UK

United Kingdom · Compliance, quality and safety · Director/VP (16-20 years)

Director, International Standards Development

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  • Experience bandDirector/VP (16-20 years)
  • Direct reports5-8 reports
  • Reports toVP, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs
  • UK framework levelUsually a director, accountable for a division and its numbers

Also advertised as Head of Global Standards · VP of Standards & Compliance · Standards Strategy Director · Director, Technical Harmonisation

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in what real qualifications cover

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

GQA Level 5 Diploma in the Practice of Process Safety Management GQA Qualifications Limited · Level 5 · covers 2 of 15 standards
GQA PAA\VQ-SET Level 3 Diploma for a Bulk Storage Operator (Technician) GQA Qualifications Limited · Level 3 · covers 1 of 15 standards
GQA PAA\VQ-SET Level 3 Certificate in Laboratory Technical Skills GQA Qualifications Limited · Level 3 · covers 1 of 15 standards
Highfield Level 7 NVQ in Construction Senior Management (RQF) Highfield Qualifications · Level 7 · covers 1 of 15 standards
NQual Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management NQual · Level 5 · covers 1 of 15 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Understand how to comply with the relevant Regulations, Industry Standards and Management Requirements for Process Safety GQA Level 5 Diploma in the Practice of Process Safety Management
Comply with External and Internal Obligations within a Bulk Storage Operations Environment GQA PAA\VQ-SET Level 3 Diploma for a Bulk Storage Operator (Technician)
Good Manufacturing Practice GQA PAA\VQ-SET Level 3 Certificate in Laboratory Technical Skills
Principles of Safe Manufacture of Quality Medicines in the Pharmaceutical Environment Open Awards Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Technicians (Diploma)
Direct the management of design development and processes in construction management Highfield Level 7 NVQ in Construction Senior Management (RQF)
Principles of leadership and management NQual Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Frontier Fluency the next wave, beyond mainstream AI
Change Fluency taking people through change
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Director, International Standards Development

6 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Understand how to comply with the relevant Regulations, Industry Standards and Management Requirements for Process Safety GQA Qualifications Limited · covers 2 of 15 standards Level 5
  2. Comply with External and Internal Obligations within a Bulk Storage Operations Environment GQA Qualifications Limited · covers 1 of 15 standards Level 3
  3. Good Manufacturing Practice GQA Qualifications Limited · covers 1 of 15 standards Level 3
  4. Principles of Safe Manufacture of Quality Medicines in the Pharmaceutical Environment Open Awards · covers 1 of 15 standards Level 3
  5. Direct the management of design development and processes in construction management Highfield Qualifications · covers 1 of 15 standards Level 7
  6. Principles of leadership and management NQual · covers 1 of 15 standards Level 5
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Director, International Standards Development?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • AI Governance & Ethical Standardisation
  • Digital Transformation of Standards Development
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Director, International Standards Development plan as you set up, starting with the free Automation Fluency module. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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Keep this read. One email with what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for and where to start free. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

3What this role really is

This job involves shaping international standards for safety, quality and health across industries, and representing an organisation's interests in that process.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Confluence & Jira Strategic

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.

ServiceNow GRC / Archer GRC Suite Architect

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.

MS Project / Smartsheet Strategic

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.

Power BI / Tableau Strategic

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.

MS Teams & SharePoint Strategic

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.

Diligent / BoardVantage Advanced

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.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

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

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Strategic Standards Publication Rate
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).
Target · 3+ strategic standards published per year

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.

Standards Development Lifecycle (SDL) Optimisation
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.
Target · Reduce average SDL by 10% (e.g., from 48 to 43 months)

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.

Leadership Position Acquisition
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.
Target · Secure 2-3 new leadership positions per year

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).

Regulatory Alignment & Risk Mitigation
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.
Target · Zero major regulatory non-conformities related to standards gaps

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.

Strategic Influence & Reputation
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.
  • 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.
Team Leadership & Development
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.
  • 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.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Business Integration
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'.
  • 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.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Shaping the Future

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.

