Certification Account Assistant

We have an exciting opportunity for a full-time Certification Assistant to join our Commercial Services Team, on a 12-month contract. The Commercial Services department works alongside the Communications and Campaigns departments at The Vegan Society and is responsible for the Sales and Trademark registration as well as raising the public profile of vegan products through the Vegan Trademark.

The Certification Assistant will support the Supermarkets Team situated within the Certification Team, working with some of the leading retailers and manufacturers across the UK and around the world and actively promoting The Vegan Society's trademark. This will be a primarily remote working role, which requires the willingness and ability to travel to meet the needs of the team and the wider organisation when appropriate. There may be occasional travel for meetings with the wider team several times a year.

What we offer:

• A starting salary of £26,835
• 28 days’ leave + 8 public bank holidays (25 days annual leave and 3 closure days)
• Ethical pension scheme (5-7% employer contribution)
• Flexible working hours
• Employee Assistance Programme and health cash-back scheme
• Access to virtual GP service 24/7
• A fun and supportive team
• A solution-focused atmosphere and hard-working environment
• Cycle to work scheme
• Animal companion compassionate leave
• Death in service benefit

Key responsibilities of the role:

• Deal with trademark applications and enquiries from the UK and around the world, particularly Europe
• Communicate with potential clients, discussing their needs, undertaking onsite or virtual meetings and providing telesales support
• Ensure excellent communications (internally/externally) and customer care skills are demonstrated, to retain, maintain and increase client accounts
• Actively encourage clients to go ahead with Vegan Society Trademark registration
• Develop a good understanding of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) markets across the range of products we register with the Vegan Trademark
• Manage ingredient checking for products efficiently, and proactively add to the knowledge base within the team
• Provide absence cover for Commercial Services colleagues
• Be responsible for general office duties, including dealing with own correspondence and filing own papers

To be considered as our Certification Account Assistant you must have:

• English, Maths and Science GCSEs A-C grade or equivalent
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially telephone manner and customer-service skills
• Computer literacy with strong MS Office skills, particularly Excel, email and databases
• The ability to demonstrate that you can enter data accurately, analyse and manipulate data and effectively search for required information
• The ability to establish strong working relationships with colleagues and trademark clients
• The ability to manage multiple priorities and work to deadlines
• The ability to demonstrate you can hit targets and deliver desired objectives and outcomes
• Basic knowledge of whether ingredients in food, cosmetics, toiletries, clothing and household products are derived from animal sources
• A good understanding of business operations: production processes and administration
• An understanding of The Vegan Society's values, standards and processes in order to make consistent and appropriate judgements

For a full list of duties, responsibilities, and personal criteria, please refer to the full job description and person specification.

Closing date for applications: 13th June 2025

Interview dates: 23rd -26th June 2025

The Vegan Society are actively recruiting for this position and may contact shortlisted candidates prior to the published closing date, so early applications are encouraged. It is a condition of your employment that, as far as is possible and practicable, you adhere to a vegan diet and lifestyle.

About us:

The Vegan Society makes veganism more accessible and an easily adopted approach by supporting individuals, policy and decision makers, caterers, manufacturers, health care professionals and the media.

If you are passionate about changing the way we treat animals, want to help reduce damage to our environment, and want to encourage people to enjoy healthy vegan food that looks good and tastes great, you’re in the right place!

As individuals, we have a somewhat eclectic mix of skills, passions and idiosyncrasies … but it works. Probably because we all have one thing in common: we believe we’re on to something really special.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: The Vegan Society values equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to be an organisation that tackles any structural discrimination or prejudice. We are actively trying to increase diversity in our organisation and encourage applications from all sections of the community. As users of the Disability Confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

If you are interested in applying for the role of Certification Account Assistant, please click on the apply button.