Senior Animal Welfare Office
Location: Sandycroft
Hours: 08:00 - 16:30
About Us
Join 2 Sisters Food Group, one of the UK's largest food manufacturers, with an annual turnover exceeding £3 billion and approximately 13,000 employees across 16 sites. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual that's eager to join a prestigious employer within the FMCG sector. We have a strong presence in poultry, chilled, and bakery food categories, including popular brands like Holland's pies. We are committed to delivering high-quality products to the British public and our retail and food service customers, including major retailers like Aldi, Asda, Co-op, KFC, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrison's, Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Waitrose.
About the Role
As a Senior Animal Welfare Officer, you will play a pivotal frontline management role in ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare compliance within a busy food manufacturing setting. Leading a team of Animal Welfare Officers, you will oversee welfare operations, ensuring adherence to legal requirements and industry standards such as those set by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and British Retail Consortium (BRC). This role is critical in maintaining a culture of compliance, continuous improvement, and animal welfare excellence.
Key Responsibilities
* Manage and support three Animal Welfare Officers to ensure compliance with animal welfare regulations and standards.
* Develop and maintain working practices and procedures aligned with Council Regulations and UK statutory requirements.
* Lead training and competence assessments for slaughterhouse personnel on animal welfare practices.
* Maintain accurate records of welfare checks, incidents, and corrective actions using both written and computerised systems.
* Prepare and present regular KPI reports; collaborate with site teams, AWOs, and compliance heads to address welfare issues.
* Participate in internal and external audits and investigate welfare incidents, implementing corrective and preventative measures.
About You
We are looking for a candidate who has leadership experience or a willingness to step up into a leadership role with a pragmatic approach to balancing welfare compliance with operational realities and with proven experience in animal welfare within slaughterhouses or related environments, ideally with some regulatory or veterinary exposure. You will have a strong understanding of slaughtering processes, poultry welfare, and relevant legislation, including the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (WATOK) regulations.
Key Skills
* Excellent leadership or team management abilities
* Strong communication and interpersonal skills to engage effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders
* In-depth knowledge of animal welfare legislation, auditing standards, HACCP, and food safety procedures
* Ability to produce clear, accurate reports and maintain detailed records
* Problem-solving skills with a focus on compliance enforcement and continuous improvement
The role is based at our site UK Poultry site in Sandycroft where a typical working day will be 08:00 - 16:30 with occasional need for flexibility.
Benefits
20 days annual leave
Company pension scheme with Legal & General or NEST pension
Death in service benefit, optional - linked to membership of L&G pension
Company sick pay - after qualifying period
Free onsite parking
Exclusive 2 Sisters employee discount platform available via an app offering savings of up to 60% with brands including Asda, Morrisons, Marks and Spencer and Tesco.
Employee assistance programme.
Wisdom wellbeing app
Grocery Aid - employees access to counselling
Why Join Us?
As one of the UK's largest food manufacturers, we provide ample opportunities for career growth and skill development. We emphasize promoting from within, ensuring you can build a rewarding career with us.
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