Product Governance and Compliance Specialist

Job Title:

Product Governance and Compliance Specialist Status:
Full-time, Permanent Position Status:
Backfill Reporting to:
Vice President, General Merchandise

Location:

Ottawa, ON (in-office)

About Lee Valley:

Since 1978, Lee Valley has recognized that for many, woodworking and gardening are more than just hobbies. Lee Valley Tools enjoys a proud history of providing high-quality woodworking, gardening, hobby, hardware, gift and seasonal merchandise to customers worldwide. We pride ourselves on providing quality products and renowned customer service.

Lee Valley has been honored with many prestigious awards, including being recognized as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies by Deloitte. Additionally, we ranked #1 for In-Store Experience in Ontario by Leger Marketing Inc.

A position at Lee Valley is more than just a job – we honor the time and dedication that our people give by providing sustained and meaningful employment while striving to provide an environment where learning and development are encouraged.

Reporting to the Vice-President, General Merchandise Management, you are a central day-to-day resource for product compliance, merchandise data governance and ERP item administration. You oversee the records required to purchase, import, stock, promote and sell products, helping ensure that applicable compliance requirements are identified and addressed before an item proceeds.

The work calls for initiative, curiosity, sound judgment and close attention to detail. You research unfamiliar questions, apply established requirements, assess supporting information and resolve discrepancies. You work directly with vendors, testing organizations and other external specialists, and with regulatory bodies as required, to understand requirements and obtain the necessary documentation, testing or approvals.

Within established requirements and the authority of the role, you assess whether an item is ready to proceed. Novel, ambiguous or significant compliance, risk or commercial matters are escalated to the VP, General Merchandise Management or the appropriate external specialist.

The role combines research, project coordination, training, governance and record keeping. You maintain and help develop clear standards, reliable records and practical guidance, sharing the knowledge colleagues need to work accurately and consistently.

Working with Category Management, Supply Chain, Traffic and other teams, you consider how item decisions affect downstream systems and sales channels. Part of the role is finding practical ways to simplify processes, prevent errors, automate repeatable work and make compliance reporting, item creation and maintenance more efficient and consistent.

This is a broad developmental role for someone who wants to build deep expertise in product compliance, enterprise merchandise systems and data governance while taking on increasing responsibility as their knowledge develops.

Key Responsibilities:

Product Compliance

• Coordinate Lee Valley's day-to-day product-compliance activity in Canada and the United States. Research applicable legislation, regulations and standards and translate established requirements into clear direction for products, vendors and internal teams, seeking internal or external guidance when interpretation is uncertain.
• Working with vendors, regulatory authorities, testing organizations and other specialists, you obtain and assess the certifications, test reports, declarations, labels, warnings and other evidence needed to establish compliance. You investigate gaps or discrepancies and determine whether an item meets established requirements, escalating significant risks or commercial decisions to the VP, General Merchandise Management.
• You monitor…