Skilled Production Operator

Chichester & Pagham, West Sussex. Full Time Permanent. Day Shift: 4 Days On, 4 Days Off

Help keep our production lines performing at their best!

Barfoots is one of the UK's leading growers and suppliers of fresh produce, supplying major retailers with premium vegetables throughout the year. We're looking for experienced Skilled Production Operators who enjoy operating machinery, solving problems and driving production performance.

You'll be responsible for ensuring production equipment runs safely and efficiently while supporting colleagues to achieve operational targets. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with food manufacturing or production experience looking to develop their technical skills within a modern manufacturing environment.

Key responsibilities

You'll play a key role in delivering safe and efficient production by:

·       Operating and monitoring automated production equipment

·       Setting up production lines for daily operation

·       Carrying out product and machine changeovers

·       Monitoring line performance and responding to production issues

·       Completing production records accurately

·       Recording and reviewing Short Interval Control (SIC) data

·       Carrying out routine operational checks and minor adjustments

·       Supporting Production Operators during line operations

·       Working alongside Engineering and Quality teams to minimise downtime

·       Promoting safe working practices and food safety compliance

Working Environment

This role is based within a busy fresh produce manufacturing facility operating in temperature-controlled conditions (typically 3°C–5°C). The role includes prolonged standing, manual handling and regular interaction with automated production equipment.

If you're looking for a role where you can take ownership of production equipment, develop your technical capability and make a real impact on operational performance, we'd like to hear from you.

Requirements

About you

You'll ideally have:

·       Experience operating machinery within a manufacturing environment

·       A strong understanding of production processes

·       Good mechanical awareness

·       Excellent attention to detail

·       The ability to identify and resolve minor production issues

·       Good communication and teamwork skills

·       A proactive approach to improving efficiency and quality

·       Food manufacturing experience is advantageous, but not essential for candidates with transferable production machinery experience

Benefits

What you'll receive

·       Welcome Bonus

·       Competitive Salary

·       Permanent full-time position

·       Structured training and ongoing development

·       Opportunities to progress into Technical Operator and supervisory roles

·       Supportive working environment

·       Opportunity to contribute to continuous improvement initiatives