Company Microbiologist (Food Microbiology)

Location: hirify.global ICON, 7-9 Sunbank Ln, Altrincham, Manchester, UK

Company

hirify.global is a global ecommerce group operating beauty and sports nutrition brands, with hirify.global Nutrition managing brands including Myprotein, Myvegan, Myvitamins, and MP Activewear.

What you will do

• Define the group microbiological strategy across manufacturing sites and product categories.
• Act as the final technical authority for microbiological risks, deviations, food safety incidents, and product disposition decisions.
• Establish microbiological criteria, specifications, testing strategies, environmental monitoring programmes, and group-level performance KPIs.
• Lead microbiological risk assessments, HACCP input, pathogen incident response, root cause analysis, and corrective action planning.
• Provide technical oversight to internal sites, central teams, suppliers, contract laboratories, and third-party manufacturers.
• Partner with Operations, Technical, NPD, Commercial, customers, and regulators on food safety, process design, factory layouts, and capital investment decisions.

Requirements

• Degree or higher in Microbiology, Food Microbiology, or a closely related discipline.
• Extensive food manufacturing experience with expertise in microbiological risk across complex, multi-product environments.
• Experience operating at a senior technical level and influencing multiple sites or business units.
• Advanced knowledge of pathogens including Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli, as well as control strategies and hygienic zoning.
• Experience with environmental monitoring, shelf-life validation, challenge testing, predictive microbiology, HACCP, and risk assessment.
• Strong working knowledge of BRCGS and international food safety standards, with the ability to make decisive risk-based decisions.

Culture & Benefits

• Access to bespoke development programmes and an upskilling programme delivered with an industry training provider.
• 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, a birthday day off, enhanced parental pay, compassionate leave, buy-back leave, and volunteer leave.
• Access to an in-house GP, a 24/7 Bupa Employee Assistance Programme, and an on-site gym.
• Salary sacrifice technology savings, a subsidised bus pass from Manchester City Centre, staff discounts on hirify.global brands, and an on-site staff shop.
• Employee referral rewards and anniversary gifts after five and ten years of service.