Leading the development of a new standard for AI ethics in medical devices, knowing it will influence regulatory frameworks worldwide.

Strategic Impact & Influence

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.

Successfully championing a new work item proposal that directly aligns with our next generation product, giving us a first-mover advantage.

Complex Problem Solving (Global Scale)

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.

Mediating a deadlock between two major national bodies on a critical safety parameter, finding a creative solution that satisfies both.

What frustrates people
  • The glacial pace of international standards development (3-5 years for a single standard is typical).
  • Managing volunteer experts who have their own priorities and day jobs, making deadlines a constant battle.
  • Navigating corporate politics where technical arguments are often fronts for commercial interests.
  • Dealing with last-minute 'No' votes or critical comments from national bodies that derail months of work.
  • Explaining to impatient business leaders why 'just one more meeting' is actually a mandatory ballot period.
  • The sheer volume of comment reconciliation for complex drafts—it's a beast.
What this role does not give you
  • A fast-paced, 'move fast and break things' environment.
  • Direct control over all resources and timelines (you'll often rely on influence).
  • A role where you're solely focused on deep technical drafting (you're more of an orchestrator).
  • Immediate, tangible results on a daily or weekly basis.

8Who you work with

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.

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

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • 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.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Data Analytics & AI for Standards Management

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.

Predictive Analytics for Project Risk · Sentiment Analysis of Ballot Comments · Network Analysis of Committee Structures · Natural Language Generation (NLG) for Reporting

  • 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.

Quick win: Ask your team to start experimenting with ChatGPT or Claude to summarise long technical documents or meeting transcripts, and share their findings.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • 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.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI Governance & Ethical Standardisation

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.

  • ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management System)
  • AI Ethics Principles
  • Explainable AI (XAI)
  • AI Conformity Assessment

Digital Transformation of Standards Development

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.

  • Machine-Readable Standards
  • Linked Data & Ontologies
  • Digital Twins & Standards
  • Blockchain for Traceability & Compliance

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Standards Development Lifecycle (SDL) Management
  • Consensus-Building & Negotiation
  • Regulatory Intelligence & Horizon Scanning
  • ISO/IEC Directives & Procedures
  • Conformity Assessment Principles

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    VP of Compliance & Regulatory Affairs

    3-5 years

    Skills to master

    • Enterprise-wide regulatory strategy, government relations, legal interpretation, broader compliance programme management, board-level reporting on regulatory risk.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Proven ability to manage significant organisational risk through standards and compliance.
    • Demonstrated success in influencing government policy or major regulatory outcomes.
    • Strong track record of building and leading multi-functional compliance teams.
    • Exceptional communication skills with legal and regulatory bodies.
  2. 2

    Chief Quality Officer (CQO)

    3-5 years

    Skills to master

    • Enterprise quality management systems (QMS), product quality assurance, supplier quality management, customer satisfaction metrics, operational excellence programmes.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Deep understanding of how standards drive product and operational quality.
    • Proven ability to implement and improve enterprise-wide quality management systems.
    • Strong focus on customer satisfaction and continuous improvement methodologies.
    • Experience leading large-scale quality transformation initiatives.
  3. 3

    VP of Product Development (with strong compliance focus)

    4-6 years

    Skills to master

    • Product lifecycle management, market analysis, R&D strategy, innovation management, P&L ownership for product lines, cross-functional leadership of product teams.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Demonstrated ability to translate standards requirements into successful product features.
    • Strong commercial acumen and understanding of market dynamics.
    • A track record of successful product launches in regulated environments.
    • Ability to lead and inspire large, diverse product development teams.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to senior compliance leadership, or roles shaping technology or product strategy at a higher level.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Director, International Standards Development is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

The record names a next step, but the catalogue has no page for it yet:

  • VP, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs
  • Chief Standards Officer (CSO) / VP of Technical Harmonisation

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Understand how to comply with the relevant Regulations, Industry Standards and Management Requirements for Process Safety, worked against Director, International Standards Development.

