Factory Hygienist Specialist

Nestle Operational Services Worldwide SA•Jacksonville, IL

10d•$76,986 - $108,268•Onsite

About The Position

The Facility Hygienist provides leadership, technical expertise, and strategic direction for the factory's Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), sanitation, integrated pest management, hygienic design, environmental monitoring, and zoning programs. This role serves as the guardian of hygiene and sanitation compliance systems and ensures both the development and consistent application of the Quality Management System (QMS) throughout the facility in accordance with food safety and hygienic standards. As a key member of the Quality Team, the Facility Hygienist partners cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, and other functions to develop, implement, and continuously improve hygiene systems and programs. This position is responsible for building and strengthening sanitation and hygiene strategies, monitoring program effectiveness, driving compliance, and fostering a culture of food safety, quality, and continuous improvement across the factory. The role requires advanced knowledge of sanitation, GMPs, environmental monitoring, pest management, hygienic design principles, and food manufacturing technologies. Through technical leadership and collaboration, the Facility Hygienist provides expertise and guidance to support operational excellence and regulatory compliance while proactively identifying opportunities to enhance food safety performance.

Requirements

Bachelors in Microbiology, Food Science /Technology, Food Sanitation or related field required
Minimum 3-5 plus years’ food manufacturing experience, in quality and/or food safety related positions
Ownership of hygiene systems with willingness to adjust schedule to support required activities during off shifts and weekends
HACCP Program Owner and Food Safety Team Leader experience preferred, with demonstrated success leading cross-functional food safety programs and risk assessments.
Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and drive accountability across multiple functions and levels of the organization.
Strong capability to develop, facilitate, and deliver technical and non-technical training programs for employees, contractors, and leadership teams.
Effective coaching, mentoring, and problem-solving skills with the ability to drive sustainable behavioral and process improvements.
Strong analytical and root cause investigation skills, including the ability to leverage data, trend analysis, and risk assessments to support decision-making.
Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.
Ability to lead change, manage competing priorities, and build strong working relationships across Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Quality functions.
Effective communication skills and ability to train and facilitate; strong leadership skills.
Courage to escalate; Strategic thinker; Self-motivation
Ability to interpret data and make decisions on that basis
Ability to set priorities and delegate activities
Ability to dialogue with all levels in the factory
Computer skills to include proficiency with the Microsoft Office Software.

Responsibilities

Serves as the guardian of food safety and hygiene for the factory by providing leadership, technical expertise, and support to achieve business and compliance objectives.
Leads implementation and execution of factory Industrial Hygiene programs to ensure compliance with Nestlé corporate requirements, regulatory standards, and internal/external audit expectations. Areas of responsibility include sanitation and disinfection, integrated pest management, environmental microbiology, allergen and cross-contact prevention, foreign material control, hygienic design, and hygienic zoning.
Provides operational and technical leadership for the design, implementation, validation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of hygiene and food safety programs across manufacturing processes and facility operations.
Ensure factory sanitation programs are effectively implemented, validated, maintained, and verified to support the production of safe, sanitary, and high-quality products. Oversees sanitation effectiveness across processing equipment, support equipment, and internal and external facility environments.
Validates Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) are established and maintained for sanitation activities, allergen management, and cross-contact prevention. Owns the Master Sanitation Schedule (MSS) to ensure cleaning frequencies are risk-based, effective, and sustainable.
Coordinates sanitation activities with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and Department Leadership to ensure consistent execution of sanitation procedures and compliance with Nestlé requirements and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
Provides leadership for the factory Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program, ensuring effective implementation, monitoring, and continuous improvement to maintain a pest-free environment. Serves as the site subject matter expert on IPM principles and practices.
Serves as the primary site contact and technical liaison for third-party hygiene service providers, including sanitation and pest management partners. Establishes site-specific objectives, drives accountability to contractual requirements, and ensures effective collaboration to continuously improve program performance.
Leads hygienic design and hygienic zoning programs for existing operations, facility infrastructure, capital projects, and new process installations. Provides technical guidance and risk assessments to ensure food safety risks are minimized throughout the facility lifecycle.
Administers sanitation, GMP, and other hygiene-related inspection and assessment programs. Manages corrective and preventive action systems to address identified gaps, improve compliance, and drive continuous improvement.
Leads identification, investigation, and resolution of hygiene-related issues through data analysis, trend monitoring, root cause investigations, and the development of preventive and corrective actions aligned with factory performance objectives.
Coordinates and delivers training and development programs related to sanitation, GMPs, pest management, allergen management, hygienic design, environmental monitoring, and food safety systems. Ensures employees and contractors have the knowledge and skills required to execute hygiene programs effectively.
Promotes food safety and hygiene awareness throughout the factory through coaching, training, communication forums, audits, and engagement activities that strengthen food safety culture and operational excellence.
Partners cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Quality teams to proactively identify risks, improve hygienic conditions, and sustain compliance with food safety and quality standards.
Acts as the factory subject matter expert for GMPs, sanitation, pest management, hygienic design, zoning, environmental monitoring, and food safety risk mitigation programs.
Serves as the HACCP Program Owner and Food Safety Team Leader for the factory. Responsible for leading cross-functional food safety risk assessments, hazard analyses, HACCP plan development and maintenance, prerequisite program verification, validation activities, and food safety system governance. Ensures effective integration of sanitation, environmental monitoring, allergen management, hygienic design, zoning, and other preventive controls into the Food Safety Management System while driving compliance, continuous improvement, and food safety culture across the factory.