Sanitation Lead

Job Overview

The Sanitation Lead assists in coordinating all plant sanitation activities under the direction of the Sanitation Supervisor. This role is responsible for ensuring the cleanliness and sanitation of the facility, production equipment, and processing areas while maintaining compliance with food safety, GMP, and regulatory standards.

The Sanitation Lead helps develop and execute sanitation procedures, maintain sanitation documentation and validation records, train team members on sanitation procedures and safe chemical handling, and monitor overall housekeeping and sanitation throughout the facility. This position also supports continuous improvement initiatives and serves as a resource for sanitation-related processes across the plant.

Priorities

• Support and promote all plant safety initiatives while maintaining a safe work environment.
• Assist in developing and maintaining sanitation programs that meet food safety and regulatory requirements.
• Deliver world-class service by supporting internal customers and production operations.
• Drive continuous process improvements that increase efficiency, effectiveness, and sanitation performance.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable local, state, federal, TTB, OSHA, food safety, and company regulations.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, quality, and continuous learning.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate daily sanitation activities for production equipment, processing areas, and facility cleaning.
• Perform and verify cleaning and sanitation procedures according to established SOPs.
• Train, coach, and mentor sanitation team members on cleaning procedures, GMPs, chemical safety, and sanitation best practices.
• Monitor compliance with GMPs, housekeeping standards, and sanitation requirements throughout the facility.
• Conduct sanitation inspections and audits to verify cleanliness and identify improvement opportunities.
• Maintain sanitation documentation, logs, verification records, and cleaning schedules.
• Ensure proper use, storage, and handling of sanitation chemicals and cleaning equipment.
• Assist with environmental monitoring, sanitation validation, and corrective actions as needed.
• Support bottling line changeovers and sanitation activities between production runs.
• Assist with incident response, product recalls, and food safety investigations when necessary.
• Participate in continuous improvement initiatives focused on sanitation effectiveness and operational efficiency.
• Communicate sanitation issues, equipment concerns, and corrective actions to leadership.
• Promote a clean, organized, and safe working environment throughout the facility.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Skills

• Leadership and team development
• Planning and organization
• Process management
• Problem solving
• Decision making
• Customer focus
• Conflict resolution
• Communication and active listening
• Managing and measuring work
• Building effective teams
• Integrity and accountability
• Continuous improvement (TQM / Six Sigma)
• Functional and technical aptitude
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks in a fast-paced manufacturing environment

Required Qualifications

• Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the organization.
• High school diploma or GED equivalent.
• At least 21 years of age.
• Previous sanitation experience in a manufacturing, food, beverage, or consumer packaged goods environment.
• Working knowledge of GMPs, food safety, and sanitation procedures.
• Ability to train and mentor team members.
• Strong planning, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to quickly learn new systems and processes.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous leadership or lead experience.
• Experience in the beverage, food manufacturing, or consumer packaged goods industry.
• Experience with sanitation chemicals, CIP systems, or environmental monitoring.
• Knowledge of HACCP, SQF, or other food safety management systems.
• Continuous improvement or Lean/Six Sigma experience.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Frequently lift, push, pull, and carry up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to bend, squat, kneel, climb ladders, and work in confined spaces as needed.
• Ability to work around cleaning chemicals, wet surfaces, varying temperatures, and moderate noise levels.
• Good vision and manual dexterity.
• Ability to wear required PPE throughout the shift.
• Must be able to work overtime, weekends, and holidays as business needs require.