Hygienist Facility

Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream•Bakersfield, CA

4d•$77,000 - $91,000

About The Position

The Hygienist is the site owner of hygiene and sanitation effectiveness, focused on preventing contamination before it occurs. The role is primarily floor-based: the Hygienist personally verifies cleaning, identifies and removes harborage points, and leads Listeria and other microbiological investigations. Working with Sanitation, Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and Quality, the Hygienist uses findings and data to achieve lasting improvements in cleaning methods, equipment, and facility design. The Hygienist owns the site sanitation program, including SSOPs, the master sanitation schedule, deep-clean plans, and procedures for cleaning production lines, equipment, and facility infrastructure. The role provides expertise in sanitation chemistry and defines and verifies CIP and COP parameters. It also drives dry and low-water cleaning practices, manages cleaning-tool controls, and verifies cleaning effectiveness through direct inspection, ATP, allergen swabs, and microbiological results. The position leads environmental monitoring investigations, hygienic design and zoning improvements, allergen cleaning validation and verification, and the facility pest control program. It develops and delivers sanitation, GMP, and hygiene training; supports food safety programs; represents sanitation and hygiene during audits; and provides functional direction to the Sanitation team. Repeat sanitation failures and unresolved hygiene risks are escalated directly to the Plant Manager. A majority of working time is spent on the production and sanitation floor. The role requires flexibility to respond on site to positives, audits, and investigations outside normal hours. The work environment is fast-paced and regularly involves working around others, wet and/or humid conditions, high noise, mechanical, electrical, and pressurized equipment, and frequent exposure to nuts and other potential allergens. The annual pay range is $77,000–$91,000. Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream offers medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; paid time off and holidays; paid parental leave; and a 401(k) plan with employer match and an annual contribution available. Visa sponsorship and immigration support are not available; applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States now and in the future.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Microbiology, Microbiology, Biology, Dairy Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline, or equivalent hands-on experience in sanitation and hygiene leadership.
HACCP certification required.
At least 3 years of hands-on sanitation, hygiene, or environmental monitoring program responsibility on a plant floor.
Proven experience leading Listeria investigations, including vector swabbing, teardown, and root-cause elimination.
Experience developing, implementing, and verifying SSOPs and cleaning validations.
Experience with CIP and COP systems, sanitation chemistry, hygienic zoning, allergen cleaning control, and harborage point identification.
Strong knowledge of food safety regulations, including FDA, FSMA, PMO, and applicable state requirements.
Deep understanding of HACCP, GMPs, sanitation programs, environmental monitoring, and allergen controls.
Ability to critically assess equipment and facility designs for cleanability and harborage risk.
Competence in data analysis, trending, and quality systems or software.
Ability to lead by example on the floor and work credibly with operators, sanitation crews, and maintenance technicians.
Ability to influence cross-functional teams and uphold hygiene standards under production pressure.
Strong communication and coaching skills; ability to build a culture of hygiene ownership.
High accountability, sound decision-making, integrity, and a prevention-focused approach.
Spend a majority of working time on the production and sanitation floor.
Flexibility to respond on site to positives, audits, and investigations outside normal hours.
Legally authorized to work in the United States now and in the future; the company does not provide visa sponsorship or immigration support.

Nice To Haves

PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) certification.
Training in GFSI schemes such as SQF, BRC, or FSSC 22000, or training in hygienic design.

Responsibilities

Own the site sanitation program, including SSOPs, the master sanitation schedule, deep-clean plans, and cleaning procedures for lines, equipment, and facility infrastructure.
Serve as the site subject matter expert on sanitation chemistry, including chemical selection, application, concentration, contact time, and verification.
Define and verify CIP and COP parameters and act on deviations.
Drive dry and low-water cleaning practices during production and control cleaning tools through color coding, storage, condition checks, and replacement.
Perform pre-operational and post-sanitation inspections on all shifts, including night and weekend sanitation shifts.
Participate in line teardowns and deep cleans to identify hidden soil, niches, and harborage points.
Verify cleaning effectiveness through visual inspection, ATP, allergen swabs, and microbiological results.
Coach operators, sanitation crews, and supervisors at the line on cleaning methods, contamination prevention, and hygienic practices.
Lead investigations of pathogen or indicator positives, beginning on site within 24 hours, using vector swabbing, teardown when needed, and documented root-cause analysis.
Apply knowledge of microorganism niches, biofilm formation, and pathogen behavior to eliminate root causes.
Lead structured root-cause analysis using methods such as 5-Why, Fishbone, and CAPA, and verify corrective actions in the field.
Drive hygienic design improvements related to equipment, drainage, water management, condensation control, and structures; review new equipment and projects for cleanability before installation.
Develop, implement, and verify hygienic zoning, including personnel and material flow, hygiene barriers, traffic control, and equipment segregation.
Lead allergen cleaning validation and verification, allergen changeover cleaning controls, and allergen swabbing.
Lead the facility Pest Control Program, including monitoring, prevention, trend analysis, and regulatory and food-safety compliance.
Develop and deliver sanitation, GMP, and hygiene training, and verify competence through floor observation.
Represent sanitation and hygiene during customer, regulatory, and certification audits; maintain complete, audit-ready sanitation records.
Support HACCP, Preventive Controls, and GMP programs with hygiene risk assessments.
Provide functional direction to the Sanitation team on cleaning methods, standards, and verification.
Escalate repeat sanitation failures and unresolved hygiene risks directly to the Plant Manager.
Maintain and improve performance against sanitation effectiveness, environmental monitoring, hygienic design and zoning, allergen cleaning, audit, training, and proactive risk-identification measures.