A career in Food Manufacturing

The food industry represents one of the largest employers in the UK today. A career in food manufacturing can be rewarding and lucrative and will certainly provide the opportunity for travel throughout the UK, Europe and indeed the world.
So how does it work? How do you get a foothold in the industry and which direction should you take?

A start in food production.

Many people start in the food industry working part time during holidays or taking a first time job on a production line. This is a great way to gain an understanding of how a food manufacturing process works and gives you 'hands-on' experience of the products and machinery required in a modern factory.

Another route into food manufacturing may be through a graduate training scheme where you will get both the hands-on experience and a more rapid exposure to some of the manufacturing management aspects of the business, including an understanding of some of the 'Key Performance Indicators', or the tools used to manage the operational effectiveness of the business.

You may be lucky enough to work in a factory that manufactures many different types of food, including ambient products, chilled products or frozen products and this can mean exposure to many different manufacturing environments and will fast-track your experience and manufacturing knowledge.

How will my food career develop?

Whatever your route into the food manufacturing environment, the experience gained on 'the line' will be invaluable. As you look to advance your career you will want to consider a first-line management position such as a Production Team Leader, or Production Area Leader, and this will be your opportunity to influence what happens in the factory and take charge of people for the first time. In this role you may be running a production line, or managing an area in a department and liaising with other managers and departments is critical to the success and efficiency of the factory.

Beyond this, in your immediate environment you may have the opportunity to develop your career further and become a Production Shift Manager, Department Manager or Manufacturing Manager.

The bigger picture

The next stage in your career development will elevate you to a Senior Operational role which may include managing a factory or several departments of a very large manufacturing operation. As Factory Manager, Operations Manager or General Manager you will most likely take full P&L responsibility for the business under your control, and through a workforce of many hundreds manage production line efficiencies, product wastage, labour control, materials control and product quality and at this level will have the opportunity to largely anywhere across the globe should you choose.

All of this can be achieved within ten to fifteen years and remuneration packages will reflect the level of responsibility making a career in food manufacturing an excellent choice.

Written by Steve Hardie