About this role
General Description
The Sanitation Supervisor is responsible for leading the plant’s sanitation program to ensure a safe, clean, and food-safe production environment. This role oversees sanitation staff, ensures proper use of chemicals and equipment, maintains documentation for audits, and supports continuous improvement in plant cleanliness and production readiness.
Key Responsibilities
Sanitation Leadership & Oversight
- Supervise, train, and schedule sanitation team members across two manufacturing facilities.
- Ensure all sanitation tasks are completed safely, on time, and according to SSOPs.
- Conduct daily shift huddles and coordinate responsibilities with QA, Production, and Maintenance.
- Perform hands-on sanitation duties when necessary to maintain sanitation standards, complete critical tasks, and ensure production readiness.
Food Safety & Compliance
- Ensure sanitation activities support compliance with GMPs, HACCP, allergen-control, environmental monitoring, and other applicable food safety programs.
- Ensure compliance with FDA/USDA regulations and internal food safety policies.
- Perform pre-operational inspections and correct deficiencies before startup.
- Maintain accurate sanitation records for audits and regulatory reviews.
- Support internal, customer, regulatory, and third-party audits while implementing corrective actions as needed.
Cleaning & Sanitation Operations
- Oversee cleaning and sanitizing of equipment, production lines, floors, walls, drains, and facility areas.
- Manage chemical concentrations, usage, and safe handling procedures.
- Coordinate equipment to tear down and reassembly with QA, Maintenance, and Production teams.
- Lead and participate in deep cleaning projects and periodic sanitation tasks.
Continuous Improvement
- Identify opportunities to reduce chemical usage, improve cleaning efficiency, and minimize downtime.
- Assist in root-cause investigations of sanitation-related issues (microbial findings, allergen cross-contact, etc.).
- Implement best practices to support higher food safety standards and operational excellence.
Administration & Documentation
- Create, maintain and update SSOPs, sanitation schedules, chemical-control practices and training materials.
- Complete sanitation logs, chemical usage reports, and personnel records.
- Monitor inventory of cleaning supplies, PPE, and sanitation tools.
Required Qualifications
- 3–5 years of sanitation experience in a food processing or manufacturing environment, with at least 1–2 years in a supervisory capacity.
- Strong working knowledge of HACCP, GMP, SSOP, FDA, USDA, and OSHA requirements.
- Experience supervising sanitation in a manufacturing or food production environment preferred.
- Knowledge of chemical handling procedures and sanitation best practices.
- Strong leadership, coaching, and employee development skills.
- Strong communication, organizational skills and ability to prioritize.
- Ability to work nights, weekends, or flexible shifts as needed.
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.
Preferred Qualifications
- Audit experience preferred.
- Previous leadership or team lead experience preferred.
- Experience implementing or improving QA systems, procedures, and performance metrics.
- Bilingual English/Spanish or English/Chinese is a plus.
Physical Requirements and Work Environment
- The work environment can vary from office settings to plants, warehouses, or transportation hubs, potentially exposing employees to noise, temperature changes, and other environmental factors.
- Involve extended periods of sitting, standing, and walking, with potential for occasional lifting, bending, and stooping, along with the ability to use hands and fingers for computer work.
- May be required to travel between Oakland and the San Leandro Plant.
- Lift objects up to 50 pounds or potentially heavier loads with assistance.
Schedule
- Monday – Friday (4:00 AM to 12:30 PM)
- Some weekends depending on business needs.
Note: This position is not budgeted for relocation.