Conformance & Testing Manager – Europe

Why join us?

Our purpose is to design for the good of humankind. It’s the ideal we strive toward each day in everything we do. Being a part of MillerKnoll means being a part of something larger than your work team, or even your brand. We are redefining modern for the 21st century. And our success allows MillerKnoll to support causes that align with our values, so we can build a more sustainable, equitable, and beautiful future for everyone.

Job Title: Conformance & Testing Manager – Europe

Location: Melksham, United Kingdom

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Position Purpose

The Conformance & Testing Manager – Europe is responsible for ensuring that new and existing products within the European region (EU, UK, Ireland, and occasionally the Middle East) meet all applicable performance, safety, and regulatory standards. This role supports product performance testing, European conformance activities, and CE certification. It also manages day-to-day laboratory operations, fosters collaboration with external test houses, and maintains the compliance status of active product lines through a planned cadence of conformance reviews.

The role serves as a regional representative of the Global Product Performance & Prototyping team and collaborates closely with global engineering, product management, quality, supply chain, and legal teams to ensure that product performance and certification objectives are consistently met.

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Key Responsibilities

1. Product Conformance & Certification

• Plan and execute product conformance testing programs for new and existing products to ensure ongoing compliance with EN, BSI, BIFMA, and GS standards.
• Support CE and UKCA marking processes in coordination with design, engineering, and regulatory functions.
• Maintain accurate records of certifications, declarations of conformity, and test reports in the company’s test database.
• Schedule and lead periodic compliance audits to ensure continued adherence to applicable standards and regulations.
• Serve as the primary contact for third-party certification bodies and test laboratories in the European region.

2. Laboratory Management

• Maintain a safe, organized, and efficient onsite test laboratory.
• Manage the use of existing Laboratory Information Management System (Wavefront) for test planning, execution, and reporting.
• Maintain good testing practices in alignment with ISO/IEC 17025 principles.
• Develop and maintain operation documents, calibration schedules, and equipment maintenance logs.
• Identify opportunities for modernization and capability expansion of the laboratory to meet future product and business needs.
• Oversee small-scale capital equipment budgets and ensure effective utilization of test resources.

3. Testing & Validation

• Support performance testing requests from product development, quality, and operations.
• Develop and document test plans, validation plans, and worst-case test sequences.
• Analyze and communicate test results with relevant stakeholders; provide technical recommendations to engineering and product teams.
• Support flammability, mechanical, and electrical certification testing through internal and external partners.
• Identify and mitigate testing capacity or capability constraints through proactive planning and coordination.

4. Standards Representation & Continuous Improvement

• Represent the company on European standards committees or working groups related to office furniture and components.
• Monitor evolving European and international standards and advise on potential impacts to product portfolios.
• Develop, review, and improve Performance Requirements (PRs), Test Methods, and Test Devices to align with evolving business and regulatory needs.
• Recommend and implement process improvements to enhance testing efficiency, data accuracy, and product quality.

5. Leadership & Collaboration

• Lead a small team of technical staff, providing guidance, coaching, and performance feedback.
• Coordinate closely with R&D, Product Management, Quality, Supply Chain, Legal, and Sustainability to ensure cross-functional alignment on conformance requirements.
• Foster strong working relationships with third-party laboratories and certification partners.
• Support documentation, training, and communication of global test and conformance processes.

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Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in product testing, certification, or regulatory conformance, preferably within the furniture or consumer products sector.
• Working knowledge of EN, BSI, BIFMA, and GS standards and CE/UKCA certification frameworks.
• Familiarity with ISO/IEC 17025 principles and laboratory quality systems.
• Proven ability to manage laboratory operations, testing programs, and external test partners.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to document and interpret test results clearly.

Preferred:

• Experience managing or upgrading laboratory capabilities and test infrastructure.
• Exposure to electrical safety or flammability testing for furniture or consumer products.
• Experience using Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) such as Wavefront.
• Experience representing an organization on standards committees or working groups.

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Competencies

• Strong technical and analytical capability with practical problem-solving skills.
• Effective cross-functional communicator and collaborator.
• Demonstrated leadership and team management skills.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on safety, quality, and efficiency.

Who We Hire?

Simply put, we hire qualified applicants representing a wide range of backgrounds and abilities. MillerKnoll is comprised of people of all abilities, gender identities and expressions, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, veterans from every branch of military service, and more. Here, you can bring your whole self to work. We’re committed to equal opportunity employment, including veterans and people with disabilities.

MillerKnoll complies with applicable disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact MillerKnoll Talent Acquisition at careers_help@millerknoll.com.

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