publication Rate
2. Desc: Number of new or revised international standards published annually where our organisation held a leadership role (e.g., Chair, Convener, primary editor) and which directly support a key business objective (e.g., new product launch, market entry).
3. Target: 3+ strategic standards published per year
4. Freq: Annually
5. Example: In 2024, successfully led the publication of ISO 45003 (Psychological Safety) and IEC 61508 (Functional Safety) revisions, directly enabling our new software-as-a-medical-device offering.
6. Metric: Standards Development Lifecycle (SDL) Optimisation
7. Desc: Average time taken from New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) approval to Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) publication for standards where we are the primary driver.
8. Target: Reduce average SDL by 10% (e.g., from 48 to 43 months)
9. Freq: Bi-annually
10. Example: Reduced the average time for our key safety standards from 48 months to 42 months by proactively managing comment resolution and ballot timelines across the portfolio.
11. Metric: Leadership Position Acquisition
12. Desc: Number of new Chair, Convener, or Secretary roles secured in critical ISO/IEC Technical Committees (TCs) or Subcommittees (SCs) that align with our strategic priorities.
13. Target: Secure 2-3 new leadership positions per year
14. Freq: Annually
15. Example: Successfully nominated and supported our experts to become Convener of ISO/TC 283/WG 1 (OH&S Management Systems) and Chair of IEC/SC 65A (System Aspects of Industrial-Process Measurement, Control and Automation).
16. Metric: Regulatory Alignment & Risk Mitigation
17. Desc: Reduction in the number of regulatory non-conformities or market access delays directly attributable to a lack of appropriate standards or our inability to influence them.
18. Target: Zero major regulatory non-conformities related to standards gaps
19. Freq: Quarterly & Annually
20. Example: Proactively influenced the revision of a key medical device standard, preventing a potential 6-month delay in market access for our new product line in the EU.

Qualitative Metrics

1. Metric: Strategic Influence & Reputation
2. Desc: Our organisation is consistently recognised as a thought leader and key influencer in relevant international standards forums. Our opinions are sought out, and our positions carry weight.
3. Evidence: Regular invitations to speak at high-level industry events or standards body plenary sessions. Our experts are frequently quoted in industry publications on standards matters. Direct feedback from ISO/IEC leadership or national body representatives acknowledging our contribution. Our proposals are often adopted or heavily influence final decisions.
4. Metric: Team Leadership & Development
5. Desc: You're building a high-performing team of standards professionals, fostering their growth, and ensuring they have the skills and support to excel. This includes effective succession planning.
6. Evidence: High retention rates within your direct team. Positive feedback in 360-degree reviews regarding your coaching and mentorship. Clear career development plans for each team member. Successful internal promotions from your team into more senior roles. Team members actively leading complex projects with confidence.
7. Metric: Cross-Functional Collaboration & Business Integration
8. Desc: The standards development function is deeply integrated with business units, ensuring our efforts are aligned with product roadmaps, R&D, and market strategies. You're seen as a trusted partner, not just a 'compliance gatekeeper'.
9. Evidence: Regular participation in executive-level product strategy meetings. Standards development plans are explicitly referenced in business unit roadmaps. Proactive engagement with R&D on emerging technologies and their standardisation needs. Business leaders consistently seek your input on market entry strategies related to standards.

