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Reed are here to help you take your next step in the world of work, whatever it is. From recruiting talented individuals across 20 sectors for a permanent, temporary, or interim role; to recruiting at scale, and screening, your local recruiter have a solution that will ensure your business thrives. Alternatively, if you're looking to take the next step in your career, or break into a completely new sector, our experts can help.
Suite 2, Unit 5A, The Forum, Minerva Business Park, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE2 6FT
+ 62 other offices
The Sterling Choice is a recruitment agency that provides permanent and temporary staffing solutions to the Food Manufacturing, FMCG and Engineering sectors. They have worked with many clients including Alpro Soya, Morrisons, and Associated British Foods. The agency fills various roles like Finance Assistant, Production Planner, Technical Services Manager, Hygiene Supervisor, and Packaging Category Buyer.
First Floor Unit 4 Summit Park Cygnet Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE2 6FL
Warehousing & Logistics, Driving, Printing, Recycling & Waste Management, Aviation, Cleaning, Admin, and Manufacturing are just some of the sectors that the recruitment agency First Call Contract Services works in. Some jobs they recruit for include Forklift Driver, Referencing Administrator, HGV 2 Refuse Driver, ADR Driver, and Catering General Assistant. The company was founded in 1996 and has offices all over the UK.
100 Park Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 2TJ
+ 14 other offices
Based in Lincoln, Red Rock Partnership is a specialist agency for the Food industry. Established in 2007, the agency supplies temporary labour to diverse clientele in areas such as Food Production, Warehousing, Logistics, Food Growers, Garment Processing, and more. Other sectors that the agency caters for include Administration, Commercial, Construction, Engineering, and Finance.
33 Broadway, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 1SQ
+ 5 other offices
Pay rates in Cambridgeshire reflect strong demand across production, quality, and technical teams, with production operatives often paid £12 to £13 per hour and overtime rising toward £15 to £19 per hour in busy periods, line leaders and supervisors tend to sit around £28,000 to £35,000, with QA technicians from £28,000 to £34,000, technical managers commonly land between £55,000 and £70,000, and senior site roles can step beyond that when 24,7 operations are involved, recruitment fees vary by assignment, with employment firms quoting percentage fees for permanent placements and daily or hourly margins for temp agency supply, many recruiters will discuss volume rates, rebate periods, and agency costs linked to seasonality, this helps local employers budget for peak weeks without losing sight of retention or training.
Most food sites in Cambridgeshire look for Level 2 Food Hygiene and allergen awareness, HACCP understanding is prized for QA and technical posts, forklift tickets help on intake and despatch, first aid and IOSH add value in shift leadership, executive search briefs for technical or operations heads often ask for degree level food science, microbiology, or engineering, and recruiters will expect clean right to work documents and solid references before a start date.
Hiring patterns vary across the county, Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire lean toward technical, NPD, and supply chain roles linked to wider FMCG and science led firms, Ely, Wisbech, and Fenland carry large packhouse and chilled production footprints with strong demand for operatives, line leads, and QA, Peterborough draws maintenance engineers, planners, and warehouse teams, commuter links along the A14, A1, A47, and M11 shape candidate catchments, with shifts planned around rail routes to Cambridge and Peterborough and bus links into market towns.
Seasonal peaks in salads, ready to eat lines, and ambient packing place pressure on temp agencies to find staff at short notice, early starts and rotating shifts can limit the candidate pool when public transport is thin, competition from logistics hubs and business parks near the A14 and A1 can nudge pay upward, recruitment consultants help by widening searches into nearby districts, running induction batches, and using referral schemes to steady the workforce, executive search partners support succession planning so teams are not left short when managers move on.
Food factories in Cambridgeshire work to BRCGS standards, with strict CCP checks, allergen control, and glass and hard plastic registers, basic PPE and hygiene rules are reinforced at induction, manual handling and knife safety are common on cooked or high care lines, QA and technical candidates should be fluent in traceability, label checks, customer codes, and audit prep, maintenance teams benefit from 17th or 18th Edition and strong CMMS knowledge, agencies that supply into high care sites will cover pre placement briefings so jobseekers arrive ready for GMP.
Recruiters support production operatives, machine minders, line leaders, and warehouse pickers, they place QA technicians, QA auditors, specification technologists, and raw materials controllers, hiring managers lean on staffing agencies for engineers with food experience, from multiskilled maintenance to automation, planners, schedulers, and stock controllers keep lines moving, senior appointments span technical manager, hygiene manager, production manager, and operations roles, temp agencies can stand up large intake teams for shift launches, while executive search handles confidential leadership moves.
Electrically biased maintenance engineers on rotating shifts remain tight, night shift QA with strong BRCGS and retailer code knowledge can take time, experienced specification technologists and process technologists with retailer approval exposure are often scarce, refrigeration engineers and hygiene leaders with clear audit results can command strong pay, early conversation with recruitment consultants helps map notice periods and secure backfill before a gap appears.
The county blends fresh produce, chilled ready to eat, ambient canning, and pet care, large growers and packers near Ely and across Fenland support high volumes of seasonal and permanent roles, Peterborough and Wisbech bring ambient and chilled factories with established brand names and private label producers, this mix creates steady demand for candidates who know fast moving lines, HACCP records, and cold chain routines, local businesses benefit from agencies that understand QA sign off and labour planning across multiple lines.
Jobseekers often enter as production operatives or packers, with quick progression to machine minder or line leader once they understand changeovers and yield, QA technicians can grow into QA auditor and senior QA before stepping into junior technical roles, engineers move from shift engineer into lead engineer or engineering supervisor, planners and schedulers can route into supply chain roles, steady attendance and clean training records help candidates register with an agency for higher paid shifts and more stable contracts.
Do agencies cover temporary, permanent, and contract work?
Yes, most food recruitment agencies in Cambridgeshire run temp desks for peaks, permanent desks for core hires, and fixed term or contract options for projects.
Can a recruiter help me hire staff for nights or weekends?
Yes, staffing agencies build rotas around your shift pattern and can source candidates for unsocial hours with clear pay rates.
How do recruitment fees usually work?
Permanent hires are priced as a percentage of salary, temporary supply carries an hourly charge that includes pay, holiday accrual, and the agency margin.
What local commuter links matter for shift planning?
The A14, A1, A47, and M11 are key, with rail links into Cambridge and Peterborough helping early and late shifts where park and ride is available.
What documents should candidates bring when they register with an agency?
Right to work ID, proof of address, bank details, and any licences or certificates such as Food Hygiene or forklift.
Can agencies support executive search for senior posts?
Yes, many recruiters in the county run executive search for technical, operations, and site leadership when discretion and market mapping are needed.
How can local employers improve retention?
Stable rotas, clear pay bands, and strong onboarding reduce churn, recruitment consultants can help refine job adverts and induction steps to keep people longer.
Local employers and businesses can brief recruitment consultants on volume needs, seasonal plans, and recruitment fees before peak, candidates and jobseekers can register with staffing agencies for temporary, permanent, or contract work, and find employees or shifts that fit around travel and family life, by using food recruitment agencies in Cambridgeshire you gain faster shortlisting and smoother compliance, with a workforce that already understands the local job market and the demands of the line.