Job Description

Ford Farm, Ashley Chase Estate, have been perfecting the art of traditional cheese making for over forty years though the recipes and methods go back much further - over 600 years in fact. We believe it's the dedication to these time-honoured traditions that make Ford Farm Cheddars some of the finest in the world.

We are currently recruiting for an Operative - Band A in our Packing Department.

The purpose of this role is to operate and monitor production equipment as per the company's standard operating procedures (SOP's) to achieve product that is within internal and external specifications.

Under guidance from the Line Leader you will be part of a team who:

Operating and monitoring production equipment safely Bagging and sealing cheese and checking for foreign body contaminants. Undertaking manual handling tasks including hand stacking product/packing into boxes and onto pallets. Working within all company policies and procedures, including Health & Safety and Food Safety Standards Using safe working practices and relevant documentation to carry out tasks relevant to the area such as moving pallets, products and waste between areas using manual pallet movers, electric pallet movers or forklift trucks. Undertake cleaning tasks relevant to the area. To carry out any other work or task determined to be within your level of competence, to meet the needs of the business. Working within all company policies and procedures, including Health and Safety, Food Safety, Authenticity, Legality and Quality Standards.
The successful candidate will have good written and verbal communication skills and be able to develop and maintain productive relationships with team members, other departments and embrace the company's core values. You will need to be methodical with a good attention to detail and be able to analyse and use data to identify the root cause of problems.

Essential:

Functional (basic) Maths - Level 1 Functional English Skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) - Level 1 Manual Handling Basic Computer Skills

Desirable:

Experience of working in a food manufacturing environment Awareness of continuous improvement Food Hygiene - Level 2. Training will be given if not already held Forklift certificate Able to work in a role that has physical demands

Skills/Aptitude:

Hardworking Flexible approach Able to follow instructions Willingness to learn new tasks

Core Values/Behaviours:

Integrity:

Sets example to others through positive behaviours and good engagement Open, honest, and calm - even under pressure Respect diversity and be open minded Caring and Empathetic towards others Trustworthy and reliable with good moral standards - doing the right thing, even when no-one is looking
Responsibility:

Embrace change with an open mind Adaptable and polite Proud to respect our environment, our resources and our community Apply a Quality & Safety Mindset at all times and challenge others who don't Take Personal Ownership of issues; Ambition to exceed personal and team goals Driver of your own self-development
Collaboration:

Contribute to the team goals and effectively communicate in a timely manner Freedom to speak up and challenge appropriately Flexibility to work across different teams and functions Accountability for personal & team performance Innovate, adapt and reduce all forms of waste, guided by data and experience
Job Type: Full-time

Pay: 12.44 per hour

Benefits:

Company pension Cycle to work scheme Employee discount Health & wellbeing programme Life insurance On-site parking Sick pay
Schedule:

Day shift Monday to Friday
Ability to commute/relocate:

Dorchester DT2: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Language:

English (required)
Work authorisation:

United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 22/08/2025
Reference ID: Band A prod