Primary Traits

• Trait: Strategic Visionary
• Manifestation: You're not just reacting to standards; you're looking 3-5 years ahead, anticipating market shifts, regulatory changes, and technological advancements. You can connect the dots between a seemingly obscure technical committee meeting and our long-term business strategy. You'll articulate a clear, compelling vision for our standards involvement that gets everyone on board.
• Benefit: At this level, it's not enough to manage the current portfolio. We need someone who can see around corners, identify the standards that don't exist yet but *should*, and position us to lead their development. Without this foresight, we risk being reactive, playing catch-up, and missing crucial market opportunities.
• Trait: Master Influencer (Boardroom to Working Group)
• Manifestation: You can present a complex standards strategy to the Board and make it clear and relevant. Equally, you can sit in a contentious working group meeting and subtly steer a debate towards a consensus that benefits our organisation, all without appearing heavy-handed. You're a natural at building coalitions and getting disparate groups to agree, even when they have conflicting agendas.
• Benefit: This role is all about influence, often without direct authority over the experts doing the actual drafting. You need to persuade senior internal stakeholders to invest resources, convince external national bodies to vote our way, and guide volunteer experts to deliver on time. If you can't influence, standards projects stall, and our strategic goals won't be met.
• Trait: Accountable Architect
• Manifestation: You take ultimate responsibility for the entire standards development programme, from budget and resource allocation to the quality and timeliness of published standards. When a project hits a snag, you own it, you find the solution, and you communicate transparently upwards. You're constantly assessing risks and building mitigation plans, knowing that the buck stops with you.
• Benefit: You're overseeing a multi-million-pound investment in standards development, with direct impact on our market access and compliance. If a key standard is delayed or poorly drafted, it can cost the company millions. We need someone who truly owns the outcome, not just the process, and can lead a complex, distributed effort to success.

Supporting Traits

• Trait: Extreme Patience (with a sense of urgency)
• Desc: You understand that standards development is a marathon, not a sprint, often taking years. But you also know when to apply pressure and push for progress to avoid unnecessary delays. It's a delicate balance.
• Trait: Political Astuteness
• Desc: You can quickly read the room, understand the hidden agendas, and identify the corporate or national interests at play in technical debates. This helps you navigate complex situations and build effective strategies.
• Trait: Meticulous (when it matters)
• Desc: While you delegate the detailed procedural work, you have an innate appreciation for accuracy. You know that a single procedural misstep can invalidate years of work, so you ensure your team follows the rules, especially on high-stakes projects.
• Trait: Resilience & Diplomacy
• Desc: You can absorb criticism from all sides, remain neutral under pressure, and maintain focus on the strategic objective, even during highly contentious discussions or when dealing with difficult personalities. You're a master at de-escalation.

Primary Motivators

1. Motivator: Shaping the Future
2. Daily: You'll be working on standards that will define safety and quality for entire industries for decades to come. Seeing your strategic input become a global benchmark is incredibly rewarding.
3. Motivator: Strategic Impact & Influence
4. Daily: Your decisions on where to invest our standards efforts will directly influence our product roadmaps, market access, and competitive position. You're not just advising; you're setting a course.
5. Motivator: Complex Problem Solving (Global Scale)
6. Daily: You'll be tackling truly thorny problems: how to harmonise conflicting national regulations, how to standardise rapidly evolving technologies, or how to get 50 countries to agree on a single technical specification. It's never dull.

Potential Demotivators

Honestly, this role isn't for everyone. If you crave quick wins and immediate gratification, you'll struggle. Standards development is a long game, often measured in years, not quarters. You'll spend a lot of time in meetings where progress feels painfully slow, dealing with political squabbles disguised as technical debates. You'll also be accountable for outcomes that rely heavily on the goodwill and volunteer efforts of others, which can be incredibly frustrating. If you need absolute control over your projects or can't tolerate ambiguity and slow processes, this probably isn't the right fit.

Common Frustrations

1. The glacial pace of international standards development (3-5 years for a single standard is typical).
2. Managing volunteer experts who have their own priorities and day jobs, making deadlines a constant battle.
3. Navigating corporate politics where technical arguments are often fronts for commercial interests.
4. Dealing with last-minute 'No' votes or critical comments from national bodies that derail months of work.
5. Explaining to impatient business leaders why 'just one more meeting' is actually a mandatory ballot period.
6. The sheer volume of comment reconciliation for complex drafts—it's a beast.

What Role Doesn't Offer

1. A fast-paced, 'move fast and break things' environment.
2. Direct control over all resources and timelines (you'll often rely on influence).
3. A role where you're solely focused on deep technical drafting (you're more of an orchestrator).
4. Immediate, tangible results on a daily or weekly basis.

ADHD Positives

1. The need for strategic horizon scanning and identifying new opportunities can be a great outlet for hyperfocus and novel idea generation.
2. The variety of challenges—from diplomatic negotiation to strategic planning—can keep things engaging and prevent boredom.
3. The ability to juggle multiple, long-term projects (even if slow-moving) can suit those who thrive on parallel processing.

