Sanitation Specialist

The Sanitarian is responsible for maintaining a clean, safe, and sanitary environment throughout the facility, with a primary focus on secondary food production zones (non-routine). This role plays a critical part in preventing contamination and ensuring compliance with food safety, quality, and regulatory standards. The Sanitarian works independently and efficiently while fostering collaborative relationships across departments to ensure sanitation activities are effectively executed without impacting production.

1. Perform routine and deep cleaning of secondary (non-food contact) production areas, including equipment, utensils, and surrounding infrastructure; assist with primary (food contact) zone sanitation during mechanical pit stops, changeovers, or sanitation stops.
2. Execute sanitation procedures according to SSOPs, validated cleaning methods, GMPs, HACCP principles, SQF requirements, and company sanitation standards.
3. Ensure proper cleaning, rinsing, and sanitizing of surfaces to prevent cross-contamination and allergen risks; safely disassemble and reassemble equipment as required for effective cleaning.
4. Operate sanitation equipment such as pressure hoses, foaming units, vacuums, and floor scrubbers while safely handling sanitation chemicals and equipment.
5. Verify cleanliness through visual inspection, support pre-operational inspection readiness, and maintain accurate sanitation records including chemical usage and cleaning verification.
6. Identify, report, and escalate food safety, quality, or sanitation concerns immediately; proactively recommend improvements to sanitation processes, tools, and efficiency; perform additional duties as assigned.

• High school diploma or GED preferred.
• Previous experience in food manufacturing sanitation or production environments preferred.
• Familiarity with GMPs, HACCP, or SQF systems is a plus.

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while maintaining high standards in production environments.
• Strong time management skills with the ability to complete sanitation tasks within defined production windows and deadlines.
• Ability to collaborate with production, quality, and maintenance teams to support food safety goals.
• High attention to detail and understanding of cleaning requirements for food contact and non-food contact surfaces.
• Accountability for assigned zones and commitment to completing sanitation to standard every time.
• Ability to read, understand, and follow written instructions, SSOPs, and safety procedures in English; communicate effectively with team members and supervisors.
• Logical thinking skills to follow detailed procedures, identify potential contamination risks, and take appropriate corrective action.

• Ability to stand, walk, bend, kneel, and climb for extended periods.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, and pull up to 40 pounds regularly.
• Frequent exposure to wet, humid, washdown, and temperature-variable production environments.
• Work in and around active food production equipment and moving machinery; exposure to cleaning chemicals, airborne particles, and moderate to high noise levels.

Proactively manage safety by ensuring compliance with all Federal and State regulations and internal Company policies. Regularly complete behavior based safety observations. Ensure unsafe conditions are corrected in a timely manner. All employees are responsible for upholding the principles of SQF 2000. All employees are responsible for immediately reporting any food safety, food quality, or plant security issues to management for appropriate action.

• Uphold company values, ethics, and integrity at all times.
• Support and actively promote a food safety culture, ensuring all actions protect the consumer and product integrity.
• Act as a liaison between manufacturing needs and Food Safety & Quality standards.
• Participate in and sustain HRP best practices and correct unsafe conditions promptly.
• Maintain high standards of cleanliness and organization in all assigned production zones and support continuous improvement initiatives related to sanitation effectiveness and operational efficiency.

DISCLAIMER: Incumbent may be asked to perform other duties as required.