Site Food Safety Lead – Kendal Nutricare

Dairy Chain; Kendal; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading infant nutrition company is seeking a Food Safety Lead at their Kendal site to maintain and improve its Food Safety Management System. Responsibilities include ensuring compliance with UK and FDA regulations, conducting audits, and fostering a food safety culture. The ideal candidate will have a degree related to food science, a minimum of 5 years' experience in food safety, and demonstrated success in food safety management and validation programs. Attractive benefits include 28 days of holiday, life assurance, and on-site parking.

Benefits

28 days holiday

Pension scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Life Assurance

Subsidised breakfast

Childcare vouchers

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in food safety or quality within food manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of Food Safety Management Systems and food microbiology.
• Demonstrated success in leading validation programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and maintenance of the site’s Food Safety Management System.
• Ensure compliance with UK, EU, and FDA regulations.
• Conduct internal audits and risk assessments.

Skills

Food safety management

Knowledge of FDA regulations

HACCP principles

Leadership skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or related discipline

Formal qualifications in HACCP, PCQI

Job description

Digital Dairy Chain

Site Food Safety Lead – Kendal Nutricare

About us

We are a rapid-growth scale-up disrupting the infant nutrition space through our award-winning brand Kendamil – the only infant milk made in Britain, proudly used by the British Royal Family and uniquely crafted locally using British full cream milk, without the nasties.

Our company, Kendal Nutricare, is a 150-person team passionate about giving children a better start to life. We’re proud to be a Queens’ Award winning business and to be ranked by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s 1000 Fastest Growing Companies in 2025.

We’re on an exciting path – join us!

The Role

As the Food Safety Lead at our Kendal site, you will play a key role in maintaining and continuously improving the site’s Food Safety Management System (FSMS) in line with UK, EU, and FDA standards.

You will ensure robust compliance for both domestic and export markets — with particular focus on U.S. FDA and FSMA requirements for infant formula — while leading validation activities and fostering a strong culture of food safety across the site.

Responsibilities

Food Safety Management & Compliance

• Lead the development, implementation, and maintenance of the site’s FSMS in line with HACCP principles and international standards for infant formula.
• Monitor and review programs to ensure full compliance with UK, EU, and FDA regulations.
• Conduct internal audits, inspections, and risk assessments to proactively identify and mitigate food safety risks.

FDA Compliance (U.S. Exports)

• Act as the site’s expert on FDA and PCQI regulations to maintain export readiness to the United States.
• Manage all food safety documentation and processes required for FDA and FSMA compliance.
• Partner with Regulatory Affairs to ensure alignment with evolving U.S. regulatory requirements.
• Lead the development, execution, and documentation of validation activities across the FSMS.
• Oversee validation programs including: Clean-in-Place (CIP) systems; Allergen cleaning and control; Thermal process validations (e.g., pasteurisation, UHT)
• Ensure all validations are scientifically sound, risk-based, and compliant with regulatory standards (FDA, Codex, EU).
• Maintain validation master plans, protocols, and reports, ensuring timely review and revalidation.

Training & Team Development

• Provide leadership, coaching, and technical support to food safety and hygiene teams.
• Deliver training on food safety, allergen management, validation protocols, and FDA compliance.
• Foster a proactive, site-wide food safety culture through education and engagement.

Continuous Improvement & Risk Management

• Analyse food safety performance data and lead root cause investigations.
• Drive continuous improvement and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA).
• Identify opportunities to strengthen food safety systems, validation, and regulatory readiness.
• Monitor and review programs to ensure full compliance with UK, EU, and FDA regulations.
• Conduct internal audits, inspections, and risk assessments to proactively identify and mitigate food safety risks.

What you’ll need

• Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Technology, or a related discipline.
• Formal qualifications in HACCP, PCQI, and/or food safety auditing.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in food safety or quality within a food manufacturing environment — ideally in infant formula or high-care dairy.
• Strong knowledge of FDA regulations, PCQI responsibilities, and U.S. export compliance.
• Demonstrated success in leading validation programs (cleaning, allergen, and thermal processes).
• In-depth understanding of FSMS principles, food microbiology, allergen management, and hygienic design.
• Skilled in validation lifecycle management — from protocol design to data interpretation.
• Knowledge of BRC, ISO 22000, Codex Alimentarius, and CFR Title 21.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and leadership skills, with the ability to influence across teams.
• Lead Auditor qualification would be an advantage

What you’ll get from us

The opportunity to work for the fastest growing infant milk brand in Europe, alongside a young talented team dedicated to serving thousands of passionate customers.

We offer 28 days holiday (incl. bank holidays) with additional holidays granted each year for the first 5 years, a pension scheme, Employee Assistance Programme, Life Assurance at 2 x basic salary, on-site parking, subsidised breakfast and childcare vouchers. Oh and did we mention our factory is located in the heart of the beautiful English Lake District?

If this sounds like a role for you, email Magdalena Klonowska Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist & Onboarding Coordinator, ([e-mail]) with your CV and a note on why you’re right for the job — we can’t wait to meet you!

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