Hygiene Manager – Maternity Cover - FMCG in Dartford

Role: Hygiene Manager – Maternity Cover | Salary: Up to £55,000 | Location: Kent | Monday–Friday The Opportunity Are you an experienced Hygiene Manager looking for an opportunity where you can lead a large team and have a genuine impact on food safety, hygiene standards and operational performance? Our client is an established and growing food manufacturing business, looking for a confident and driven Hygiene Manager to take responsibility for the site-wide hygiene function during a maternity cover period. This is a key leadership position, responsible for leading and developing a large Hygiene team while ensuring consistently high standards of hygiene, food safety, compliance and continuous improvement across the site. You’ll work closely with Technical, Production, Engineering and Projects, providing strong hygiene leadership, supporting operational performance and ensuring the site remains audit-ready and compliant with legal, BRCGS, customer and internal standards. Key Responsibilities: Hygiene Leadership: Lead, manage and develop a large Hygiene team, setting clear expectations, maintaining standards and promoting a culture of ownership and accountability. Hygiene Strategy: Develop, implement and continually review the site's hygiene and sanitation strategy, ensuring cleaning programmes and procedures remain effective. Food Safety & Compliance: Ensure hygiene standards meet legal, BRCGS, customer and internal requirements, maintaining strong audit readiness across the site. Team Development: Coach and develop Hygiene Managers, Supervisors and Team Leaders, supporting performance, succession planning and continuous development. Budget & Cost Management: Manage hygiene budgets and operational costs, monitoring labour, chemicals, PPE, equipment and water usage while identifying opportunities for improved efficiency. Continuous Improvement: Use data, KPIs and structured problem-solving to identify trends, eliminate recurring issues and improve cleaning methods, processes and resource utilisation. Incident Management: Lead the hygiene response to contamination events, allergen cross-contact risks and other sanitation-related incidents, ensuring effective corrective and preventative actions. Cross-Functional Working: Work closely with Technical, Production, Engineering and Projects teams, providing hygiene input into operational changes, new equipment and site developments. Supplier & Contractor Management: Build effective relationships with chemical suppliers, external contractors and specialist service providers to ensure high standards and value. What You’ll Bring: Hygiene Management Experience: Proven experience managing Hygiene within a high-care or ready-to-eat food manufacturing environment. Leadership: Strong experience leading, motivating, coaching and developing a large Hygiene team. Technical Knowledge: Excellent understanding of BRCGS, HACCP, food safety, hygiene compliance, legal requirements and customer standards. Operational Expertise: Strong knowledge of sanitation, cleaning standards, hygienic design and hygiene best practice. Continuous Improvement: A structured and proactive approach to problem-solving, root-cause analysis and driving operational improvements. Commercial Awareness: Experience managing Hygiene budgets, costs and resources, with the ability to identify efficiency opportunities. Data Driven: Comfortable working with KPIs, reporting and data to identify trends, risks and areas for improvement. Communication: Confident working with senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams, with strong organisational and communication skills. Qualifications: HACCP Level 3 is essential, alongside a recognised hygienic design qualification, formal training or equivalent practical experience. Why Apply? Leadership: Take ownership of the site's entire Hygiene function and lead a large, established team. Impact: Play a key role in maintaining food safety, hygiene and compliance standards across a busy food manufacturing environment. Development: Work closely with Technical, Production, Engineering and Projects teams, gaining broad exposure across the wider operation. Variety: A genuinely hands-on leadership position covering people, hygiene strategy, compliance, budgets, continuous improvement and operational performance. Environment: Join a supportive and forward-thinking business with modern facilities and a strong focus on people and development. Benefits: Competitive salary, Monday–Friday working, on-site parking with EV charging, subsidised staff restaurant, staff events, brand-new facilities. If you're an experienced Hygiene Manager with strong food manufacturing experience and the leadership skills to maintain high standards while driving continuous improvement, we'd love to hear from you