ADHD Challenges and Accommodations

1. **Challenge:** The extremely slow pace of standards development and the need for meticulous procedural adherence can be frustrating. **Accommodation:** We can support you with dedicated administrative support for process heavy tasks, and help you structure your work to focus on strategic oversight.
2. **Challenge:** Sustained attention during long, often procedural, international meetings. **Accommodation:** We encourage taking regular breaks, using tools for live transcription and summarisation (more on this below), and structuring agendas to include varied activities.

Dyslexia Positives

1. The role's emphasis on strategic thinking, pattern recognition in global trends, and high-level negotiation plays to strengths often associated with dyslexic thinkers.
2. Excellent verbal communication and big-picture synthesis are critical, which are often strong areas.

Dyslexia Challenges and Accommodations

1. **Challenge:** The extensive reading and drafting of highly technical, precise, and often dense standards documents. **Accommodation:** We provide access to advanced text-to-speech and speech-to-text software, specialised proofreading tools, and dedicated editorial support for critical documents. We also encourage visual aids and diagrams for complex information.
2. **Challenge:** Meticulous attention to detail in formal documentation and procedural rules. **Accommodation:** You'll have a strong team to delegate detailed document review to, and we can provide specific templates and checklists to simplify procedural checks.

Autism Positives

1. The deep, systematic understanding of complex international procedures (like ISO/IEC Directives) can be a significant strength.
2. A preference for clear, logical, and structured processes (which standards development aims to be, in theory) can be very valuable.
3. The ability to focus intently on technical details and identify inconsistencies in complex documents is crucial for quality assurance in standards.

Autism Challenges and Accommodations

1. **Challenge:** Navigating the unspoken political nuances and subtle social cues in international negotiation and consensus-building. **Accommodation:** We can provide coaching on diplomatic communication, clear pre-meeting briefings on stakeholder agendas, and support in debriefing complex interactions. We also promote clear, direct communication within our internal teams.
2. **Challenge:** Dealing with unexpected changes, ambiguity, and the 'herding cats' aspect of managing volunteers. **Accommodation:** We strive for clear agendas and expectations, and you'll have a strong support network to help manage unpredictable elements. We can also provide tools to help structure and track complex, multi-stakeholder interactions.

Key Responsibilities

Experience Levels Responsibilities

1. Level: Director, International Standards Development (L6)
2. Responsibilities: Define the organisation's multi-year strategic roadmap for international standards engagement, aligning it directly with our product development, market access, and regulatory compliance goals. This means looking at where the market is going, where our products are heading, and making sure we're influencing the right standards at the right time.
3. Lead and manage a team of Standards Managers and Specialists. You'll be responsible for their development, performance, and ensuring they have the resources and direction to deliver on the strategic plan. This isn't just about managing tasks; it's about building a high-performing, influential team.
4. Represent the organisation at the highest levels of international standards bodies (e.g., ISO/IEC Technical Management Boards, strategic advisory groups). You'll be our voice, shaping policy and influencing the direction of global standardisation efforts.
5. Oversee the entire portfolio of standards development projects, ensuring timely progression through the various stages (NWIP, CD, DIS, FDIS, publication). You're accountable for the overall health and success of the programme, even when individual projects hit snags.
6. Establish and manage the annual budget for the International Standards Development function (typically £2M-£10M+), making strategic decisions on resource allocation, external memberships, and travel to maximise our impact.
7. Build and maintain strategic relationships with key national standards bodies, industry consortia, and regulatory authorities globally. You'll be our primary point of contact, ensuring strong collaboration and influence.
8. Drive continuous improvement in our internal standards development processes and tools. This means looking for efficiencies, adopting new technologies (like AI for comment resolution), and ensuring we're operating as effectively as possible.
9. Act as the ultimate arbiter for complex technical and procedural disputes within our standards projects. When the team can't agree, or external stakeholders are at loggerheads, you'll step in to find a path forward, often requiring a blend of diplomacy and decisive action.
10. Supervision: You'll operate with full strategic autonomy within the business unit, reporting to the VP of Compliance & Regulatory Affairs on quarterly objectives and major strategic shifts. Day-to-day execution is yours to define and own.
11. Decision: Full strategic authority within your domain, including budget allocation (typically £2M-£10M+), organisational design for your function, and hiring decisions. You'll also make critical decisions regarding our official positions on draft standards and our representation at international forums. Board-level decisions will require alignment with the C-Suite.
12. Success: Your success will be measured by our ability to proactively shape the regulatory and market landscape through standards, the efficiency and impact of our standards programme, and the strength and development of your team. Ultimately, it's about delivering tangible business value through strategic standards engagement.

