The posting
Sanitation Manager – Lead with Integrity in Food Service!
The Sanitation Manager plans, directs, and coordinates sanitation programs throughout the food manufacturing facility. This position leads sanitary operations across both morning and night shifts, with the support of a Sanitation Supervisor assigned to each shift. The Sanitation Manager is responsible for ensuring effective cleaning and sanitation of production areas, equipment, utensils, and supporting areas in accordance with company food safety requirements, regulatory standards, customer requirements, and applicable GFSI standards. The role ensures that sanitation programs support product safety, quality, legality, and operational readiness while promoting a strong food safety culture and continuous improvement.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:
Sanitation Program Management
- Develop, implement, maintain, and continuously improve the facility sanitation program, including Master Sanitation Schedules, SSOPs, cleaning procedures, chemical controls, sanitation verification, and sanitation-related preventive controls.
- Direct sanitation activities for both morning and night shifts, ensuring adequate staffing, effective shift-to-shift communication, completion of scheduled sanitation activities, and timely resolution of sanitation deficiencies.
- Establish clear expectations and accountability for sanitation supervisors and sanitation team members, including cleaning methods, equipment disassembly, chemical use, personal hygiene, GMPs, and safe work practices.
Sanitation Verification & Food Safety
- Oversee pre-operational inspections, sanitation verification, ATP testing, microbiological monitoring, environmental monitoring activities, and other verification activities used to confirm sanitary conditions.
- Partner with FSQA, Production, Maintenance, and Operations to investigate sanitation failures, environmental monitoring findings, recurring deficiencies, and equipment or facility conditions that may affect product safety.
- Ensure sanitation activities support compliance with FDA, FSMA, SQF/GFSI, customer standards, GMPs, HACCP/Preventive Controls, SSOPs, and applicable regulatory requirements.
Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, coach, train, and evaluate two Sanitation Supervisors and the sanitation workforce, establishing consistent expectations across morning and night shifts.
- Build a strong sanitation and food safety culture through employee engagement, training, accountability, recognition, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Plan sanitation staffing and resources based on production schedules, operational needs, sanitation requirements, and changing production volumes.
Documentation & Reporting
- Maintain accurate sanitation records, including sanitation schedules, SSOPs, pre-operational inspections, verification results, chemical usage records, corrective actions, training records, and sanitation performance documentation.
- Review sanitation reports and shift documentation to identify trends, recurring deficiencies, missed tasks, verification failures, and opportunities for corrective and preventive action.
- Develop and report sanitation department KPIs and performance trends to FSQA and site leadership, including sanitation completion, verification results, environmental monitoring trends, corrective actions, staffing, and other department indicators.
At Whitsons our mission is Enhancing Life One Meal at a Time™.
Salary starting at $75,000 based on experience
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES:
Education
- High School Diploma required;
- Associate or Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Sanitation, Microbiology, Operations, or a related field preferred.
Experience
- Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in food manufacturing sanitation, food safety, quality assurance, or a related manufacturing environment, including leadership or supervisory experience.
- Experience managing sanitation programs in a food manufacturing facility and supporting GFSI certification programs, preferably SQF.
- Experience with environmental monitoring, microbiological testing, sanitation verification, ATP testing, SSOPs, chemical sanitation programs, and sanitation validation preferred.
Certifications
- HACCP Certification preferred.
- ServSafe certification preferred; additional sanitation, food safety.
- Chemical Safety certifications are a plus.
Technical Proficiency
- Strong knowledge of sanitation programs, HACCP, Preventive Controls, GMPs, SSOPs, environmental monitoring, allergen control, chemical safety, and food safety principles.
- Knowledge of sanitation chemicals, concentrations, application methods, equipment disassembly/reassembly, cleaning tools, sanitation verification, and microbiological sampling.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, sanitation management systems, Quality Management Systems, and electronic documentation platforms.
Other Qualifications
- Knowledge of FDA, FSMA, USDA (where applicable), SQF/GFSI, OSHA, and other applicable regulatory and customer requirements.
- Strong leadership, communication, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities across two shifts.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment, including flexibility to support morning and night shift operations, weekends, holidays, audits, investigations, and operational emergencies when needed.
CORE COMPETENCIES
- Sanitation Program Leadership
- Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance
- People Leadership & Team Development
- Continuous Improvement
- Problem Solving & Root Cause Analysis
- Communication & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Accountability & Attention to Detail
WORK ENVIRONMENT AND OTHER DETAILS
Expected Hours of Work
This is a full-time management position. The Sanitation Manager is responsible for sanitation operations across morning and night shifts and must maintain sufficient availability to support both shifts, production schedules, audits, investigations, and operational needs. Extended hours, weekends, holidays, or schedule adjustments may be required based on business and sanitation requirements.
Travel Requirements
This position is primarily based in Berkeley, Illinois. Occasional travel may be required for training, company meetings, supplier/chemical-provider meetings, or other business needs.
Physical Demands of the Job
The Team Member is required to stand and walk for the majority of the workday; frequently talk, hear, use hands and fingers to handle tools and equipment, and reach with hands and arms. Must be able to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds, including while turning side to side. The position requires regular exposure to wet environments, cleaning chemicals, hot and cold temperatures, production equipment, and moderate to loud noise levels. Appropriate personal protective equipment is required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Work Environment
This position operates primarily in a food manufacturing and production environment and regularly works in and around production areas, sanitation areas, equipment, chemical storage areas, storerooms, coolers, freezers, and other facility areas. The role requires frequent interaction with sanitation employees, supervisors, Production, Maintenance, FSQA, and other departments.
