Are you an experienced packaging or manufacturing professional looking for your next opportunity within a fast-paced food and drink production environment?

We are recruiting for a Packaging Operator to join a well-established beverage manufacturing site in Bedford.

This is an exciting time to become part of the operation, with significant investment of approximately £70 million creating opportunities for professional growth, development and future progression.

You will play an important role in maintaining the efficient operation of packaging lines and associated logistics activities.

Working as part of the Packaging team, you will help deliver production targets while ensuring the highest standards of quality, food safety, hygiene and health and safety.

Role Responsibilities

Reporting to the Team Leader, your responsibilities will include:

• Operating canning and kegging lines from start-up through to shutdown in line with standard operating procedures.

• Operating palletisers, depalletisers, robots and other automated packaging equipment safely and effectively.

• Supplying packaging machinery with the required materials to support continuous production.

• Monitoring process indicators and recording production information accurately within MES and SAP systems.

• Completing quality checks, including weight checks, visual inspections and sampling of finished products.

• Entering and reviewing quality data through LIMS, escalating out-of-specification or abnormal results.

• Recording key process parameters, including temperature, pressure and CO? levels.

• Carrying out keg handling, inspection, cleaning and preparation activities.

• Operating forklift trucks, clamp trucks and other materials-handling equipment.

• Loading and unloading inbound and outbound trailers safely and efficiently.

• Supporting beer movement, traceability and logistics activities across the site.

• Maintaining high standards of housekeeping, hygiene and workplace organisation.

• Carrying out cleaning, autonomous maintenance and other support activities.

• Reporting equipment, quality and process issues through the appropriate systems.

• Supporting Engineering with maintenance activities when required.

• Following all Health & Safety, Food Safety, HACCP and Food Defence procedures.

Skills/Experience

You may currently be working as a Packaging Operator, Machine Operator, Production Operator, Manufacturing Operative, Process Operative or Materials-Handling Operative within the food, drink, FMCG or wider manufacturing sector.

The successful candidate will ideally have:

• Experience operating packaging machinery, particularly kegging or canning lines.

• Previous experience within a food, drink, FMCG or manufacturing environment.

• A valid, up-to-date FLT licence and practical forklift experience.

• Experience operating a clamp or “top hat” truck.

• A shunter licence.

• Experience loading and unloading trailers safely.

• Knowledge of production, packaging or warehouse processes.

• Experience working with SAP, MES, LIMS or similar production systems.

• An understanding of beer movement, product traceability or comparable regulated processes.

• Experience with CIP processes, particularly keg cleaning.

• Training in Health & Safety, Food Safety and HACCP principles.

• MEWP training, or a willingness to undertake relevant training.

• Strong computer literacy and accurate documentation skills.

• Good time-management, organisation and problem-solving abilities.

• A flexible and reliable approach to rotating shifts, including overnight working.

• A positive attitude towards training, development and continuous improvement.

Key Benefits

• Permanent, full-time employment.

• Total compensation of £37,824.39.

• A structured Monday-to-Friday rotating shift pattern.

• The opportunity to join a major manufacturing investment programme.

• Scope for training, development and future career progression.

• The chance to build experience across packaging, logistics, quality and production operations.

• A collaborative environment where safety, quality and continuous improvement are prioritised.

Shift pattern

You will work a rotating three-shift pattern, changing weekly:

• Week 1: 6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

• Week 2: 2:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

• Week 3: 10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.

This is a fully site-based role in Bedford, and applicants must be able to commit to all three shift patterns.

If you are an experienced food and drink manufacturing professional who enjoys working with packaging equipment, production systems and materials-handling operations, this could be an excellent opportunity to join a growing site at an important stage of its development.

Get in touch to find out more about this Packaging Operator opportunity or apply with your CV today.