Butcher

D R Newitt & Associates; Thatcham; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

D R Newitt & Associates is seeking an experienced butcher to join the production team on a seasonal basis. You will perform skilled butchery and processing, ensuring products are prepared safely, efficiently and to specification.

The role is hands-on, fast-paced and focused on quality, food safety, yield and traceability. Working hours are early shifts with potential overtime during peak periods.

Qualifications

• Commercial butchery or meat processing experience is essential.
• Ability to debone, trim and portion accurately.
• Strong understanding of food hygiene and HACCP.
• Willingness to work early shifts and peak periods.

Responsibilities

• Break down and portion venison and other approved products to specification.
• Operate knives, saws and packaging equipment safely.
• Maintain consistent cuts, weights and presentation to maximise yield.
• Follow HACCP procedures and product specifications.
• Maintain labelling, batch control and traceability.
• Support production and despatch teams as required.

Skills

Butchery experience

Knife handling

Food hygiene

Yield optimisation

Team player

Tools

Saws

Vacuum packing

Mincers

Dicers

Job description

Department: Production

Reports to: Head Butcher / Plant Manager

Contract: Seasonal Fixed-Term Contract - 5 months

Hours: 42.5 hours per week, 6am-2pm

Additional hours and weekend working may be required during peak periods

The Role

We are looking for an experienced Butcher to join our production team on a seasonal basis. You'll be responsible for skilled butchery and processing, ensuring products are prepared safely, efficiently and consistently to specification.

The role is hands-on and fast-paced, with a strong focus on quality, food safety, yield, hygiene and traceability.

Key Responsibilities

• Break down, debone, trim, portion and prepare venison and other approved products to specification.
• Safely use knives, saws, mincers, dicers, vacuum packing equipment and other authorised machinery.
• Maintain consistent cuts, weights and presentation while maximising yield and minimising waste.
• Identify and report defects, contamination or products outside specification.
• Follow food safety procedures, HACCP controls, work instructions and product specifications.
• Maintain accurate labelling, batch control, date coding and product traceability.
• Follow temperature, allergen, segregation and other legal and customer requirements.
• Maintain excellent personal hygiene and use all required PPE.
• Clean and sanitise equipment and work areas in line with hygiene procedures.
• Complete equipment checks and report faults or damage promptly.
• Follow all knife, manual handling, chemical, cold-store and workplace safety procedures.
• Support packing, labelling, weighing, stock movement, order preparation, cleaning and other production duties as required.
• Work collaboratively with production, quality, hygiene, intake, packing and despatch teams.
• Meet agreed productivity, yield and quality standards without compromising food safety.
• Complete production, traceability, waste and cleaning records accurately.

About You

• Previous commercial butchery, meat processing or carcass breakdown experience is essential.
• Confident and competent with knife handling, deboning, trimming and portion control.
• Good understanding of food hygiene, cross-contamination prevention and temperature control.
• Able to work accurately at pace and follow written and verbal instructions.
• Basic numeracy and literacy skills for weights, labels, specifications and production records.
• Reliable, punctual, flexible and comfortable working additional hours during peak periods.
• Physically capable of prolonged standing, repetitive work and safe product handling.
• A positive team player who takes pride in quality and workmanship.

Specialist training may be provided to a suitably skilled butcher.

Working Environment

The role is based primarily in chilled processing areas and may include freezer, intake and wet-cleaning environments. The position involves prolonged standing, repetitive movements, knife use and handling product within safe manual-handling limits.

Key Performance Measures

• Achieving agreed productivity and yield targets.
• Consistently meeting product specification, weight and presentation standards.
• Maintaining full compliance with food safety, HACCP and traceability requirements.
• Maintaining high standards of hygiene, cleaning and equipment care.
• Reliable attendance and punctuality.
• Positive contribution to team performance and daily production targets.