Sustainability Officer

Department: Sustainability & Regulatory Compliance

Reporting to: Director, GCRS Group

Type: Full-Time

About GCRS Group

GCRS Group is an international regulatory consultancy supporting brands across cosmetics, personal care, fragrance and regulated consumer products throughout the UK, EU and global markets.

Our expertise spans cosmetic safety, regulatory compliance, responsible person services, market access, product stewardship and brand protection. As sustainability legislation rapidly transforms the consumer goods landscape, GCRS is expanding its Sustainability & Environmental Compliance practice to help businesses navigate emerging UK and EU regulatory requirements with confidence.

This role offers the opportunity to help build and shape a specialist sustainability compliance function while supporting clients through increasingly complex environmental, packaging and green claims legislation.

The Role

This is a senior, client-facing regulatory role focused on sustainability compliance, environmental claims and circular economy legislation across the UK and European Union.

You will work closely with the Director and wider regulatory team to deliver:

• Environmental claims compliance assessments
• Sustainability compliance programmes
• Packaging and circular economy compliance
• Supply chain due diligence
• Regulatory advisory services
• Client compliance roadmaps
• Horizon scanning and legislative monitoring
• Development of sustainability rules within the CRFT compliance platform

This role is ideal for someone with experience in:

• Sustainability compliance
• Regulatory affairs
• Environmental legislation
• Cosmetics or consumer goods
• Packaging compliance
• Green claims substantiation
• Client advisory and consultancy

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct environmental and sustainability claims audits across product portfolios, packaging and marketing materials.
• Review environmental claims and determine whether they are compliant, require substantiation or should be removed.
• Prepare evidence-based substantiation dossiers supporting environmental marketing claims.
• Advise clients on compliant use of sustainability labels, environmental messaging and green marketing practices.
• Assess packaging against UK and EU packaging legislation, recyclability, recycled content and packaging minimization requirements.
• Develop practical compliance roadmaps to support packaging and sustainability obligations.
• Support UK Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance activities, packaging data submissions and associated regulatory requirements.
• Prepare clients for future sustainability legislation including Digital Product Passport and Ecodesign requirements.
• Conduct supply chain due diligence for relevant commodities and support preparation of regulatory evidence and due diligence documentation.
• Scope, manage and deliver sustainability compliance projects for UK and international clients.
• Produce high-quality client reports including compliance gap analyses, claims registers, regulatory assessments and implementation plans.
• Provide technical support during client meetings and contribute to business development activities as a sustainability subject matter expert.
• Monitor UK and EU regulatory developments and provide horizon-scanning updates to clients and internal teams.
• Translate sustainability legislation into structured regulatory logic for implementation within the GCRS CRFT compliance platform.
• Work collaboratively with regulatory, commercial and technical teams to deliver consistent, high-quality compliance solutions across multiple international markets.

What We're Looking For

• Degree in Environmental Science, Sustainability, Regulatory Affairs, Chemistry, Law or a related discipline.
• Minimum 3–5 years' experience within sustainability compliance, regulatory affairs or environmental claims compliance.
• Strong knowledge of UK and EU sustainability and consumer protection legislation.
• Experience interpreting and applying environmental legislation within consumer goods, cosmetics or FMCG sectors.
• Understanding of environmental claims substantiation and evidence-based regulatory decision making.
• Familiarity with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) principles and environmental impact evaluation.
• Excellent report writing, analytical and client communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple international projects independently.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

Bonus Points:

• Knowledge of UK and EU Cosmetics Regulations.
• Experience with Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
• Experience supporting UK Packaging EPR compliance.
• Familiarity with EUDR, ESPR and Digital Product Passport initiatives.
• Experience with carbon foot printing, eco-design or circular economy programmes.
• Exposure to Regulatory Technology (RegTech) or digital compliance platforms.
• Understanding and Speaking European language can be a plus.
• Experience supporting international markets including GCC, Southeast Asia or India.

What Success Looks Like in This Role

• High-quality sustainability compliance programmes delivered for international clients.
• Environmental claims reviewed and substantiated in line with evolving UK and EU legislation.
• Practical compliance roadmaps supporting packaging and circular economy requirements.
• Continuous horizon scanning ensuring clients remain ahead of legislative change.
• Effective integration of sustainability compliance requirements into the GCRS CRFT platform.
• Growth of GCRS's Sustainability & Environmental Compliance practice through high-quality technical delivery and trusted client relationships.

Why Join GCRS?

• Opportunity to build and shape a new Sustainability & Environmental Compliance practice.
• Work directly alongside one of the UK's leading cosmetic regulatory specialists.
• Exposure to complex UK, EU and international sustainability legislation.
• Opportunity to influence the future development of the CRFT AI compliance platform.
• Work with premium international brands across cosmetics and consumer goods.
• Fully remote working with a collaborative international team.
• Clear progression pathway towards leading the Sustainability Compliance practice as the business