Food Safety Manager

Overview

At PepsiCo UK, we’re proud to make some of the nation’s favourite snacks and drinks—like Walkers, Quaker, Doritos, Pipers, and Monster Munch. With sites across the UK, including our Quaker mill in Cupar and Doritos factory in Coventry, we’re also home to one of the world’s largest crisp factories in Leicester.

As Food Safety Manager for the Skelmersdale site, you will play a critical leadership role within the Quality & Food Safety function, working closely with Operations and cross-functional teams to ensure the highest standards of food safety, hygiene, sanitation, and regulatory compliance. With site-wide accountability for Food Safety, Hygiene, and Sanitation, you will lead the development and execution of robust food safety programmes that protect consumers, customers, and the PepsiCo brand. You will be a confident and credible leader, capable of influencing stakeholders at all levels, driving a strong food safety culture, and delivering sustainable improvements across the site. Operating in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, you will apply sound technical expertise, strong decision-making skills, and a proactive approach to problem-solving. You will lead with integrity, remain calm under pressure, and demonstrate the ability to prioritise effectively while working independently and collaboratively to deliver results.

Responsibilities

Food Safety & Compliance Leadership:

• Provide site-wide leadership and accountability for Food Safety, Hygiene, and Sanitation programmes.

• Develop, implement, and continuously improve food safety policies and procedures in line with PepsiCo standards, regulatory requirements, industry best practice, BRCGS, and AIB expectations.

• Act as the site's subject matter expert for food safety, sanitation, allergen management, and hygienic design.

• Lead the management and resolution of food safety incidents, quality holds, investigations, and corrective actions, ensuring effective root cause analysis and sustainable solutions.

• Ensure all processes, equipment, and systems comply with PepsiCo, BRCGS, AIB, and regulatory requirements, including PEM, allergen validation, cleaning validation, and equipment validation programmes.

Hygiene & Sanitation Excellence:

• Lead the site's sanitation strategy and Master Sanitation Schedule (MSS), driving continuous improvement in cleaning effectiveness and hygiene performance.

• Identify, implement, and benchmark sanitation best practices to enhance food safety and operational efficiency.

• Ensure robust verification and validation programmes are in place to demonstrate cleaning and sanitation effectiveness.

Audit & Standards Management:

• Lead the Factory Standards programme, embedding an "audit-ready every day" mindset across all areas of the site.

• Support external audits, including BRCGS, AIB, customer, and regulatory inspections, acting as the lead for designated areas of responsibility.

• Drive audit compliance through effective governance, risk identification, action planning, and closure of non-conformances.

People Leadership & Capability Development:

• Provide direct line management and leadership to the shift-based Laboratory Operators and Technicians, fostering a high-performance culture focused on accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement.

• Develop team capability through coaching, mentoring, training, and succession planning.

• Inspire collaboration across Quality, Food Safety, and Operations teams to achieve site objectives and drive functional excellence.

Continuous Improvement & Culture:

• Champion food safety culture initiatives across the site, supporting behavioural programmes, BOS conversations, engagement activities, and performance metrics.

• Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities, prioritising actions, and ensuring sustainable implementation.

• Support the site's SPARK agenda, with particular focus on Incident Elimination (IE) and Clean, Inspect, Lubricate (CIL) Daily Management Systems (DMS).

Project & Contractor Management:

• Act as the food safety and hygiene subject matter expert for capital projects, change initiatives, and continuous improvement programmes.

• Manage key external service providers, including sanitation, pest control, and laboratory support partners, ensuring delivery of exceptional service, regulatory compliance, and budget adherence.

• Establish strong relationships with contractors and suppliers to drive value creation and continuous performance improvement.

Site Leadership:

• Deputise for the Site Quality Lead as required, providing leadership and support across the wider Quality & Food Safety agenda.

• Contribute to delivery of the site's Quality & Food Safety scorecard, objectives, and strategic priorities.

Qualifications

Essential:

• Minimum 5 years' experience within the food manufacturing industry, including at least 3 years in a Quality, Food Safety, Hygiene, or Sanitation leadership role.

• Proven people management experience, including leading, developing, and coaching teams.

• HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) & Food Safety Level 4 qualification (Level 3 minimum).

• Strong knowledge of food safety management systems, hygiene and sanitation programmes, regulatory requirements, and industry standards.

• Demonstrable experience supporting and leading external audits, including BRCGS and/or AIB.

• Experience managing third-party service providers and external contracts.

• Strong problem-solving, risk assessment, and decision-making capabilities.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and challenge constructively at all organisational levels.

• Proven track record of driving continuous improvement and implementing sustainable change.

Desirable:

• Professional qualifications or certifications in Food Safety, Sanitation, Auditing, Allergen Management, or Quality Management Systems.

• Lead Auditor qualification.

Why Join Us?

We offer a competitive salary, bonus, flexible working, and a wide range of benefits—from critical illness cover and discounted gym memberships to enhanced parental leave and electric car schemes. Our commitment to wellbeing and career growth makes us a Top Employer for 14 years running.

Equal Opportunities

We’re an equal opportunity employer, committed to the Equality Act 2010. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and will provide any necessary adjustments to support you through the recruitment process.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the centre of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.