Decision-Making Authority

• Type: Strategic Standards Portfolio Direction
• Entry: N/A (inform and learn)
• Mid: N/A (propose ideas to manager)
• Senior: Recommend specific standards projects for prioritisation, with rationale.
• Type: Budget Allocation for Standards Programme
• Entry: N/A (no budget authority)
• Mid: N/A (request resources from manager)
• Senior: Manage project budgets up to £50K, escalate anything higher.
• Type: Representing Organisation at High-Level Forums
• Entry: N/A (attend as observer)
• Mid: N/A (attend as technical expert)
• Senior: Represent the organisation in specific working groups or subcommittees, with pre-approved positions.

Competency Requirements

Foundation Skills (Transferable)

At this level, we expect you to be a seasoned leader with exceptional soft skills that enable you to operate effectively at both strategic and operational levels. These aren't just 'nice-to-haves'; they're fundamental to your success in influencing complex international environments.

• Category: Strategic Leadership & Vision
• Skills: Ability to define and articulate a compelling multi-year vision for standards development.
• Demonstrated capability in translating complex business objectives into actionable standards strategies.
• Strong foresight to anticipate future regulatory and market needs.
• Proven track record of building and leading high-performing, geographically dispersed teams.
• Category: Influence & Negotiation (Global)
• Skills: Expertise in negotiating complex technical and political issues with diverse international stakeholders.
• Exceptional ability to build consensus and drive agreement among competing interests without direct authority.
• Diplomatic communication skills, adept at navigating cultural nuances in international forums.
• Proven ability to influence C-suite executives, board members, and external regulatory bodies.
• Category: Complex Problem Solving & Decision Making
• Skills: Capability to analyse highly ambiguous situations and make decisive, high-stakes decisions.
• A track record of resolving intractable disputes (technical, procedural, political) in standards development.
• Ability to identify root causes of systemic issues and implement long-term solutions.
• Comfortable with high levels of uncertainty and incomplete information.
• Category: Organisational Acumen & Resilience
• Skills: Deep understanding of organisational dynamics and how to drive change in large enterprises.
• Exceptional resilience and perseverance in the face of long timelines and frequent setbacks.
• Ability to manage multiple, complex programmes simultaneously, prioritising effectively.
• Strong personal accountability for collective outcomes, even when relying on external parties.

Functional Skills (Role-Specific Technical)

You'll need a robust understanding of the standards ecosystem, coupled with strong digital literacy to manage and report on our extensive standards portfolio. This isn't just theory; it's about practical application and strategic oversight.

Technical Competencies

• Skill: Standards Development Lifecycle (SDL) Management
• Desc: Mastery of the formal, multi-year process from New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) through Committee Draft (CD), Draft International Standard (DIS), Final Draft (FDIS), to publication and subsequent Systematic Review. You'll be defining and optimising our internal processes for this.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Consensus-Building & Negotiation
• Desc: The core skill of facilitating agreement among competing technical and commercial interests from different countries and corporations, often without formal authority. You'll be coaching your team and personally intervening in high-stakes situations.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Regulatory Intelligence & Horizon Scanning
• Desc: Proactively monitoring global regulatory bodies (e.g., European Commission, FDA, EPA) to anticipate future needs for standards and identify opportunities for harmonisation. You'll be setting the strategy for this and acting on the insights.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: ISO/IEC Directives & Procedures
• Desc: Deep, practical knowledge of the 'rules of the game,' particularly ISO/IEC Directives Part 1 (Procedures) and Part 2 (Rules for drafting), and the ability to apply them to navigate complex procedural challenges. You'll be the ultimate authority on these within the organisation.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Conformity Assessment Principles
• Desc: Understanding the relationship between standards and certification, including the roles of accreditation bodies, certification bodies, and the different types of conformity assessment (e.g., ISO/IEC 17021, 17025). You'll be integrating this into our product and market access strategies.
• Level: Advanced

