Sanitation Manager

About the Opportunity

We are seeking a hands-on Sanitation Manager to lead third-shift sanitation operations at a large food manufacturing facility in Horse Cave, Kentucky. This individual will oversee a team of approximately 10–20 sanitation employees and be responsible for ensuring the facility meets all food safety, sanitation, and regulatory requirements while supporting production goals.

This is a leadership role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and has experience driving sanitation performance, employee development, food safety compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of 10–20+ sanitation employees on an overnight shift.
• Ensure all sanitation activities are completed safely, efficiently, and in compliance with company standards.
• Maintain compliance with FDA, USDA, GMP, SSOP, HACCP, and food safety requirements.
• Conduct sanitation inspections and verify cleaning effectiveness through environmental monitoring and sanitation validation programs.
• Manage staffing, scheduling, training, performance management, and employee development.
• Partner with Production, Maintenance, Quality, and Operations teams to support plant objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on sanitation effectiveness, labor utilization, and operational efficiency.
• Investigate and resolve sanitation-related issues, food safety concerns, and audit findings.
• Maintain accurate sanitation documentation, records, and reports.
• Support internal, customer, and regulatory audits.

Qualifications

Required

• 3+ years of leadership experience within food manufacturing, beverage, dairy, protein, poultry, bakery, or related processing environments.
• Experience supervising hourly employees in a manufacturing setting.
• Working knowledge of GMPs, SSOPs, HACCP, sanitation programs, and food safety regulations.
• Strong leadership, communication, and team development skills.
• Ability to work a permanent third-shift schedule.

Preferred

• Prior experience as a Sanitation Manager, Sanitation Supervisor, Production Supervisor, Operations Supervisor, or Food Safety leader.
• Experience managing 10+ direct reports.
• Experience supporting FDA, USDA, SQF, BRC, or customer audits.
• Bilingual English/Spanish communication skills.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for a leader who is:

• Hands-on and visible on the production floor.
• Comfortable holding teams accountable while building strong employee relationships.
• Passionate about food safety and operational excellence.
• Able to make decisions quickly in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Focused on continuous improvement and employee development.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Bonus opportunity
• Comprehensive benefits package
• Paid time off
• Career advancement opportunities within a growing manufacturing organization