SOP Lead

Samworth Brothers Ltd; Leicester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food manufacturing company in Leicester is looking for a changemaker to enhance Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) across its operations. The ideal candidate will possess deep knowledge of SOP governance, proven project management skills, and the ability to train others. This role emphasizes building a culture of safety and compliance while driving continuous improvement. Join our dynamic team to support the production of high-quality products for well-known UK retailers.

Benefits

Enhanced pension scheme

Private health scheme

Employee discount scheme

Annual pay reviews

Profit related pay

Training and growth opportunities

Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of SOP governance in food manufacturing or regulated environments.
• Experience with system ownership and compliance monitoring.
• Training and coaching expertise related to SOPs.

Responsibilities

• Redesign SOP’s ecosystem and implement the DMS.
• Influence behaviors, communicate insights, and champion a safe work culture.
• Own the SOP’s DMS roadmap and governance.

Skills

SOP governance knowledge

Change management skills

Project management skills

Training and coaching expertise

Education

CIPD Certification

Food Safety Level 3

Change Management certification

Job description

About The Role

Join the Samworth Brothers Team and become part of our dynamic family! At Samworth Brothers, we genuinely care about our colleagues and strive to create an engaging environment that values your unique contributions. We are committed to your success and offer a range of exceptional benefits that we believe support your life and personal aspirations:

• Enhanced pension scheme
• Private health scheme
• Employee discount scheme
• Experience annual pay reviews
• Profit related pay
• Unlock your potential through training and growth opportunities

The Opportunity

Make Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) the foundation of safe, standardised, and compliant work across our Group.

We’re looking for an experienced changemaker to define, embed, and continuously improve how SOP’s are created, governed, trained, and used across Samworth Brothers. You’ll partner with senior leaders and frontline teams, act as Product Owner for our SOPs Document Management System (DMS), and help build a culture where SOPs drive safety, compliance, and performance.

Key Responsibilities

The opportunity to redesign the SOP’s ecosystem including procurement and implementation of the DMS — ensuring it meets operational requirements across sites and functions.

Influence mindsets and behaviours — communicate clearly, present insights to senior stakeholders, and champion a culture of safe, standardised work.

Own the SOP’s DMS roadmap — setting up the standards and governance and partnering with the selected software provider to deliver improvements.

Monitor practice and performance — creating measures, reporting on compliance, and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.

Build capability at scale — train and coach SOP authors, approvers, and operational trainers; deliver ‘Train the Trainer’ to enable SOP-based on-the-job learning.

The Ideal Candidate

We believe that success is built upon collaboration and diverse perspectives. At Samworth Brothers, we welcome candidates who are passionate about working together to achieve greatness. As a valued member of our team, you will bring the following skills and experience:

• Deep knowledge of SOP governance and deployment in food manufacturing or similarly regulated environments.
• Hands‑on experience with system ownership and using data to monitor compliance and inform improvements.
• Proven change and project management skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders across sites and functions.
• Training and coaching expertise, including ‘Train the Trainer’ delivery and capability building for authors/approvers.
• Relevant qualifications (e.g., Certified Trainer/CIPD, IOSH/NEBOSH, Food Safety Level 3; Change Management certification desirable).

We also want you to thrive in an engaging and inclusive work culture where you will have the opportunity to take on personal accountability and take pride in your work. We encourage positive communication, and the building of strong collaborative relationships is essential to every role.

About Us

We are a fourth‑generation family business producing high quality own‑label products for many of the UK’s best‑known retailers along with our own brands including Ginsters, Soreen, Higgidy, Dickinson & Morris, Urban Eat, West Cornwall Pasty Company and Walker & Son. We employ over 10,000 people in well-invested modern food manufacturing sites around the country.

At Samworth Brothers we take pride in our family feel within our businesses and work together to make things happen. We can offer you the stability of a wider group as well as the opportunities that that offers if you wish to progress your career with us. We are family and we would like to invite you to be part of that and support our teams in delivering great products to all of our customers.

Samworth Brothers do not engage with unlicensed gangmasters or third parties. Samworth Brothers will NEVER ask you for money in order to provide you with employment. If you are in any doubt, please contact an official Samworth Brothers representative.