Understand how to comply with the relevant Regulations, Industry Standards and Management Requirements for Process Safety Level 5

Applied to your work in Director, International Standards Development

The objective of this unit is to provide learners with a comprehensive understanding of the regulations, industry standards, and management requirements for process safety. Learners will understand the role of the Process Safety Leadership Group, relevant frameworks, legal duties, and the role of the Competent Authority.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Director, International Standards Development
  • Standards Development Lifecycle (SDL) Management
  • Consensus-Building & Negotiation
  • Regulatory Intelligence & Horizon Scanning
  • ISO/IEC Directives & Procedures
  • Conformity Assessment Principles
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Director, International Standards Development is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. VP, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs

    3-5 years

    1 level (from Director to VP)

    • Overseeing a broader portfolio of compliance areas (e.g., data privacy, anti-bribery)
    • Developing and implementing global regulatory strategies
    • Managing relationships with multiple regulatory bodies concurrently
    • Leading internal investigations and enforcement actions

  2. Chief Standards Officer (CSO) / VP of Technical Harmonisation

    4-6 years

    1 level (from Director to C-Suite/VP)

    • Defining the long-term technical harmonisation strategy for the entire enterprise.
    • Leading industry consortia and multi-company initiatives.
    • Driving innovation through standardisation, not just compliance.
    • Building strategic alliances with other major industry players on standards.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real: at a Director level, your time is precious. You shouldn't be bogged down in administrative tasks or sifting through mountains of documents. AI isn't here to replace your strategic brain; it's here to free it up. Imagine cutting hours off research, summarisation, and even comment resolution, so you can focus on what truly matters: setting direction, building relationships, and influencing global policy.

For a Director in International Standards Development, AI tools can transform how you gather intelligence, manage complex projects, and prepare for high-stakes negotiations. We're talking about moving from reactive to proactive, and from manual grunt work to strategic oversight. Here's a glimpse of how you and your team could be using AI to amplify your impact.

Ballot Comment Auto-Clustering

Use advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) to automatically analyse and group hundreds of submitted ballot comments by theme, clause number, and sentiment. This transforms a chaotic spreadsheet into a structured, actionable work plan for your team, letting them focus on resolution, not organisation. You'll get a clearer, faster overview of contentious points.

Regulatory Horizon Scanning

Deploy AI agents that continuously scan global regulatory databases, government publications, and news feeds. These tools identify emerging compliance trends and legislative proposals that will necessitate new or revised standards, giving you an early warning system. You'll be ahead of the curve, not playing catch-up.

Rapid Technical Summarisation

Feed AI a collection of competing technical papers, existing standards, and meeting transcripts from multiple sources. It then generates neutral, concise summaries of the current state of the art or key debates. This is invaluable for briefing new working group members, preparing for executive presentations, or quickly getting up to speed on a new technical area.

Strategic Meeting Prep & Analysis

Use AI to analyse past meeting minutes, identify recurring themes, and even predict potential areas of contention for upcoming high-level discussions (e.g., TMB meetings). It can also draft structured summaries of complex discussions, capturing key decisions, action items, and dissenting opinions, allowing you to focus entirely on leading the meeting.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Director, International Standards Development?

Common routes in include VP of Compliance & Regulatory Affairs (3-5 years), Chief Quality Officer (CQO) (3-5 years) and VP of Product Development (with strong compliance focus) (4-6 years). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Director, International Standards Development progress to?

This role can lead on to VP, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs (3-5 years) and Chief Standards Officer (CSO) / VP of Technical Harmonisation (4-6 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Director, International Standards Development?

Increasingly, AI Governance & Ethical Standardisation and Digital Transformation of Standards Development. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

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17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 7

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in compliance, quality and safety

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

The skills built here, strategic influence, global negotiation, complex programme management, and regulatory understanding, transfer well. They can lead to senior compliance, regulatory affairs, quality leadership, or product strategy roles in other regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals, aerospace, automotive or energy. Understanding how technical requirements meet global policy is a rare and valuable skill.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my free Automation Fluency module What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.