Production Operative
London, E16

About Us

We’re Union Coffee - a proud B Corp and the UK’s leading speciality coffee roaster. We source high-quality coffee direct from farmers in 14 countries via our pioneering model, Union Direct Trade. We roast all of our coffee on-site at our East London roastery and distribute to cafes, retailers and homes across the UK for coffee lovers to enjoy.

We are focused on quality and sustainability across everything we do. In 2022, we certified as a B Corporation, an extremely exciting step for us. But that’s not all! Our sourcing model won The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2017 and 2022, and to date, we’ve had a positive impact on over 65,000 coffee farmers and their families.

We’re proud roasters for some of Britain’s finest cafes and restaurants, as well as supplying to retailers to sell to home consumers. Our coffee is also available roasted fresh to order for coffee drinkers at home via our online shop. You can also find us up in our own cafe, Union Brew Lab, in the centre of Edinburgh.

Our inclusive, diverse team of Unionistas consists of around 70 people - a smiley bunch of people passionate about coffee, mostly based at our East London roastery. Yes, it does smell like coffee!

We are now seeking a hands-on Production Operative to join our team on a full-time basis.

The Benefits

- Competitive salary
- 25 days of holiday plus the usual bank holidays
- Generous sick leave and pay entitlement
- Enhanced family/dependant leave and pay allowances
- Paid time off for volunteering
- Coffee training and knowledge
- Cycle to Work scheme / Electric Car Scheme
- Great, agile team to work with
- The chance to be an active part of Union’s success in spreading the love of speciality coffee
- Great coffee to drink at work - and free coffee to take home!

The Role

As a Production Operative, you will get involved in a variety of different areas of the production process to help fulfil wholesale, retail and D2C orders.

You will safely operate production and/or packing machinery and will be responsible for always maintaining BRC/HACCP standards.

Focusing on quality, H&S and housekeeping standards at every step in the process, you will:

- Prepare and load green coffee into the roasters in preparation for production
- Operate production machinery, such as filling machines and packing equipment
- Assemble, pack and label the finished goods in preparation for shipment
- Monitor stock levels of raw and finished goods
- Maintain a clean and tidy working environment and manage production waste
- Perform quality assurance and testing checks

Please note, this role will involve lifting and manoeuvring heavy objects and standing for extended periods of time.

About You

To be considered as a Production Operative, you will need:

- An understanding of general food safety practices
- The willingness to learn new things so you can take on basic engineering and quality tasks
- Confidence to put forward ideas and suggestions for process improvement
- Knowledge of H&S requirements and the ability to apply H&S knowledge practically
- An interest in the coffee and/or food industry
- Excellent time management and communication skills

Knowledge and understanding of BRC/HACCP and working to BRC/HACCP standards would be desirable but not essential as training will be provided. Knowledge of ISO 14001 and working to ISO 14001 requirements would also be beneficial.

Previous experience in an FMCG environment would be advantageous.

Please note, due to the nature of the role, some non-core hours and weekend working will be required.

Other organisations may call this role Pick and Pick Operative, Manufacturing Operative, Production Line Operative, Order Fulfilment Operative, General Operative, or Warehouse Operative.

Webrecruit and Union Hand-Roasted Coffee are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

So, if you would like to join us as a Production Operative, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.