Will relocate!!
JOB PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
The Sanitation Manager provides leadership and direction for the sanitation program at a food manufacturing facility in Osceola, AR. This role ensures effective cleaning, sanitizing, and environmental control practices to maintain a safe, hygienic, and audit-ready production environment.
The Sanitation Manager oversees sanitation processes, SSOPs, master sanitation schedules, sanitation staff, chemical usage, and verification activities—including allergen, pathogen, and environmental monitoring controls.
This role supports the facility’s Food Safety and Quality Management System and SQF programs by ensuring all sanitation activities are properly executed, documented, verified, and continuously improved. The position is responsible for building a proactive sanitation culture aligned with strong food safety standards and long-term operational excellence initiatives.
The role also supports the review, understanding, and compliance of all programs, policies, and procedures contained within the Food Safety and Quality Management System, and ensures responsibilities under the SQF Food Safety Code are followed, including reporting any food safety concerns to initiate appropriate action.
1 – Lead the Sanitation Program for the Facility (30%)
Oversee daily sanitation operations, SSOP execution, CIP/COP processes, and the Master Sanitation Schedule. Ensure all sanitation procedures include preparation, cleaning, sanitizing, air-drying, and verification activities (visual inspection, ATP testing, and microbiological/environmental swabbing where applicable). Manage sanitation staffing and schedules to support production flow and minimize downtime.
2 – Ensure Regulatory, SQF, and Customer Compliance (20%)
Maintain sanitation documentation including cleaning logs, chemical concentration records, environmental monitoring results, allergen controls, and sanitation records required for certifications and audits. Partner with Quality to ensure pre-operational readiness and audit preparedness. Support internal audits, third-party audits, customer visits, and regulatory inspections.
3 – Manage and Develop the Sanitation Team (20%)
Supervise sanitation leads and crew members. Provide training on sanitation procedures, safe chemical handling, equipment disassembly and reassembly, allergen cleaning controls, and contamination prevention. Conduct performance reviews, coaching, and cross-training to improve capability, reliability, and retention.
4 – Continuous Improvement and Risk Reduction (15%)
Conduct sanitation audits, GMP and housekeeping reviews, and sanitation risk assessments. Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA) for sanitation deviations, environmental findings, and audit non-conformances. Drive improvements through 5S initiatives, visual controls, sanitation effectiveness tracking, and sanitation optimization projects.
5 – Chemical and Equipment Management (15%)
Oversee the selection, safe storage, and proper use of approved sanitation chemicals and equipment. Ensure chemical dispensing and verification (time, temperature, concentration, and mechanical action) meet sanitation standards. Manage inventory, procurement, PPE compliance, and SDS documentation. Coordinate with Maintenance on sanitary design repairs, equipment condition, and hygienic improvements.
Positions Supervised:
Sanitation leads and sanitation crew members.
Internal Contacts:
Operations, Quality, Maintenance, Continuous Improvement, Warehouse, Sanitation Team, and plant personnel.
External Contacts:
Chemical suppliers, pest control providers, auditors (SQF/regulatory), sanitation vendors, and sanitation equipment specialists.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred in Food Science, Microbiology, Operations Management, Environmental Science, or related field
• Relevant certifications strongly preferred: HACCP, SQF Practitioner, AIB, GMP, CIP, OSHA
• PCQI certification a plus
• 5–10 years of sanitation experience in food or beverage manufacturing
• 2–3 years in a supervisory or management role
• Proven experience developing and managing SSOPs, Master Sanitation Schedules, sanitation verification programs, and audit readiness
• Experience coordinating sanitation activities around production schedules while minimizing downtime
• Demonstrated success leading corrective actions, sanitation investigations, and continuous improvement initiatives
All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable laws or regulations. GPAC (Growing People and Companies) is an award-winning search firm specializing in placing quality professionals within multiple industries across the United States since 1990. We are extremely competitive, client-focused and realize that our value is in our ability to deliver the right solutions at the right time.
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