Job Description

Position Responsibilities

Leadership & People Management

• Provide leadership, direction, coaching, and performance management to the sanitation team while fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Develop staffing plans, schedules, succession plans, and training programs to support operational requirements.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, performance evaluations, employee development, corrective action, and disciplinary processes within the department.
• Conduct regular team meetings and communicate departmental objectives, performance metrics, and key initiatives.
• Promote employee engagement and develop team capabilities through coaching and mentoring.

Sanitation Program Management

• Develop, implement, maintain, and continuously improve sanitation programs, procedures, and standards to ensure compliance with food safety, quality, regulatory, customer, and company requirements.
• Ensure all sanitation activities are completed effectively and efficiently to support production requirements and maintain audit readiness.
• Monitor and verify sanitation effectiveness through inspections, environmental monitoring, pre-operational inspections, and trend analysis.
• Lead root cause investigations and corrective actions related to sanitation, environmental monitoring, and food safety concerns.
• Maintain and continuously improve Master Sanitation Schedules, SSOPs, and sanitation documentation.

Contractor & Vendor Management

• Manage third-party sanitation service providers and contractors, ensuring contractual obligations, service levels, and performance expectations are achieved.
• Establish performance metrics and conduct regular reviews to ensure service quality, compliance, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
• Manage supplier relationships related to sanitation chemicals, equipment, supplies, and services.
• Identify opportunities to optimize contractor performance, costs, and sanitation effectiveness.

Food Safety, Regulatory Compliance & Audits

• Act as a key contributor to the facility's food safety and quality management systems.
• Ensure compliance with HACCP, SQF/BRC (if applicable), CFIA requirements, customer standards, GMPs, WHMIS, and company policies.
• Lead sanitation-related responses during customer, regulatory, third-party, and internal audits.
• Develop and implement corrective and preventive actions resulting from audits, inspections, environmental monitoring results, and customer findings.
• Support crisis management, recall readiness, and food safety risk assessments as required.

Budget & Resource Management

• Develop, manage, and monitor departmental budgets, including labor, chemicals, sanitation supplies, equipment, and contracted services.
• Analyze departmental costs and identify opportunities to improve efficiency while maintaining compliance and performance standards.
• Monitor chemical usage, inventory levels, and spending to ensure responsible resource utilization.
• Participate in capital planning and equipment evaluation related to sanitation processes and systems.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Production, Maintenance, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, and Health & Safety teams to support operational objectives.
• Coordinate sanitation activities to minimize production downtime and maximize operational efficiency.
• Support facility modifications, equipment installations, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with Maintenance to ensure equipment is designed and maintained for effective sanitation.

Wastewater & Environmental Management

• Provide oversight and support for wastewater treatment operations, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations and company requirements.
• Monitor wastewater performance metrics and coordinate corrective actions as needed.
• Support environmental sustainability initiatives and waste reduction programs.

Continuous Improvement & Reporting

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on sanitation effectiveness, labor efficiency, safety, environmental performance, and cost management.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), including sanitation completion rates, audit performance, environmental monitoring results, labor utilization, and budget performance.
• Prepare and communicate departmental reports, performance metrics, and operational updates to plant leadership.
• Remain current on sanitation technologies, industry best practices, regulatory changes, and emerging food safety trends.
• Perform other related duties and projects as assigned.

Education and Experience

• Minimum 7-10 years of progressive experience in sanitation, food manufacturing, or operations leadership.
• Minimum 5 years of management experience leading sanitation teams within a food processing environment.
• Experience managing third-party sanitation contractors and service providers.
• Experience leading regulatory, customer, and third-party audits.
• Relevant certifications in HACCP, Food Safety, Sanitation Management, or related fields are considered strong assets.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, food safety systems, sanitation practices, environmental monitoring, and regulatory requirements.
• Strong leadership, coaching, employee development, and team-building skills.
• Proven ability to manage budgets, resources, and departmental performance metrics.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Strong conflict resolution and employee relations skills.
• Advanced knowledge of workplace safety requirements, WHMIS, and industrial cleaning chemicals.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and experience with ERP, maintenance management, or quality management systems.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including weekends and off-shift support, when operationally required.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement, food safety, quality, compliance, and operational excellence.