Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Jelly Operator

🎯 Role Definition

The Jelly Operator is a production-focused role responsible for operating, monitoring, and maintaining cookers, mixing systems, and filling lines that produce jams, jellies, and fruit spreads. This position ensures product quality, food safety (HACCP/GMP), consistent Brix/viscosity, accurate batching, and safe operation of automated and semi-automated equipment. The Jelly Operator collaborates with Quality Assurance, Maintenance, and Supervisors to meet daily production targets while minimizing waste, reducing downtime, and maintaining regulatory compliance.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Production Associate / Line Worker in food manufacturing
Sanitation Technician or Food Batch Processor
Packaging Operator or General Manufacturing Operator

Advancement To:

Senior Jelly/Process Operator
Shift Lead / Line Supervisor
Production Supervisor or Process Technician
Quality Assurance Technician or Food Safety Coordinator

Lateral Moves:

Maintenance Technician (mechanical/electrical)
Sanitation Lead or CIP Operator
Packaging Coordinator or Inventory/Materials Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Operate and monitor jelly cookers, vacuum pans, kettles, and continuous cook systems to ensure correct cook times, temperatures, and vacuum settings, making adjustments in real time to maintain product specifications and reduce batch loss.
Prepare and weigh raw materials and fruit inclusions according to batch tickets and standard operating procedures (SOPs), verify ingredient lot numbers for traceability, and confirm allergen segregation and labeling before production starts.
Calibrate and use handheld and inline instruments to measure Brix, pH, viscosity, and temperature during batching and finishing to ensure product meets sensory and analytical quality criteria.
Set up, run, and troubleshoot filling, sealing, capping, and labeling equipment on the jelly production line; perform changeovers between SKUs while maintaining uptime and minimizing scrap.
Execute clean-in-place (CIP) and sanitation protocols for kettles, pumps, pipelines, and filling equipment, document CIP cycles, and verify acceptable residuals and rinse conductivity per sanitation checklists.
Follow HACCP plans, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements; record CCP checks, complete quality logs, and escalate deviations to QA immediately.
Monitor and adjust pump speeds, agitator RPMs, and valve positions to control product flow and consistency during transfer from cooker to hold tanks and filler; operate PLC/HMI interfaces to manage line parameters.
Perform basic preventive maintenance and first-line troubleshooting on process equipment, including inspecting seals, belts, bearings, and sensors; report mechanical or electrical abnormalities and coordinate with Maintenance to prevent extended downtime.
Conduct in-process quality inspections—visual, sensory, and instrumental—for color, texture, particle size, and fill weights; reject nonconforming product and document rework or disposal actions in the batch record.
Execute accurate batch recordkeeping and production documentation (batch tickets, checklists, deviation reports, and sanitation logs) to maintain audit-ready traceability and regulatory compliance.
Implement and follow allergen control procedures, ensuring complete cleaning and separation between allergen-containing and allergen-free runs, and update allergen logs and labels as required.
Assist in raw material inventory checks, lifting and staging ingredient totes and drums safely, and operating material handling equipment (pallet jacks, forklifts if certified) during line setup and replenishment.
Maintain consistent line speed and throughput by proactively communicating with material handlers, supervisors, and QA to address bottlenecks, reduce overfills/underfills, and improve OEE (overall equipment effectiveness).
Participate in product changeovers and recipe adjustments for different fruit varieties and formulations, performing line purge, rinse, and startup verification to avoid cross-contamination.
Support internal and external audits by providing accurate production records, demonstrating SOP adherence, and implementing corrective actions for any nonconformances identified.
Train and mentor junior operators and temporary staff on jelly-specific processes, safe equipment operation, proper sampling methods, and quality control checkpoints to build team capability and consistency.
Execute safe handling and disposal of waste streams and byproducts in accordance with environmental and sanitation procedures, and maintain a clean, organized work area per 5S/lean manufacturing principles.
Collaborate with R&D and Quality teams to pilot new flavors, formulations, or equipment setups on the production line, ensuring scale-up trials meet sensory and shelf-life targets before full production release.
Use root cause analysis (5 Whys, fishbone) to investigate recurring process deviations such as viscosity drift, incomplete gel set, or inconsistent fill weights, and implement continuous improvement actions to eliminate the source.
Adjust and document temperature profiles and finishing hold times for products that require controlled cooling or pectin activation to reach the correct gel strength and final product stability.
Conduct pre-startup safety and equipment checks (lockout/tagout readiness, emergency stops, guards) and participate in toolbox talks and safety meetings to reinforce behavior-based safety and incident prevention.
Ensure all product contact surfaces meet sanitation and hygiene standards, verify seals and gaskets integrity during inspections, and immediately quarantine any suspect product or equipment until QA clearance is obtained.
Monitor packaging integrity post-fill (seal quality, cap torque, vacuum presence) and coordinate with packaging operators to correct label alignment, date coding, and secondary packaging configurations to maintain shelf presentation and brand quality.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist Quality Assurance with sample collection for microbiological and shelf-life testing, ensuring correct sample sizes and chain-of-custody documentation.
Help coordinate spare parts inventory for critical line components and requisition replacements proactively to avoid production interruptions.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep working knowledge of dairy/fruit spread/jelly production processes, including batch and continuous cook systems, vacuum pans, and bench-top pilot kettles.
Strong ability to measure and interpret Brix, pH, and viscosity using refractometers, handheld pH meters, viscometers, and inline sensors.
Experience operating PLCs and HMI control panels for process monitoring, recipe selection, and alarm handling; familiarity with common PLC vendors and industrial control concepts.
Proficient in executing Clean-In-Place (CIP) cycles, sanitation validation, and recordkeeping for GMP compliance.
Working knowledge of HACCP plans, food safety regulations (FSMA, USDA/ FDA basics depending on region), allergen control, and corrective action workflows.
Competence with industrial filling machines, capping heads, labelers, and secondary packaging machinery; experience with changeovers and line balancing.
Basic mechanical troubleshooting and preventive maintenance skills—ability to change pumps, belts, gaskets, and seals and to conduct visual/electrical inspections.
Quality inspection skills including visual, weight, and sensory checks, and understanding of product specifications, lot traceability, and nonconformance reporting.
Familiarity with SOPs, batch record completion, GMP documentation, and audit-ready production practices.
Safe materials handling, forklift operation certification (if required), and knowledge of PPE, lockout/tagout (LOTO), and confined space awareness.

