Sanitation Manager

Sanitation Manager

The Sanitation Manager is responsible for leading and managing all sanitation activities for the facility, ensuring a clean, sanitary, and food-safe environment that supports the production of high-quality Ready-to-Eat (RTE) products. This position is accountable for developing, implementing, and continuously improving sanitation programs to ensure compliance with FDA regulations, SQF requirements, customer expectations, and company standards.

The Sanitation Manager serves as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for sanitation and environmental hygiene and provides leadership to sanitation personnel while partnering closely with Quality, Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and Food Safety teams to maintain an audit-ready facility and support continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Sanitation Leadership Provide daily leadership, direction, and support to the sanitation team. Develop staffing plans and schedules to ensure adequate coverage for production demands. Train, coach, and develop sanitation employees to achieve high performance and accountability. Conduct performance evaluations and support employee development initiatives. Foster a culture of food safety, ownership, continuous improvement, and employee engagement. Ensure all sanitation personnel follow GMPs, safety requirements, and company policies.
• Sanitation Program Management Own and maintain the Master Sanitation Schedule (MSS). Develop and maintain Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) and sanitation work instructions. Establish and verify cleaning frequencies for equipment, facility infrastructure, and environmental surfaces. Ensure sanitation activities are completed and documented accurately and on time. Oversee sanitation verification programs, including ATP monitoring, allergen cleaning validation, and environmental monitoring support. Evaluate and improve sanitation processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. Lead root cause investigations and corrective actions related to sanitation deficiencies or environmental findings.
• Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance Serve as the sanitation Subject Matter Expert for SQF, FDA, FSMA, GMP, and customer requirements. Ensure sanitation programs support compliance with SQF Edition 10 and regulatory expectations. Support internal audits, customer audits, third-party audits, and regulatory inspections. Participate in risk assessments, HACCP reviews, Food Safety Plan activities, and preventive controls programs. Ensure allergen cleaning procedures and segregation requirements are effectively implemented. Partner with Quality and Food Safety teams to maintain environmental monitoring and sanitation verification programs. Investigate and resolve sanitation-related nonconformances and deviations.
• Chemical and Equipment Management Manage sanitation chemical programs and maintain compliance with Safety Data Sheets (SDS). Ensure proper chemical concentrations, usage, storage, and handling practices. Oversee sanitation tools, COP systems, foam systems, and sanitation equipment. Manage sanitation inventories, budgets, and supply ordering. Partner with suppliers and vendors to optimize chemical usage and sanitation effectiveness. Maintain sanitation equipment and coordinate repairs with Maintenance as needed.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner with Operations to support production schedules and minimize downtime. Work closely with Maintenance to improve equipment cleanability and accessibility. Support new equipment installations and sanitary design reviews. Participate in startup activities, process validations, and continuous improvement projects. Collaborate with Quality and Food Safety personnel to investigate customer complaints and quality issues related to sanitation. Assist in developing and implementing 5S and plant organization initiatives.
• Safety Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with all safety policies and procedures. Ensure proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Ensure lockout/tagout procedures are followed during sanitation activities. Conduct safety observations and participate in incident investigations. Identify and eliminate unsafe conditions and practices.

Salary

$90,000 - $100,000 + Bonus

Benefits Available

What We Are Looking For:

Required

• Minimum of 5 years of sanitation experience in a food manufacturing environment.
• Minimum of 2 years of supervisory or leadership experience.
• Equivalent combination of education, training, and directly related experience in food manufacturing, sanitation, quality, maintenance, or operations will be considered.
• Strong knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), sanitation principles, food safety systems, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience with sanitation chemicals, foam cleaning systems, COP systems, and sanitation equipment.
• Strong communication, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and electronic recordkeeping systems.
• Ability to work an off-shift.

Preferred

• Experience in Ready-to-Eat (RTE) food manufacturing.
• Experience with SQF, BRCGS, FDA, FSMA Preventive Controls, and environmental monitoring programs.
• PCQI certification.
• HACCP certification.
• SQF Practitioner experience.
• Lean Manufacturing or Continuous Improvement experience.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) skills are a plus