Lead Ripening Specialist: Optimize Yield & Quality

drnewitt.vincere.io; Tonbridge; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Modern facility

Career development

Job summary

Unknown is seeking a Senior Ripener / Ripening Specialist to lead daily ripening operations near Tonbridge, Kent. The role involves managing stock flow, ensuring fruit meets exact retail, wholesale, and foodservice quality specs, and using technical expertise to reduce waste and improve yield.

Responsibilities include optimizing ripening rooms, quality assessment, mentoring junior staff, cross-department collaboration, and maintaining audit-ready records in a state-of-the-art facility.

Qualifications

• Proven practical experience within fresh produce, commercial fruit ripening, or food manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of fruit behaviour across origins, seasons, and varieties.
• Data-driven to plan stock flow, manage room utilisation, and minimise waste.
• Clear communicator capable of mentoring staff and upholding strict food safety, BRC, and H&S standards.

Responsibilities

• Ripening & Stock Management: Plan, manage, and optimise ripening rooms to meet customer volume, spec, and timing requirements.
• Quality Control: Assess fruit condition and maturity using pressure, dry matter, grading, sugar levels, and visual checks.
• Team Guidance: Act as a senior technical contact on site, guiding and mentoring junior Ripeners, and escalating issues to senior management when necessary.
• Cross-Departmental Communication: Collaborate daily with Production, Technical, Commercial, and Procurement teams regarding stock availability, quality risks, and operational priorities.
• Process & Compliance: Monitor and calibrate equipment, maintain audit-ready BRC, hygiene, and traceability records, and support continuous improvement/yield trials.

Skills

Industry experience

Technical knowledge

Data & decision-making

Leadership & standards

Job description

Unknown is seeking a Senior Ripener / Ripening Specialist to lead daily ripening operations near Tonbridge, Kent. The role involves managing stock flow, ensuring fruit meets exact retail, wholesale, and foodservice quality specs, and using technical expertise to reduce waste and improve yield.

Responsibilities include optimizing ripening rooms, quality assessment, mentoring junior staff, cross-department collaboration, and maintaining audit-ready records in a state-of-the-art facility.