Digital Tools

• Tool: Confluence & Jira
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Mandates and oversees the enterprise-wide use of these tools for all standards development, ensuring integration with other systems for reporting and strategic oversight of the standards portfolio.
• Tool: ServiceNow GRC / Archer GRC Suite
• Level: Architect
• Usage: Leads the selection and implementation of GRC modules. Defines the enterprise data model for linking policies, standards, and regulations, ensuring our standards strategy is integrated with our overall compliance framework.
• Tool: MS Project / Smartsheet
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Uses portfolio-level views to manage resource contention across all standards initiatives and report on overall programme health, risks, and strategic alignment to the executive team and board.
• Tool: Power BI / Tableau
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Defines the key metrics and designs the executive-level dashboards that the entire function and C-suite use to measure success, track strategic impact, and report to the board on standards programme performance.
• Tool: MS Teams & SharePoint
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Champions and enforces the use of these platforms as the single source of truth for all standards-related documentation and collaboration, integrating them into formal audit and record-keeping processes for governance.
• Tool: Diligent / BoardVantage
• Level: Advanced
• Usage: Manages the entire board reporting process through the platform, from agenda setting to minute-taking and action tracking for high-stakes decisions related to standards strategy and compliance.

Industry Knowledge

• Area: Global Regulatory Landscape
• Desc: Deep understanding of key regulatory bodies (e.g., EU, UK, US, APAC) and their impact on product compliance and market access, particularly how standards interact with regulations.
• Area: Emerging Technologies & Their Standardisation Needs
• Desc: Familiarity with new technologies (e.g., AI, IoT, advanced materials) and the challenges/opportunities they present for standardisation in our industry sector.
• Area: Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in Standards
• Desc: Understanding of IPR policies within standards bodies and how to manage our organisation's IPR interests during standards development.

Regulatory Compliance Regulations

• Reg: ISO/IEC Directives, Parts 1 & 2
• Usage: You'll be the ultimate authority on these rules, ensuring all standards development activities comply, and strategically navigating procedural challenges. You'll also be influencing their future revisions.
• Reg: Relevant National & Regional Regulations (e.g., UKCA, CE Marking, FDA, EPA)
• Usage: You'll understand how international standards interact with these regulations, identify gaps, and lead efforts to ensure our standards strategy supports compliance and market access.
• Reg: Anti-Trust & Competition Law (in standards context)
• Usage: You'll need to be aware of the implications of anti-trust laws in collaborative standards development, ensuring our participation remains fair and competitive. You'll guide your team on this.

Essential Prerequisites

• Proven experience (10+ years) leading complex, multi-stakeholder programmes, ideally in a regulated industry.
• Significant experience (5+ years) in international standards development, including direct involvement in ISO/IEC or similar high-level technical committees.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and develop a team of technical professionals.
• A track record of successfully influencing strategic outcomes in complex, often political, environments.
• Strong financial acumen, including experience managing budgets in the multi-million-pound range.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, capable of engaging audiences from technical experts to board members.

Career Pathway Context

We're looking for someone who has already 'done the hard yards' in standards development and is now ready to step up to define and lead the entire strategic function. This isn't a learning role; it's a leadership role that requires seasoned judgment and a deep understanding of the global standards ecosystem.

