Plant Hygiene Manager
A leading manufacturer in the consumer goods sector is seeking a Plant Hygiene Manager to lead site-wide hygiene, microbiology, and hygienic design initiatives within a high-volume manufacturing environment. This leadership role will be responsible for maintaining and improving facility hygiene standards, driving microbiological risk reduction strategies, and partnering with Engineering, Operations, and Quality teams to ensure all equipment, processes, and capital projects align with hygienic design principles. This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on technical leader who combines deep microbiology expertise with a strong understanding of sanitary manufacturing systems and continuous improvement.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead site hygiene, microbiology, and hygienic design programs across the manufacturing facility.
- Serve as the subject matter expert for microbial risk management, environmental monitoring, and contamination prevention.
- Partner with Engineering and Operations teams to review, validate, and improve the hygienic design of equipment, production lines, utilities, and capital projects.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on sanitation effectiveness, contamination prevention, and operational excellence.
- Lead investigations of microbiological deviations, environmental monitoring findings, and quality incidents; implement corrective and preventive actions.
- Develop and maintain hygiene standards, procedures, risk assessments, and training programs.
- Oversee environmental monitoring programs, trending, data analysis, and reporting.
- Support internal, customer, and third-party audits while ensuring ongoing regulatory and company compliance.
- Collaborate with R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, and Engineering to mitigate quality and hygiene risks.
- Lead and develop site personnel responsible for hygiene, microbiology, and sanitation-related activities.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Microbiology, Biology, Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.
- Required: Strong industrial microbiology experience within a food or CPG manufacturing environment.
- Experience leading environmental monitoring, contamination control, microbial investigations, and root cause analysis.
- Demonstrated expertise in hygienic design principles, sanitary equipment design, and facility risk assessments.
- Working knowledge of GMPs, sanitation programs, audit requirements, and quality systems.
- Experience partnering with Engineering teams on equipment installations, modifications, or capital projects.
- Strong leadership, coaching, and cross-functional influence skills.
- Ability to analyze complex technical issues and implement sustainable solutions.
Preferred Experience
- Consumer goods, food & beverage, personal care, pharmaceutical, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.
- Experience managing microbiology laboratories or microbial testing programs.
- Exposure to validation programs, cleaning verification, and sanitation optimization initiatives.
- Knowledge of ISO, FDA, GFSI, or similar quality and compliance standards.
FAQs
Congratulations, we understand that taking the time to apply is a big step. When you apply, your details go directly to the consultant who is sourcing talent. Due to demand, we may not get back to all applicants that have applied. However, we always keep your resume and details on file so when we see similar roles or see skillsets that drive growth in organizations, we will always reach out to discuss opportunities.
Yes. Even if this role isn’t a perfect match, applying allows us to understand your expertise and ambitions, ensuring you're on our radar for the right opportunity when it arises.
We also work in several ways, firstly we advertise our roles available on our site, however, often due to confidentiality we may not post all. We also work with clients who are more focused on skills and understanding what is required to future-proof their business.
That's why we recommend registering your resume so you can be considered for roles that have yet to be created.
Yes, we help with CV and interview preparation. From customized support on how to optimize your CV to interview preparation and compensation negotiations, we advocate for you throughout your next career move.