Standards & Certification Specialist - Tony's Open Chain

Tony's Chocolonely; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 65,000 - 81,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range EUR 65k-81k per year

Office in Amsterdam

Job summary

Tony's Chocolonely in Amsterdam seeks a Standards & Certification Specialist to lead the certification scheme, align with ISO and EmpCo, and ensure audits across teams and partners succeed.

You will translate sourcing principles into auditable standards, manage internal/external audits, and drive continuous improvement while collaborating with global colleagues; flexible in-office schedule three days per week.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in certification, standards, compliance, or auditing.
• Experience with ISO 17065/17029; familiarity with ISO 22000 or ISEAL.
• Proven ability to set up or implement management systems.
• Strong project management and cross-functional leadership.
• Experience with audit processes and certification bodies.
• Skilled in creating SOPs, policies, and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Implement and expand TOC Sourcing Standards into an auditable scheme.
• Translate principles into clear standards, SOPs, and ISO-aligned docs.
• Own the full audit cycle with internal and external bodies.
• Coordinate Internal Audit Program and train auditors.
• Drive continuous improvement through root cause analysis and actions.
• Align processes and docs with actual practices across teams.
• Collaborate with global stakeholders to embed standards.
• Monitor ISO, ISEAL, and EU EmpCo updates and translate into updates.
• Train teams and cooperatives to implement the scheme.

Skills

Project management

Audit processes

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

ISO standards knowledge

Job description

Job Description

Due to the high interest and great responses to this position, we will close the role by Tuesday the 30th of June.

Why we are here

Tony’s Chocolonely is committed to ending exploitation in cocoa. We are an impact company that makes chocolate, not a chocolate company that makes impact. With incredibly tasty chocolate, we lead by example, demonstrating that ethical practices and success can go hand in hand. Through Tony's Open Chain (TOC), mission allies like Albert Heijn, Ben & Jerry's, Jokolade, and Aldi have embraced a fairer, more transparent supply chain for their chocolate too.

What You Will Do

Tony’s Open Chain is taking the next big step in scaling impact: transforming our 5 Sourcing Principles into a fully certifiable and auditable standards framework. This is where you come in. As our Standards & Certification Specialist, you will lead the implementation and operation of Tony’s Open Chain certification scheme, ensuring it is robust, credible, and ready for external audits in line with ISO standards, ISEAL and regulation such as the EU EmpCo Directive. As EmpCo raises the bar on sustainability claims, this role is key to super charge our impact and lead the industry with a credible, auditable scheme. You will translate complex sourcing principles into clear, structured, and auditable standards, and make sure they are embedded in how we work across teams, partner cooperatives and mission allies globally, all with the aim of bringing a positive impact on the lives of farmers in West Africa. You will own the end-to-end certification lifecycle, from expanding and operationalising the standards, to building audit cycles, coordinating internal audits, working with external certification bodies, and driving continuous improvement in line with EmpCo requirements and other relevant regulatory frameworks. In this role, you bring structure to complexity and make sure things actually land. You work with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders including internal teams such as Impact, Operations and Data, as well as external partners, ensuring alignment between documentation, real-life practices, and audit requirements. You will not just design the system, you will make it work in practice, motivating teams, activating stakeholders, identifying gaps, and ensuring we continuously raise the bar. In short, you make sure Tony’s Open Chain can prove and scale its impact through a credible, industry-leading certification model.

All wrapped up

• Implement and expand the TOC Sourcing Standards into a fully auditable certification scheme
• Translate sourcing principles into clear standards, SOPs, and documentation aligned with ISO frameworks
• Own and run the full audit cycle, including preparation, execution, and follow-up with external certification bodies
• Set up and coordinate the Internal Audit Program, including training auditors and managing non-conformities
• Drive continuous improvement through root cause analysis, corrective actions, and risk assessments
• Ensure all processes, documentation, and systems are aligned, up to date, and reflect actual ways of working
• Collaborate with global stakeholders to embed standards across teams, partner cooperatives, and mission allies
• Monitor regulatory and standards developments including ISO, ISEAL and the EU EmpCo Directive and translate these into practical updates
• Train and support teams, mission allies, and cooperatives in implementing the certification scheme

Job Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in certification, standards, compliance, or auditing environments
• Experience with ISO frameworks such as ISO 17065 and 17029 and affinity with ISO 22000, and/or experience with ISEAL standards-setting code
• Proven experience in setting up or implementing management systems, standards, or certification frameworks
• Strong project management skills with the ability to drive complex, cross-functional initiatives
• Experience with audit processes (internal and/or external) and working with certification bodies
• Strong process thinker with experience building SOPs, policies, and structured documentation systems
• Ability to analyse risks, handle non-conformities, and drive continuous improvement
• Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to positively engage, activate and influence people to adopt new ways of working
• Experience working in multicultural, global environments
• We are all about being more in person than apart; this means we offer flexibility but see each other in the Amsterdam office on average 3 days a week. More is fine too
• You raise the bar: challenge yourself and team Tony’s to increase our ambition and to accomplish our mission. Making mistakes along the way and learning from them
• Believe wholeheartedly in Tony’s purpose. You live our core values: outspoken, willful, entrepreneurial and makes you smile

Our Benefits (the Icing On The Cake)

At Tony's you will get the opportunity to be part of something extraordinary; first and foremost, by making real impact in the world but also enjoying the nice benefits we provide as you help us succeed. We’re dedicated to enabling all Tonys to grow and develop their careers and therefore we offer training programs, regular feedback cycles, coaching and a generous L&D budget. We also offer a wide range of additional benefits, including a luxurious vegetarian lunch, company bonus, minimum of 28 holidays, inspirational team updates, unforgettable events and unlimited chocolate. But we also know chocolate won’t cover the bills, so we’ve made sure your salary is just as rewarding, for this role that means a salary between EUR 65 to 81k on a yearly basis, including holiday pay.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion

At Tony's we are convinced that diversity of thought, background and perspectives will make us stronger. Our mission is founded on principles of equity and justice, and we are actively seeking candidates who bring new perspectives and life experiences, especially from underrepresented groups. We look forward to your application.