Qualifications & Credentials

Emerging Foundation Skills

• Skill: AI Governance & Ethical Standardisation
• Why: Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming every industry, bringing with it complex ethical, safety, and regulatory questions. International standards bodies are scrambling to develop frameworks for AI governance, trustworthiness, and bias. As a leader, you'll need to guide our organisation's position and influence these critical, nascent standards.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management System)', 'description': 'Understanding the requirements for an AI management system and how to integrate it into our existing quality and compliance frameworks.'}, {'concept_name': 'AI Ethics Principles', 'description': 'Familiarity with global ethical guidelines for AI (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI Risk Management Framework) and how they translate into standardisation efforts.'}, {'concept_name': 'Explainable AI (XAI)', 'description': 'Understanding the technical and standardisation challenges around making AI decisions transparent and auditable.'}, {'concept_name': 'AI Conformity Assessment', 'description': 'Exploring how AI systems will be assessed for compliance against standards and regulations.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Attend a webinar or conference on AI governance and standards.
• Next 6 months: Actively participate in an internal working group on AI ethics or compliance.
• Next 12 months: Identify a key AI-related standardisation initiative and position our organisation to lead or significantly influence it.
• Ongoing: Read key reports from organisations like the OECD, NIST, and European Commission on AI policy.
• QuickWin: Start by understanding our internal AI strategy and identifying potential areas where standards gaps exist or where we can proactively shape upcoming AI standards.
• Skill: Digital Transformation of Standards Development
• Why: The traditional, document-centric approach to standards is slowly giving way to digital, machine-readable standards. This shift promises greater efficiency, better interoperability, and easier compliance. You'll need to champion and drive our adoption of these new methodologies.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Machine-Readable Standards', 'description': 'Understanding the concept of standards encoded in structured data formats (e.g., XML, JSON) for automated processing.'}, {'concept_name': 'Linked Data & Ontologies', 'description': 'How to represent standards information in a way that allows for semantic interoperability and automated reasoning.'}, {'concept_name': 'Digital Twins & Standards', 'description': 'The role of standards in enabling digital twins for products, processes, and systems, particularly in health and safety.'}, {'concept_name': 'Blockchain for Traceability & Compliance', 'description': 'Exploring how distributed ledger technologies could be used for supply chain traceability and automated compliance verification against standards.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Research leading initiatives in digital standards (e.g., ISO Smart Standards, CEN/CENELEC digital transformation).
• Next 6 months: Pilot a small project to convert a section of an existing internal standard into a machine-readable format.
• Next 12 months: Develop a strategy for how our organisation will engage with and contribute to the development of digital standards.
• Ongoing: Engage with IT and R&D teams to understand their needs for digital standards and data exchange.
• QuickWin: Identify one current manual process in standards management (e.g., cross-referencing between standards) that could be partially automated with simple digital tools.

Advancing Technical Skills

• Skill: Advanced Data Analytics & AI for Standards Management
• Why: The sheer volume of data generated in standards development (comments, votes, project timelines) offers huge opportunities for efficiency and strategic insight. You'll need to understand how to leverage advanced analytics and AI, not just for operational tasks, but for strategic decision-making.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Predictive Analytics for Project Risk', 'description': 'Using historical data to predict which standards projects are at risk of delay or failure, allowing for proactive intervention.'}, {'concept_name': 'Sentiment Analysis of Ballot Comments', 'description': "Using AI to gauge the overall sentiment and identify 'hot button' issues in thousands of comments, informing negotiation strategies."}, {'concept_name': 'Network Analysis of Committee Structures', 'description': 'Understanding the influence dynamics within technical committees to identify key players and build effective coalitions.'}, {'concept_name': 'Natural Language Generation (NLG) for Reporting', 'description': 'Automating the drafting of routine reports (e.g., project status, ballot summaries) to free up team time.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Work with your team to identify one key metric or report that could benefit from advanced analytics.
• Next 6 months: Explore off-the-shelf AI tools for text analysis and summarisation relevant to standards documents.
• Next 12 months: Commission a pilot project to use predictive analytics for standards project risk assessment.
• Ongoing: Stay informed on the latest developments in AI and data science that could be applied to our domain.
• QuickWin: Ask your team to start experimenting with ChatGPT or Claude to summarise long technical documents or meeting transcripts, and share their findings.

Education Requirements

• Level: Minimum
• Req: A Bachelor's degree (OFQUAL Level 6 or equivalent) in a relevant technical field (e.g., Engineering, Science, Computer Science) or Law, or a related discipline.
• Alts: Extensive, demonstrable experience (15+ years) in international standards development and compliance, with a proven track record of strategic leadership, can be considered in lieu of a formal degree.
• Level: Preferred
• Req: A Master's degree (OFQUAL Level 7) or PhD in a technical discipline, Law, or Business Administration (MBA).
• Alts: Advanced professional certifications in compliance, quality management, or project management (e.g., PMP, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt) combined with significant experience.

