• Be actively engaged in the field of auditing environmental sustainability or chemical management standards, quality inspections, or consultancy within the textile, apparel, leather, or footwear manufacturing sector

• Have at least 3 years of experience in delivering technical consultancy and audit services in the textile, apparel, footwear, and/or leather industry

1. Maintain documented procedures for all assessors/reviewers covering:
   1. Selection
   2. Qualification
   3. Internal approval
   4. Onboarding
   5. Training
   6. Authorisation
   7. Performance monitoring
   8. Internal peer review
   9. Controls to ensure that assessment activities are conducted in accordance with the applicable ZDHC Manual and programme requirements
       
2. Maintain a documented training programme for all assessors/reviewers covering:
   1. Mandatory ZDHC training
   2. Annual refresher training and additional training triggered by major programme changes
   3. Calibration mechanism across different assessors/reviewers
   4. Records of training completion and effectiveness for each assessor/reviewer, including training date, scope, and outcome
       
3. Have valid contractual arrangements in place and shall apply the same qualification, confidentiality, independence, and performance requirements for external employees as applied to internal employees

Maintain a documented Quality Management System (QMS), or equivalent quality control procedures for all Assessment activities covering:

• Planning

• Assignment

• Conduct

• Review

• Approval

• Record retention

and including documented procedures for:

• Internal peer review

• Assessors/reviewers calibration to ensure consistency of assessment outcomes across different assessors/reviewers

• Performance monitoring to ensure the technical quality, consistency, and continual improvement of assessment outcomes

Designate a Lead assessor/reviewer for each service module with overall accountability for:

• Quality and performance of all ZDHC assessments of the relevant service module/s

• Communication with ZDHC or its representatives

• Management of assessors/reviewers updates and training completion for the relevant service module/s

Any staff change in assessors/reviewers and lead assessors/reviewers must be communicated promptly to quality@zdhc.org

• Have a Code of Conduct and Anti-bribery policy shared, applicable and acknowledged by all employees, assessors, reviewers, contractors, and external consultants

• Have a Conflict of Interest Policy and Procedures defining what may constitute a conflict of interest for the purpose of the review

• Commit to having the ZDHC Conflict of Interest form signed by each assessor/reviewer

Have a proper Professional Liability Insurance, relating to the roles and services that it offers. For the avoidance of doubt, that coverage should be sufficient to cover the organisation's activities in the countries in which it operates and cover fully the organisation's activities as a ZDHC Approved Solution Provider.

Have a system in place that ensures that assessors/reviewers operate within their designated Regions of Operations, where they either:

• Have knowledge of both the local legislation and language, allowing them to review documents in their original form, or

• Have knowledge of the local legislation, but require documents and audit to be translated exclusively into English before review

• Be responsible for translation accuracy

Have a Policy on customer complaints and grievances.

Maintains documented information security and data management procedures aligned with internationally recognised principles, requirements for

• Confidentiality

• Integrity

• Access control

• Record retention (shall be at least for six (6) years)

• Protection of assessment information. Confidentiality obligations apply to all employees, assessors, reviewers, and contractors. Access to assessment data is restricted based on roles and responsibilities, records are securely maintained and backed up, and procedures are in place for data protection, incident management, and compliance with ZDHC privacy requirements.