Hygiene Manager

Zest; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Zest is seeking an experienced Hygiene Manager to lead the hygiene function across a busy food manufacturing site in the United Kingdom. You will own hygiene standards, drive compliance with food safety legislation and customer requirements, and work closely with technical, production and operations teams to raise performance.

You will manage and develop the hygiene team, deliver improvement projects, lead audits, update SOPs and monitor hygiene metrics.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading a hygiene team in food manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of hygiene and food safety standards.
• Experience with internal and external audits and SOPs.
• Proactive approach to continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the site hygiene team to high standards.
• Drive food safety and hygiene across the factory.
• Manage hygiene audits and ensure readiness for inspections.
• Deliver hygiene improvement projects and SOP updates.
• Monitor hygiene performance and budgets.

Skills

Team leadership

HACCP knowledge

Auditing skills

Food safety

Budget management

Education

HACCP qualification

Food Safety certification

Job description

Role - Hygiene Manager

Salary - £55,000 - £65,000

We're working with a longstanding client of ours, a successful food manufacturer, who are looking to appoint an experienced Hygiene Manager to lead and develop the hygiene function across their site.

This is a key role within the technical team, with responsibility for ensuring the highest standards of hygiene, food safety and compliance are consistently maintained across the factory. You'll have the opportunity to make a real impact, leading a team, driving continuous improvement and managing key hygiene projects across site.

The Role

As Hygiene Manager, you will take ownership of the site hygiene function, ensuring standards consistently meet both legislative and customer requirements.

Responsibilities:

• Leading, managing and developing the site hygiene team, ensuring colleagues are fully trained and operating to the highest standards.
• Driving food safety and hygiene standards across the factory.
• Ensuring hygiene and food safety standards align with customer requirements and expectations.
• Managing and delivering hygiene improvement projects across site.
• Leading internal and external hygiene audits, ensuring the site is fully prepared and compliant.
• Developing, updating and maintaining hygiene SOPs and associated documentation.
• Identifying opportunities for continuous improvement across hygiene and food safety.
• Monitoring hygiene performance and implementing corrective actions where required.
• Managing the hygiene budget and ensuring resources are used effectively.
• Working closely with the wider technical, production and operational teams to maintain and improve site standards.
• Supporting a strong culture of food safety, hygiene and continuous improvement across the business.

Essential requirements:

• Previous experience in a Hygiene Manager or similar senior hygiene role within food manufacturing.
• Proven ability to lead, manage and develop a team.
• Strong technical knowledge of hygiene and food safety within a manufacturing environment.
• Food Safety and HACCP qualifications.
• Experience managing and leading hygiene audits, including internal and external audits.
• Experience developing and maintaining SOPs and hygiene procedures.
• Strong understanding of customer food safety and hygiene requirements.
• Experience delivering continuous improvement and hygiene projects.
• Ability to manage budgets and resources effectively.
• A proactive, hands‑on approach with the ability to influence and drive standards across site.

The ideal candidate will be working in a similar position within food production.