Experience Requirements

You'll need at least 16-20 years of progressive experience in compliance, quality, health, or safety, with a significant portion (minimum 8-10 years) directly involved in international standards development and management. This should include at least 5 years in a senior leadership or management role, overseeing programmes, budgets, and teams. We're looking for someone who has genuinely 'been there, done that' at a strategic level, not just managed individual projects.

Preferred Certifications

• Cert: Certified Standards Professional (CSP)
• Prod: Various national standards bodies or consortia
• Usage: Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of standards development processes and best practices, though often more focused on operational aspects.
• Cert: Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Prod: Project Management Institute (PMI)
• Usage: While standards move slowly, managing the internal programme and resources requires strong project and programme management skills.
• Cert: Lead Auditor (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001)
• Prod: Various accredited certification bodies
• Usage: A deep understanding of management systems and auditing principles provides invaluable insight into how standards are implemented and assessed, which is crucial for influencing their content.
• Cert: Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP)
• Prod: Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE)
• Usage: Reinforces a strong foundation in compliance principles, which is often intertwined with standards development and regulatory affairs.

Recommended Activities

• Active participation in high-level ISO/IEC or regional standards body committees (e.g., TMB, Policy Development Groups).
• Regular attendance and speaking engagements at international conferences on standards, regulatory affairs, or emerging technologies.
• Mentoring junior professionals within the standards and compliance fields.
• Publishing articles or whitepapers on strategic aspects of standards development or their impact on industry.
• Undertaking executive education programmes focused on global leadership, negotiation, or strategic management.

Career Progression Pathways

Entry Paths to This Role

• Path: VP of Compliance & Regulatory Affairs
• Time: 3-5 years
• Path: Chief Quality Officer (CQO)
• Time: 3-5 years
• Path: VP of Product Development (with strong compliance focus)
• Time: 4-6 years

Career Progression From This Role

• Pathway: VP, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs
• Time: 3-5 years
• Pathway: Chief Standards Officer (CSO) / VP of Technical Harmonisation
• Time: 4-6 years

Long Term Vision Potential Roles

• Title: Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)
• Time: 5-10 years
• Title: Chief Technology Officer (CTO) / Chief Product Officer (CPO)
• Time: 7-12 years
• Title: Industry Association President / CEO
• Time: 10-15 years

How Zavmo Delivers This Role's Development

DISCOVER Phase: Skills Gap Analysis

Zavmo maps your current competencies against all requirements in this job description through conversational assessment. We evaluate your foundation skills (communication, strategic thinking), functional skills (CRM expertise, negotiation), and readiness for career progression.

Output: Personalised skills gap heat map showing strengths and priorities, estimated time to competency, neurodiversity accommodations.

DISCUSS Phase: Personalised Learning Pathway

Based on your DISCOVER results, Zavmo creates a personalised learning plan prioritised by impact: foundation skills first, then functional skills. We adapt to your learning style, pace, and neurodiversity needs (ADHD, dyslexia, autism).

Output: Week-by-week schedule, each module linked to specific job responsibilities, checkpoints and milestones.

DELIVER Phase: Conversational Learning

Learn through conversation, not boring modules. Zavmo uses 10 conversation types (Socratic dialogue, role-play, coaching, case studies) to build competence. Practice difficult QBR presentations, negotiate tough renewals, and handle churn conversations in a safe AI environment before facing real clients.

Example: "For 'Stakeholder Mapping', Zavmo will guide you through analysing a complex enterprise account, identifying key decision-makers, and building an engagement strategy."

DEMONSTRATE Phase: Competency Assessment

Zavmo automatically builds your evidence portfolio as you learn. Every conversation, practice scenario, and application example is captured and mapped to NOS performance criteria. When ready, your portfolio supports OFQUAL qualification claims and demonstrates competence to employers.

Output: Competency matrix, evidence portfolio (downloadable), qualification readiness, career progression score.