Overview:
Hygiene Manager
Humdinger, Heckington NG34 9JH
Humdinger are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Hygiene Manager to join our team at our Heckington (Sleaford, Lincolnshire) Nut Snacking site. This role would suit someone with a passion for food safety and good experience in food hygiene coordination or a hygiene supervisory/ management role.
As Hygiene Manager at Humdinger, you will play a key role in leading site hygiene standards to protect food safety and support the safe production and packing of our nut snacking products. You’ll be responsible for ensuring all factory areas and equipment are cleaned to the required standards, meeting customer, legal and regulatory requirements.
You will develop your leadership skills by managing and coaching the hygiene team, coordinating cleaning activities, and working closely with production to keep operations running smoothly. You’ll also lead areas such as chemical control, contractor and pest management and audit preparation.
Position type: Permanent, Full Time
Salary:
Working Hours: Monday - Friday 08:30 - 16:30 (flexibility required to support site needs)
Key Benefits: Healthcare cash plan via paycare (Dental, Optical, Chiropody, Professional Therapy, Counselling) with a value over £400 each year.
Closing date: 19/06/2026
Responsibilities:
People & Leadership
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Manage the Hygiene Team, including recruitment, performance reviews, issue resolution, absence/holiday management, overtime and cover. The team consists of 8 Hygiene Operatives.
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Coordinate daily hygiene activities to ensure cleaning tasks are completed effectively and to schedule
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Coach and train hygiene and operational staff in best practice to ensure standards are consistently maintained
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Maintain training matrices to ensure all staff are fully trained and competent for their roles
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Motivate teams to drive and sustain high hygiene and housekeeping standards
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Ensure all staff understand and follow health and safety procedures related to hygiene
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Provide hands on cleaning support where required to cover staff shortages
Hygiene Standards, Cleaning & Inspections
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Ensure scheduled and unscheduled cleans are completed to a high standard and recorded in real time
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Inspect and verify hygiene activities carried out by the hygiene team
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Ensure correct colour coding of equipment is applied to prevent cross contamination
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Maintain hygienically safe, fit for purpose staff facilities
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Ensure housekeeping and hygiene standards minimise the risk of product contamination
Chemicals, COSHH & Equipment
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Control COSHH requirements for hygiene chemicals, ensuring safe use, correct dilution, titration, PPE and application
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Maintain an up to date COSHH inventory and hygiene chemical documentation
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Monitor chemical usage to ensure correct concentration, suitability and compliance with CICs
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Complete and review titration checks, including self dosing units, in real time
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Ensure correct chemicals, tools, equipment and consumables are available at all times
Documentation, Systems & Compliance
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Implement, review and maintain hygiene documentation including CICs, COSHH risk assessments and QMS documentation
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Manage and maintain the Hygiene Management System
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Design, implement and manage hygiene SOPs, procedures, cleaning schedules and records
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Ensure all hygiene paperwork is completed correctly and audited weekly, challenging non compliance where identified
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Generate, maintain and update CICs, ensuring new or changed equipment is captured
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Ensure CIC documentation complies with customer codes of practice and certification body standards
Audits, Incidents & Continuous Improvement
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Investigate hygiene related non conformances (internal and external) and ensure corrective actions are completed on time
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Record, investigate and report hygiene related accidents and incidents in line with site procedures
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Actively support customer and external audits, including unannounced retailer audits
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Communicate pest control reports effectively and drive continuous improvement actions
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Resolve hygiene issues promptly, working cross functionally where required
Supplier & Stakeholder Management
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Build and maintain effective working relationships with chemical suppliers, hygiene service providers and pest control contractors
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Accompany chemical suppliers during site visits and manage actions arising
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Work with Group Procurement on chemical and equipment initiatives or rationalisation
Stock & Budget Control
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Order hygiene chemicals and consumables in line with business needs
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Control and maintain hygiene stock levels, including tools, chemicals and consumables
Qualifications:
Experience:
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Experience working within hygiene operations in a food manufacturing environment (e.g. hygiene coordination or supervision)
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Practical knowledge of hygiene chemicals, cleaning processes, allergen control and COSHH
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Experience supporting or leading small teams, with a desire to grow people management skills
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Exposure to audits, inspections or working within a site preparing for them
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Awareness of pest control processes within a food manufacturing setting
Competencies:
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Strong communication skills with the ability to engage and motivate others
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Good attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining high standards
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Ability to organise tasks, plan workloads and manage priorities effectively
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Confidence to make decisions and resolve day-to-day issues with support where needed
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Comfortable using IT systems, particularly Microsoft Office
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Able to work collaboratively across teams and build positive working relationships
Qualifications - Desirable, not essential:
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Working towards or completion of relevant hygiene or manufacturing standards training (e.g. customer standards such as M&S, or equivalent)
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Food safety, allergen awareness or COSHH training appropriate to a manufacturing environment (or willingness to complete these)
Rewards Benefits:
- 25 days annual holiday entitlement
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4% employer and 5 % employee pension plan
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Life assurance plan x4 basic salary
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Various salary sacrifice schemes including pension payments, cycle to work and electric car (subject to meeting minimum criteria)
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Healthcare cash plan via paycare (Dental, Optical, Chiropody, Professional Therapy, Counselling) with a value over £400 each year
About Us:
At Humdinger, we transform coco, nuts, seeds, fruit, and pulses into delectable snacks and chocolates for both our in-house label and renowned branded ranges. With a robust and continually growing portfolio, we've earned compliments for our commitment to quality and continuous product innovation. You might have enjoyed our products before, perhaps without even realising it!
Application & Interview Process:
Application Process
Please apply online via our careers portal: create your account, upload your CV, and answer all the requested questions. You will then be contacted by our Talent Acquisition team via phone call to explore your experience and suitability for the role in more detail.
First Stage Interview – On Site
If selected, you will be invited to an on‑site interview with the Technical Manager. This will be a structured interview focused on your food hygiene management knowledge, experience and competency‑based examples.
Second Stage Interview – On Site
The final stage includes a factory tour and an in‑depth Q&A session, allowing you to demonstrate your working knowledge of a food manufacturing environment and giving you the opportunity to learn more about the role, team and site.
Humdinger is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Please let us know if you require any special arrangements or adjustments to be made for your interview by speaking with the Talent Acquisition team at the application stage.
For detailed information on how we process your personal data, please review our candidate privacy policy on our career’s portal.