Soft Skills

Strong attention to detail with an ability to follow precise formulas and SOPs to produce consistent, high-quality product.
Effective communication skills to escalate issues, document deviations, and coordinate with cross-functional teams (QA, Maintenance, Supervisors).
Problem-solving aptitude with a continuous improvement mindset; experience using root cause analysis to reduce waste and improve yield.
Time management and prioritization skills to meet production schedules while maintaining safety and quality.
Team player attitude with experience training and mentoring new operators and working in fast-paced production environments.
Adaptability and resilience to handle shift work, line interruptions, and rapid changeovers without compromising safety or product integrity.
Initiative and ownership—willingness to lead small process improvement projects and participate in Kaizen/Lean events.
Observational skills for early detection of abnormal product or equipment behavior and proactive prevention of batch issues.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED with demonstrated hands-on food production experience.

Preferred Education:

Associate degree, technical certificate, or vocational training in Food Science, Food Technology, Industrial Maintenance, or a related technical field.
Certifications in HACCP, ServSafe (or equivalent food safety), or forklift operation are advantageous.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Food Science or Food Technology
Industrial Maintenance / Mechanical Technology
Culinary Arts with food production experience
Microbiology or Quality Assurance
Packaging Technology / Industrial Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–5 years in food manufacturing or beverage/fruit processing roles, preferably with direct experience on jam, jelly, or fruit spread lines.

Preferred: 2–4 years of hands-on experience operating cookers, fillers, and CIP systems in an FDA/FSMA-compliant facility, with documented experience in HACCP/GMP programs, batch recordkeeping, and basic preventive maintenance.