Food Safety & Hygiene Operative

Reports to: Technical Manager
Department: Quality Assurance / Technical
Location: West Midlands
Hours: 40 hours per week (days & backs)

Job Purpose

The Food Safety & Hygiene Operativeis responsible for maintaining the highest standards of hygiene, sanitation, environmental control and contamination prevention within a blended powder manufacturing facility.

Working as part of the Quality Assurance team, the role supports the site's hygiene strategy by ensuring compliance with food safety legislation, HACCP principles, GMP, BRCGS Food Safety requirements, customer standards and internal quality systems.

Operating within a waterless, nut-free manufacturing environment, the role focuses on effective dry-cleaning techniques, allergen control, pathogen risk reduction and environmental hygiene to protect product safety and quality. The post holder plays a key role in supporting hygiene verification, microbiological monitoring and continuous improvement while promoting a strong food safety culture.

Key Responsibilities

Hygiene Operations

• Complete scheduled hygiene activities across production, packing, warehouse and associated manufacturing areas using approved waterless cleaning procedures.
• Clean production equipment, contact surfaces, floors, structures and storage areas to defined hygiene standards.
• Remove product residues, powder build-up, allergen residues, microbiological risks and other potential contamination sources.
• Ensure cleaning activities support first-time-right hygiene verification results, minimise contamination risks and maintain excellent housekeeping standards.
• Identify and proactively report opportunities to improve hygiene standards and cleaning effectiveness.

Food Safety & Contamination Control

• Understand contamination risks including pathogenic bacteria, allergen cross-contact, product build-up, environmental contamination and foreign material.
• Follow hygiene procedures that support HACCP, prerequisite programmes, GMP and site food safety controls within a waterless, nut-free manufacturing environment.
• Apply cleaning practices that minimise conditions supporting microbial survival or growth while maintaining effective allergen controls.
• Recognise the relationship between effective cleaning, environmental monitoring, microbiological performance, allergen verification and overall product safety.

Hygiene Verification Support

• Work collaboratively with the Quality Assurance team to support hygiene verification activities, investigations into hygiene failures, microbiological concerns, allergen risks and product investigations.
• Use environmental monitoring results, hygiene inspections, audit findings and QA feedback to improve cleaning effectiveness and support corrective actions.

Equipment, Chemicals & Compliance

• Clean and maintain blending equipment, transfer systems, packing equipment, manufacturing utensils, contact surfaces and storage areas in accordance with approved procedures, ensuring hard-to-reach areas and contamination points are effectively managed.
• Safely use approved cleaning equipment, tools and chemicals in accordance with COSHH requirements.
• Follow hygiene zoning, colour coding, equipment segregation and applicable health and safety procedures, reporting any defects or concerns promptly.
• Support compliance with BRCGS Food Safety requirements, HACCP, GMP, allergen management, customer technical standards and site hygiene procedures.
• Recognise that effective hygiene is a critical food safety control directly influencing microbiological performance, allergen management, product safety and audit compliance.

Documentation & Records

• Complete accurate, timely and traceable hygiene documentation, including cleaning schedules, hygiene inspections, equipment cleaning records, pre-operational checks, line clearances, changeovers, allergen verification, deep-clean records, chemical usage and equipment checks.
• Maintain records of hygiene non-conformances, corrective actions, investigations and continuous improvement activities, ensuring documentation is audit-ready for internal, customer and certification audits.

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Experience within food manufacturing hygiene, sanitation or cleaning in a controlled production environment.
• Knowledge of food hygiene principles, GMP, contamination prevention, allergen control, COSHH requirements and waterless cleaning principles.
• Experience following detailed cleaning procedures, hygiene schedules and site standards.

Desirable

• Experience within powder, nutritional, pharmaceutical or high-care food manufacturing environments, including BRCGS-certified, allergen-controlled or dry-cleaning facilities.
• Understanding of environmental monitoring programmes, microbiological testing methods, pathogen control principles and hygiene verification.

Key Performance Measures

• Consistently achieve high hygiene standards through effective completion of cleaning schedules and hygiene verification activities.
• Deliver positive environmental monitoring, microbiological and allergen control results while reducing hygiene-related deviations and supporting successful internal, customer and certification audits.
• Maintain accurate documentation, effectively identify and escalate risks, contribute to continuous improvement and uphold food safety standards within a waterless, nut-free manufacturing environment.

Person Specification

• High attention to detail with a methodical, organised and practical approach to maintaining hygiene standards.
• Strong personal accountability with the ability to work independently and collaboratively, communicate effectively and confidently challenge poor standards where appropriate.
• Professional, proactive and solutions-focused, with a commitment to continuous improvement, protecting consumers and maintaining exceptional food safety, hygiene and product quality standards.