Food Recruitment Agency for Farming, Growing and Food Supply

Our food recruitment work spans the point where primary production becomes a supply chain. On the growing side that means growing managers, glasshouse managers and farm operations assistant managers who run day-to-day production. On the technical side it means product quality assurance technicians and quality assurance specialists who keep sites audit-ready. Commercially, it includes fresh produce sales traders who buy and sell product against tight margins and short shelf lives.

These roles often sit in the same business and depend on each other. A glasshouse manager who understands what QA needs from them, or a trader who knows how a crop is actually grown, is worth a great deal. We look for that understanding as well as the core skills.

For quality roles, the detail is in the standards. We check which certification schemes a candidate has worked under, such as BRCGS, how involved they were in audits, whether they hold HACCP and food safety qualifications at the right level, and how they handle a non-conformance or customer complaint. Experience of retailer codes of practice is often the deciding factor for sites supplying supermarkets.

In food manufacturing recruitment more broadly, employers tell us the challenge is finding people who can hold the line on standards while working constructively with production. We ask candidates for real examples of that, rather than relying on a list of qualifications.

QA technicians, farm operations managers and growing roles usually suit our permanent service, with a fee due only when the appointment is made and 12 weeks of support afterwards. Technical managers, heads of quality and senior commercial roles may justify a retained search with a dedicated consultant.

For entry-level QA and operations posts where active candidates exist, a targeted job advertising campaign is a cost-effective alternative.