Entry Level Sanitation Lead Jobs (NOW HIRING)

POSITION TITLE: Sanitation Technician

DEPARTMENT: Production – Sanitation
REPORTS TO: Sanitation Lead / Production Manager
LOCATION: Todd’s Liquid Food Facility

POSITION SUMMARY

The Sanitation Technician is responsible for executing sanitation, cleaning, and hygiene activities across production, packaging, and process-cooking areas to ensure equipment, tools, and work environments meet GMP, SQF, and FDA food-safety standards. This role performs routine and end-of-day sanitation, equipment wash-downs, CIP operations, and pre-operational readiness tasks to support safe food production, prevent contamination, and ensure successful quality inspections.

The Sanitation Technician plays a critical role in food safety, allergen control, and regulatory compliance by maintaining a clean and sanitary production environment that supports continuous operations and audit readiness.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Sanitation & Food Safety

• Performs routine, end-of-day, and deep-clean sanitation of production, packaging, and process-cooking equipment.
• Cleans kettles, liquefiers, pumps, hoses, fillers, utensils, tools, conveyors, and surrounding work areas.
• Executes wash-downs and Clean-in-Place (CIP) activities following FDA, SQF, and internal sanitation procedures.
• Ensures equipment and work areas are prepared to pass daily pre-operational inspections.
• Uses approved chemicals, concentrations, and contact times per sanitation SOPs.
• Maintains strict compliance with GMPs, personal hygiene, handwashing, and PPE requirements.

Allergen, Organic, and Kosher Controls

• Cleans equipment to prevent cross-contact between allergen, organic, kosher, and conventional products.
• Verifies sanitation effectiveness based on product changeover requirements.
• Follows documented procedures for allergen and special-handling product sanitation.

Equipment & Work Area Readiness

• Disassembles and reassembles equipment components as required for proper cleaning.
• Inspects equipment and workstations for cleanliness, damage, or sanitation concerns.
• Stages cleaned equipment, tools, and utensils for next-day production.
• Communicates sanitation issues or equipment concerns to the Sanitation Lead or Production Leadership.

Documentation & Verification

• Accurately completes sanitation logs, CIP records, pre-op checklists, and cleaning documentation.
• Supports Quality with sanitation verification, swabbing, and inspection activities as required.
• Ensures all records are completed legibly, accurately, and in a timely manner.

Material Handling & Waste Disposal

• Safely disposes of raw-material containers, packaging waste, and sanitation debris.
• Handles and stores sanitation chemicals in accordance with safety and regulatory requirements.
• Assists with staging hoses, tools, and cleaning equipment to support efficient sanitation flow.

Teamwork & Communication

• Works collaboratively with Production, Quality, and Maintenance teams to support food safety.
• Follows instructions from Sanitation Lead, Production Leads, and Management.
• Communicates issues, delays, or concerns affecting sanitation or production readiness.
• Supports training and onboarding of new sanitation team members when assigned.

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS

Required:

• High School Diploma or equivalent experience

Preferred:

• Food safety, sanitation, or GMP certifications
• Experience with CIP systems and food-processing sanitation

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Required:

• None (entry-level candidates considered with proper training)

Preferred:

• 6 months experience in food manufacturing, production, or sanitation
• Familiarity with FDA, SQF, or GMP-regulated environments

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Ability to read, write, and communicate clearly in English
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred
• Understanding of basic food-safety and sanitation principles
• Ability to follow detailed sanitation instructions and SOPs
• Ability to identify cleanliness, contamination risks, and sanitation deficiencies
• Ability to work effectively with diverse teams in a production environment

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Standing, walking, bending, crouching, and stooping
• Extensive use of hands, arms, and fingers
• Visual acuity, hearing, and verbal communication required
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs routinely and up to 55 lbs occasionally

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Smoke-free, sanitation-controlled production environment
• Mandatory handwashing prior to entering production areas
• PPE required (gloves, masks, hairnets, aprons, boots, etc.)
• Exposure to water, cleaning chemicals, and wet surfaces
• Compliance with GMP, FDA food-safety rules, and personal hygiene standards is mandatory

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

• Reports directly to the Sanitation Lead or Production Manager
• Works closely with Production Leads, Process Cooks, Packers, and Quality personnel
• No direct reports; may support training of other sanitation staff as assigned

LEVEL OF AUTHORITY

• May perform sanitation tasks independently once trained and signed off
• May assist or guide other team members within trained and authorized scope
• Must follow all safety, sanitation, and production directives

PERFORMANCE METRICS

Performance is evaluated based on:

• Successful completion of sanitation tasks with zero failed pre-operation inspections
• Compliance with sanitation SOPs, GMPs, SQF, and FDA requirements
• Accuracy and completeness of sanitation documentation
• Effectiveness in preventing cross-contamination and allergen risks
• Timeliness, reliability, and teamwork
• Overall satisfaction of Sanitation Lead, Production, and Quality Management