Sanitation & Food Safety Program Specialist, US

DO • Des Plaines, IL

6d

About The Position

DO & CO is seeking an experienced, highly technical Sanitation & Food Safety Program Specialist to advance and standardize sanitation programs across its U.S. operations. This corporate-level role calls for a hands-on food safety professional who can assess complex production environments, identify sanitation and microbiological risks, lead root-cause investigations, and turn technical requirements into practical, sustainable solutions.

The specialist will provide technical oversight across U.S. facilities, develop and improve sanitation procedures and verification standards, conduct independent assessments, and support environmental monitoring and pathogen investigations. The role works closely with facility and cross-functional teams to resolve sanitation deficiencies, verify corrective actions, deliver training, and support inspections and audits. Regular travel among U.S. facilities and flexible availability for early mornings, nights, weekends, or overnight sanitation and pre-operational work may be required.

DO & CO operates in 33 locations across 12 countries and 3 continents, with business segments in airline catering, international event catering, restaurants, lounges, and hotels.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Safety, Biology, Environmental Health, Public Health, Food Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• At least five years of progressive experience in food manufacturing, airline catering, commissary operations, sanitation, food safety, or quality assurance.
• Strong working knowledge of food sanitation, GMPs, HACCP, Environmental Monitoring Programs, sanitation verification, and preventive controls.
• Demonstrated experience conducting sanitation inspections, investigations, root-cause analyses, and corrective-action follow-up.
• Experience identifying microbiological, sanitation, hygienic-design, allergen, and cross-contamination risks in complex food-production environments.
• Strong analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while effectively influencing and collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly among DO & CO’s U.S. facilities.
• Flexible availability, including early mornings, nights, weekends, and overnight sanitation or pre-operational activities when required.

Nice To Haves

• PCQI certification.
• HACCP certification.
• Registered Sanitarian, Registered Environmental Health Specialist, or equivalent credential.
• Experience working in FDA-regulated food facilities and knowledge of 21 CFR Part 117.
• Experience with Environmental Monitoring Programs, particularly those involving Listeria species and Listeria monocytogenes.
• Background in ready-to-eat food manufacturing, airline catering, commissary operations, or other high-volume food-production environments.
• Experience with sanitation chemicals, ATP systems, allergen verification, microbiological sampling, and hygienic design.
• Experience supporting FDA inspections, customer audits, and third-party audits.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical oversight and guidance for sanitation programs across DO & CO’s U.S. facilities.
• Develop, standardize, and continuously improve SSOPs, Master Sanitation Schedules, cleaning procedures, and verification standards.
• Conduct sanitation assessments in production areas, ready-to-eat environments, equipment, coolers, freezers, dishrooms, drains, docks, and waste areas.
• Evaluate cleaning methods, chemicals, concentrations, contact times, equipment, sanitation contractors, and service providers.
• Identify hygienic-design concerns and sanitation vulnerabilities, and partner with facility teams to implement sustainable solutions.
• Establish standardized pre-operational inspection and release programs across facilities.
• Conduct independent inspections to verify sanitation effectiveness and production readiness.
• Identify sanitation deficiencies, including food residue, grease, biofilm risks, standing water, damaged surfaces, and inaccessible areas.
• Ensure corrective actions are completed and effective before equipment or production areas are released for use; maintain documentation, escalation, and follow-up for significant findings.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of Environmental Monitoring Programs, particularly in ready-to-eat and high-risk areas.
• Review sampling plans, locations, frequencies, zoning, ATP results, and environmental trend data.
• Lead or support investigations involving recurring environmental findings or pathogens, including Listeria species and Listeria monocytogenes.
• Verify intensified cleaning, resampling, mitigation activities, allergen-cleaning validation, and corrective actions.
• Verify sanitation-tool segregation, dedication, and color coding where required.
• Verify appropriate selection, concentration, labeling, storage, dispensing, and use of sanitation chemicals, and ensure cleaning follows manufacturer instructions and established procedures.
• Evaluate equipment and facilities for harborage points, damaged surfaces, standing water, condensation, deteriorated seals, and other contamination risks.
• Participate in sanitation reviews for new equipment, renovations, construction projects, and process changes.
• Partner with Maintenance, Engineering, Operations, FSQA, chemical suppliers, and facility leadership to resolve sanitation-related deficiencies.
• Review pest-control programs, activity trends, and corrective actions with FSQA and facility leadership.
• Assess waste-handling areas, docks, compactors, recycling areas, and exterior conditions for sanitation and pest risks.
• Verify sanitation procedures supporting Halal segregation and shared-equipment controls, and evaluate cleaning and tool-control practices that prevent allergen and Halal/non-Halal cross-contact.
• Lead sanitation-related investigations and root-cause analyses; develop risk-based corrective and preventive action recommendations.
• Verify completion and sustained effectiveness of sanitation CAPAs, identify recurring findings across facilities, and recommend systemic solutions.
• Escalate significant sanitation and food safety risks to FSQA leadership.
• Develop and deliver technical training on SSOPs, GMPs, chemical safety, sanitation verification, environmental pathogen controls, and cross-contamination prevention.
• Coach Sanitation Managers, supervisors, FSQA personnel, Operations teams, and frontline employees, and verify training effectiveness through field observations and follow-up assessments.
• Support FDA inspections, customer audits, third-party audits, and internal food safety assessments.
• Assist facilities with regulatory observations, customer findings, CAPAs, and effectiveness verification.
• Promote sanitation as a critical food safety preventive control and shared organizational responsibility.

Benefits

• Complimentary daily meals, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits for eligible full-time employees.
• 401(k) eligibility for full-time employees.
• A workplace committed to culinary excellence, innovation, and exceptional hospitality.
• Genuine career-development opportunities, both nationally and internationally.
• The opportunity to represent and collaborate with a global leader in luxury gourmet entertainment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior