Hygiene Manager in London, Greater London

Starting Salary: Up to £60,000 per annum

Working Pattern: Site-based | Monday- Friday | London

A growing food manufacturing business supplying major UK retailers with a range of ambient food products is looking to appoint an experienced Hygiene Manager to lead its Hygiene function at a busy manufacturing site in London.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for someone who combines strong technical hygiene expertise with the ability to lead people, manage budgets and drive continuous improvement across a complex food manufacturing operation.

Reporting directly to the General Manager, you will take full ownership of the site's hygiene strategy and operational delivery, ensuring the highest standards of cleaning, housekeeping, pest management and audit compliance are consistently achieved.

Working closely with Operations, Quality, Technical and Engineering, you'll play a key role in shaping the site's hygiene culture, improving systems and processes, developing your team and ensuring the business continues to meet the demanding standards of major UK retailers.

This role would suit an experienced Hygiene Manager who enjoys taking a strategic approach to improving performance but is equally comfortable being visible on the factory floor, challenging standards and leading from the front.

What You'll Be Doing

• Take full ownership of the site's Hygiene function, leading the delivery of cleaning, housekeeping, pest control and hygiene standards across the manufacturing operation
• Develop and implement a robust hygiene strategy, ensuring systems, procedures and cleaning schedules consistently meet BRCGS, retailer and regulatory requirements
• Lead, motivate and develop the Hygiene team, building a culture of accountability, high performance and continuous improvement
• Manage departmental budgets, labour planning, resources and external contractors, ensuring an efficient and commercially focused operation
• Develop and maintain effective cleaning systems, SOPs, Cleaning Instruction Cards and risk-based cleaning schedules
• Lead cleaning validation, verification and root cause investigations, ensuring corrective actions are effective and sustainable
• Take ownership of the site's pest management programme, working with external specialists to identify risks, implement improvements and maintain high standards
• Lead hygiene preparations for BRCGS, customer and retailer audits, ensuring the site remains consistently audit-ready
• Work closely with Operations, Quality, Technical and Engineering to coordinate cleaning activities, production requirements and operational priorities
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve cleaning efficiency, reduce costs, optimise resources and strengthen overall hygiene performance
• Develop and monitor hygiene KPIs, analysing performance trends and presenting clear improvement plans to senior management
• Oversee hygiene-related risk assessments, chemical management and COSHH compliance
• Support environmental and waste management activities, ensuring appropriate standards and regulatory requirements are maintained
• Develop and deliver training programmes, ensuring the Hygiene team has the knowledge, skills and confidence to consistently achieve the required standards
• Lead hygiene improvement projects, influencing stakeholders across the wider business and driving a proactive approach to maintaining standards

What's In It for You

• A senior management opportunity with full ownership of the Hygiene function within an established food manufacturing business
• The opportunity to shape hygiene strategy, improve systems and drive meaningful operational change
• Lead and develop an established team, building capability and strengthening performance across the department
• Work closely with senior operational and technical leaders, with the opportunity to influence site-wide standards and performance
• A broad remit covering hygiene operations, people leadership, budget management, auditing, pest control and continuous improvement
• The opportunity to make a visible impact on hygiene standards, operational efficiency and the wider manufacturing culture

Your Background

• Significant experience within food manufacturing, with minimum five years in Hygiene Manager position
• Experience working within a manufacturing business supplying major UK retailers
• Strong understanding of BRCGS requirements, retailer Codes of Practice, HACCP and hygiene standards
• Demonstrable experience leading customer, retailer and certification audits
• Strong knowledge of cleaning validation, verification, hygiene risk assessments, SOPs and Cleaning Instruction Cards
• Experience developing and managing effective pest control programmes
• Proven people management experience, with the ability to lead, motivate and develop teams
• Experience managing departmental budgets, resources, contractors and improvement projects
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify efficiencies while maintaining high operational standards
• Experience delivering complex projects and improvements within demanding manufacturing environments
• Intermediate Food Hygiene / HACCP qualification
• IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent, alongside COSHH Management and Risk Assessment training
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to challenge existing practices and work effectively with senior stakeholders
• A proactive, hands-on leadership style, combined with the ability to take a strategic view of the wider operation
• Excellent organisational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver against agreed KPIs

Join a Business That Invests in You

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Hygiene Manager looking to take ownership of a significant function within an established food manufacturing operation.

You'll have the opportunity to influence how hygiene standards are delivered across the site, develop your team, strengthen systems and processes, and work closely with senior leaders to drive improvements that make a real difference to operational performance.

If you're a confident, commercially aware Hygiene Manager who combines strong technical knowledge with genuine leadership ability and enjoys building high-performing teams, we'd love to hear from you.