Sanitation Manager

Position Summary

The Sanitation Manager is responsible for leading sanitation operations at the Hanford Dr facility and overseeing a third-party sanitation company at the Willow St facility. This role ensures these facilities consistently meet high standards of food safety, sanitation effectiveness, regulatory compliance, and operational readiness.

Key Responsibilities

• Sanitation Leadership & Operational Readiness

• Lead and manage sanitation activities across assigned facilities.
• Ensure all production equipment, processing areas, warehouses, and support spaces are cleaned and sanitized in accordance with established standards.
• Maintain ownership of sanitation readiness to support safe and timely production startup.
• Conduct and oversee pre-operational inspections to verify sanitation effectiveness and readiness for production.
• Establish clear sanitation priorities, staffing plans, and resource allocation to meet operational requirements.
• Ensure sanitation activities are completed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with company standards.

• Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all applicable food safety, regulatory, and customer requirements, including FDA regulations, FSMA, cGMPs, HACCP Programs, SSOPs, Environmental Monitoring Programs, and BRC.
• Maintain sanitation documentation, records, and verification activities.
• Lead sanitation-related investigations and corrective actions for food safety, environmental monitoring, audit findings, and customer concerns.
• Partner with Food Safety & Quality teams to identify and mitigate sanitation risks.

• Contractor Management & Service Provider Oversight

• Serve as the primary company representative for outsourced sanitation providers.
• Establish clear performance expectations and accountability measures for contract sanitation services.
• Monitor contractor performance through audits, inspections, key performance indicators, and service reviews.
• Verify contractor compliance with company food safety, quality, safety, and operational requirements.
• Manage corrective action plans and follow-up activities when performance gaps are identified.
• Review contractor service effectiveness and billing accuracy.
• Develop collaborative relationships that drive continuous improvement and operational excellence.

• Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Recruit, develop, coach, and lead sanitation supervisors, leads, and hourly team members.
• Establish clear performance expectations and accountability for sanitation personnel.
• Conduct performance evaluations, coaching discussions, disciplinary actions, and development planning.
• Develop cross-training plans and succession pipelines to strengthen organizational capability.
• Promote employee engagement, teamwork, recognition, and continuous learning.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, safety, and food safety throughout the sanitation organization.

• Equipment Protection & Asset Reliability

• Partner with Maintenance to protect and improve manufacturing assets.
• Ensure sanitation methods and procedures support equipment reliability and longevity.
• Investigate sanitation-related equipment damage and implement corrective actions.
• Support equipment design reviews, new equipment installations, and sanitation validation activities.
• Identify opportunities to improve cleanability, accessibility, and overall equipment effectiveness.

• Safety & Risk Management

• Promote a proactive safety culture and ensure compliance with all company safety policies and OSHA requirements.
• Ensure proper Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures are followed during sanitation activities.
• Verify proper chemical handling, storage, labeling, and personal protective equipment (PPE) usage.
• Conduct safety observations, audits, incident investigations, and corrective actions.
• Partner with Safety and Human Resources to reduce workplace injuries and strengthen employee safety engagement.

• Continuous Improvement

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on sanitation effectiveness, operational efficiency, and cost management.
• Utilize operational data, sanitation performance metrics, audit results, and root cause analysis to drive improvement activities.
• Participate in Kaizen events, problem-solving activities, and cross-functional improvement projects.
• Standardize sanitation procedures, documentation, and best practices.
• Improve sanitation cycle times, startup reliability, environmental performance, and resource utilization.
• Support implementation of visual management, standard work, and 5S principles.

• Financial & Resource Management

• Manage sanitation labor, contractor expenses, chemicals, supplies, utilities, and operating budgets.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining food safety and sanitation effectiveness.
• Monitor and report sanitation performance metrics and operating costs.
• Participate in annual budgeting, forecasting, and capital planning activities.
• Ensure appropriate inventory levels of sanitation chemicals, supplies, tools, and PPE.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Cookordination sanitation schedules with production requirements, maintenance activities, and shutdown planning.
• Participate in daily management routines, operational reviews, and performance discussions.
• Serve as a key contributor to operational excellence and manufacturing readiness initiatives.

Qualifications & Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Industrial Management, Operations Management, Engineering, Business, or a related field; equivalent experience considered.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive sanitation leadership experience in a food manufacturing environment.
• Experience managing multiple departments, facilities, or sanitation operations, preferably in frozen food manufacturing.
• Experience leading both direct employees and third-party service providers.
• Strong knowledge of food safety regulations, sanitation systems, and manufacturing operations.
• Knowledge of sanitation chemistry, chemical dispensing systems, and sanitation equipment.
• Demonstrated leadership, communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and employee development skills.
• Ability to work independently and effectively during overnight operations.
• Experience supporting BRCGS, SQF, FDA, and customer audits.
• Experience with environmental monitoring programs.
• Understanding of microbiological risks and environmental control programs.
• Ability to analyze data, identify trends, and drive corrective actions.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities across multiple facilities while maintaining attention to detail.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

• Must be able to work in cold, wet, and noisy environments typical of food production areas.
• Must be able to stand, walk, and bend for extended periods.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds occasionally.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends and other shifts as needed to meet production demands.