D R Newitt Recruitment
Food Safety & Hygiene Operative
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Reports to: Technical Manager Department: Quality Assurance / Technical Location: UK Hours: 40 hours per week
Job Purpose
The Quality Assurance Hygiene Technician is 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 cleaning environment, the role focuses on effective dry-cleaning techniques, allergen control, pathogen risk reduction, and environmental hygiene to protect product safety and product quality. The post holder plays a key role in supporting hygiene verification programs, 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 areas.
- Carry out approved dry-cleaning procedures suitable for a powder manufacturing environment.
- Clean production equipment, contact surfaces, floors, structures, and storage areas to defined hygiene standards.
- Remove product residues, powder build-up, allergens, microbiological risks, and other contamination sources.
- Ensure cleaning activities support first-time-right hygiene verification and minimize contamination risks.
- Identify and report opportunities to improve hygiene standards and cleaning effectiveness.
- Maintain excellent housekeeping throughout operational areas.
Food Safety & Contamination Control
- Understand contamination risks including pathogens, allergen cross-contact, environmental contamination, and foreign material.
- Follow hygiene procedures that support HACCP, prerequisite programs, and food safety controls.
- Maintain effective allergen controls within a nut-free manufacturing environment.
- Apply cleaning practices that minimize conditions supporting microbial survival and growth.
- Recognize how effective hygiene contributes to environmental monitoring, microbiological performance, and overall product safety.
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Hygiene Verification Support
- Work closely with Quality Assurance personnel to support hygiene verification activities.
- Assist with investigations relating to hygiene failures, allergen risks, or microbiological concerns.
- Use hygiene feedback, environmental monitoring results, and inspection findings to improve cleaning standards.
- Support corrective actions following audits, non-conformances, and product investigations.
Equipment & Cleaning Standards
- Clean and maintain manufacturing equipment in accordance with approved procedures, including:
- Blending equipment
- Transfer systems
- Packing equipment
- Manufacturing utensils
- Contact surfaces
- Storage areas
- Ensure hard-to-access areas and potential contamination points are effectively managed.
Cleaning Equipment & Chemical Control
- Use approved cleaning equipment, tools, and chemicals safely in accordance with COSHH requirements.
- Follow hygiene zoning, color coding, and equipment segregation procedures.
- Maintain cleaning equipment in good condition and report defects promptly.
- Follow appropriate health and safety procedures, including working at height or within confined spaces where applicable.
Quality & Compliance
- Support compliance with:
- BRCGS Food Safety
- HACCP
- GMP
- Allergen management
- Customer technical standards
- Site hygiene procedures
- Recognize that effective hygiene is a critical food safety control directly influencing microbiological performance, allergen management, audit compliance, and product quality.
Documentation & Records
- Maintain accurate, timely, and traceable records, including:
- Cleaning schedules
- Hygiene inspections
- Equipment cleaning records
- Pre-operational hygiene checks
- Line clearance and changeover records
- Allergen cleaning verification
- Deep-clean records
- Chemical usage records
- Cleaning equipment inspections
- Hygiene non-conformances and corrective actions
- Investigation and continuous improvement records
- All documentation must meet site requirements and provide evidence for internal, customer, and certification audits.
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Skills & Experience
Essential
- Experience within food manufacturing hygiene, sanitation, or cleaning.
- Experience working in controlled hygiene environments.
- Understanding of food hygiene, GMP, and contamination prevention.
- Experience following detailed cleaning procedures and schedules.
- Knowledge of allergen control, COSHH, and waterless cleaning principles.
Desirable
- Experience within:
- Powder manufacturing
- Nutritional or pharmaceutical manufacturing
- High-care food production
- BRCGS-certified sites
- Allergen-controlled manufacturing
- Dry-cleaning production environments
- Knowledge of:
- Environmental monitoring
- Microbiological testing
- Pathogen control
- Hygiene verification programs
Key Performance Measures
Success in the role will be demonstrated through:
- Consistently high hygiene standards across production areas.
- Effective completion of cleaning schedules.
- Positive environmental monitoring and microbiological results.
- Strong allergen control.
- Reduced hygiene-related deviations.
- Successful internal, customer, and certification audits.
- Accurate hygiene documentation.
- Effective risk identification and escalation.
- Contribution to continuous improvement.
- Maintenance of food safety standards within a nut-free, waterless manufacturing environment.
Person Specification
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Excellent attention to detail.
- A methodical and organized approach.
- Strong personal accountability.
- Ability to work independently and within a team.
- Effective communication skills.
- A proactive, solutions-focused attitude.
- High standards of cleanliness and housekeeping.
- Commitment to food safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
- Confidence to challenge poor standards where necessary.
- Professionalism, integrity, and respect in all interactions.
- Practical, hands-on approach with strong problem-solving skills.
- Pride in maintaining exceptional hygiene standards and protecting consumers.
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