Sanitation Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Job Summary:

Leads sanitation execution across the facility, ensuring consistent application of sanitation standards that protect food safety and product quality, alignment across shifts and operational areas, and reliable production start-up readiness.

This role serves as the critical link between sanitation strategy and daily execution, translating enterprise systems, standards, and expectations into disciplined, repeatable performance at the frontline team member level. The Sanitation Manager is responsible for driving accountability across sanitation teams, standardizing processes across the full plant, and ensuring the organization performs consistently regardless of shift or area. This is a data-informed, people-first leadership role that demands both operational rigor and sound judgment in escalation, problem solving, and maintaining standards.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Plant-Level Execution Leadership

• Oversee sanitation execution across all areas and shifts within the facility

• Ensure consistent application of sanitation standards, SSOPs, and master sanitation schedules

• Drive alignment across sanitation teams to eliminate variability in execution

• Ensure production start-up readiness across the facility with no sanitation-related delays

• Monitor completion and effectiveness of sanitation activities, proactively identifying and addressing gaps to prevent food safety or quality risks in real time

Team Leadership & Accountability

• Lead, coach, and develop sanitation teams to ensure consistent performance and leadership across shifts and areas

• Establish clear expectations and accountability systems for sanitation execution

• Monitor team performance and drive corrective actions as needed

• Identify development gaps and build targeted succession plans

Performance Management & Analysis

• Monitor and analyze sanitation KPIs across the facility: pre-operational inspection pass rates, environmental monitoring (ATP, APC, and other microbiological results), labor efficiency and utilization, downtime related to sanitation, TRIR, and other metrics as defined by the Sanitation Director

• Translate performance data into actionable decisions, identifying root causes, driving corrective action, and escalating trends

• Drive standardization of best practices across shifts and operational areas

• Present regular performance summaries that highlight risks, wins, and resource needs

Execution of Sanitation Strategy

• Implement sanitation systems, standards, and initiatives as defined by the Sanitation Director

• Ensure consistent adoption of new processes, technologies, and procedures across all teams

• Provide structured feedback on system effectiveness, execution gaps, and emerging risks, with supporting data and recommended solutions

• Participate in strategic planning discussions and contribute floor-level operational perspective

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner with Operations, FSQA, Maintenance, and Engineering to ensure alignment across the facility

• Support production start-up readiness and ensure sanitation completion aligns with production schedules

• Participate in audits, inspections, and issue resolution efforts

• Support facility expansions, equipment changes, and commissioning activities

Continuous Improvement

• Drive plant-wide sanitation improvements in efficiency, consistency, and cost

• Identify and implement opportunities and strategies to reduce sanitation variability and improve execution reliability

• Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to improve equipment cleanability and sanitation efficiency

• Support implementation of best practices across teams and ensure improvements are sustained over time 

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with all food safety, regulatory, and company sanitation standards

• Reinforce safe handling of sanitation chemicals and adherence to PPE requirements

• Support a culture of safety and accountability across sanitation teams

Qualifications:

• 3+ years of sanitation leadership experience in food manufacturing (poultry or protein strongly preferred)

• Experience in USDA-regulated environments

• Demonstrated ability to lead multiple teams or departments in a high-speed manufacturing environment

• Strong knowledge of SSOPs, HACCP, GMPs, and sanitation systems

• Proven ability to translate performance data into operational decisions and communicate findings clearly to senior leadership

• Proven ability to drive accountability and performance across multiple teams