Senior Sanitation Technician (Salm)

Position Overview

Coordinates and performs sanitation activities with the contracted Sanitation team in support of production and SSOP requirements, including daily, mid-week, week-ending, and Master Sanitation activities for all production lines and facilities. This role provides hands-on sanitation support, including equipment disassembly, cleaning, inspection, and reassembly as needed to ensure sanitary conditions are achieved and maintained. Provides oversight in inventory and use of cleaning chemicals and ensures compliance with all USDA, GMP, food safety, SQF, and safety policies, procedures, and regulations.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Sanitation Supervisor in serving as a liaison to the contract sanitation service Site Supervisor, including communicating production schedule changes that affect the timing of the sanitation cycle.
• Assist the Sanitation Supervisor in coordinating and overseeing sanitation activities to ensure safe and efficient operations; help communicate cleaning priorities and tasks to the Sanitation Site Supervisor and sanitation personnel.
• Perform hands-on sanitation duties as needed, including cleaning, scrubbing, foaming, rinsing, sanitizing, and inspection of equipment and production areas.
• Safely disassemble and reassemble production equipment and machinery to allow for effective deep cleaning and sanitation.
• Assist with sanitation of complex equipment, including conveyors, pumps, fillers, grinders, slicers, and other processing equipment.
• Ensure sanitation is completed to established standards and sanitary conditions are achieved before production startup.
• Verify the Master Sanitation schedule is being followed and cleaning is completed per the established frequency.
• Conduct pre-operational inspections and identify areas requiring corrective action.
• Ensure sanitation team members are trained to current cleaning procedures for production areas and equipment.
• Maintain locked chemical storage areas; ensure cage areas are secured and Chemical Cage training is current.
• Ensure all chemical containers are accurately labeled and stored properly.
• Verify empty containers are rinsed, isolated, and securely stored until picked up or disposed of.
• Perform chemical titrations, verify Titration Logs, and ensure Titration training is current.
• Ensure sanitation team members are effectively trained on safe chemical handling and proper PPE usage.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with all SSOP, USDA, GMP, SQF, food safety, and sanitation requirements.
• Ensure sanitation personnel consistently follow Lock-out/Tag-out procedures.
• Troubleshoot sanitation and equipment cleaning issues and escalate major concerns in a timely manner.
• Communicate major sanitation concerns to the Facilitator, Plant Manager, and Sanitation Site Supervisor.
• Evaluate and request appropriate sanitation PPE to ensure partner safety.
• Comply with all established safety policies and procedures; promote and maintain safety awareness and identify and resolve potential safety issues.
• Promote a positive and supportive work environment.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities                            
This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities, but assists with overseeing daily activities of the contract sanitation team members.  

Education

A high school diploma or general education degree (GED) is normally required. 

Experience

Previous sanitation experience in a USDA-regulated food manufacturing environment is required.  Formal training in chemical safety is strongly preferred. 

Skills

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.   Must be able to effectively handle multiple priorities and time demands in a deadline-intensive environment.  Must have a strong knowledge of chemicals used in the sanitation process and the hazards associated with them.  Must be extremely flexible with availability, as the work schedule changes regularly to accommodate the production schedule.  Must be able to tolerate working with industrial cleaning chemicals and follow all established chemical handling procedures at all times.  

Other Requirements

Computer Skills                             
Must possess computer proficiency with Word, Excel, and Outlook.  

Communication Skills                            
Must possess effective interpersonal communication skills, with strong verbal and written communication skills.  Must have the ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.  Must have the ability to write basic reports and correspondence.  Bilingual (English/Spanish) is preferred.  Must listen well and promote an environment of open communication and problem solving.

Math Skills                             
Must possess strong math skills, with the ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.  Must also possess the ability to calculate figures and amounts such as proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume, and to create and interpret bar graphs and data charts.

Reasoning Ability                             
Must possess the ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions, and the ability to interpret technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form.  Strong trouble shooting and problem solving skills are required.

Physical Demands
While performing the duties of this job, the partner is regularly required to stand, walk, talk, climb, and hear. The partner is frequently required to use hands for fine manipulation.  Must regularly lift and/or move up to 35 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and depth perception.  Must be able to tolerate standing for extended periods of time and be able to work in a wet environment.  Must be able to tolerate working with caustic cleaning chemicals.

Work Environment
While performing the duties of this job, the Partner is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles and caustic chemicals.  There is a wide variation of temperatures, ranging from 35° F to 100° F in the various work areas.  The work environment is wet and slippery all of the time.  The noise level in the production work environment is usually loud, and hearing protection is required.  Partners are also required to wear rubber gloves, goggles, face shield, rain suits, and rubber boots at different times in the course of the work being performed.

Benefits and Compensation

 
Applicants must be eligible to work in the country where this job is located, without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.