Sanitation & Food Safety Program Specialist, US

DO & CO•New York, NY

7d•$90,000 - $115,000

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 requires 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 provides technical guidance across U.S. facilities; develops and improves sanitation procedures and verification standards; conducts assessments and independent inspections; supports environmental monitoring and pathogen investigations; and verifies corrective actions. The role also partners with facility and cross-functional teams on hygienic design, sanitation chemicals, pest and waste risks, allergen and Halal controls, training, audits, and regulatory findings. Regular travel among U.S. facilities is required, as is flexible availability for early mornings, nights, weekends, and overnight sanitation or pre-operational activities when needed.

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 across 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 consistent documentation, escalation, and follow-up procedures 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.
Ensure sanitation tools are properly segregated, dedicated, and color-coded where required.
Verify the proper selection, concentration, labeling, storage, dispensing, and use of sanitation chemicals.
Ensure cleaning practices follow manufacturer instructions and established sanitation 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.
Evaluate cleaning and tool-control practices designed to 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 the completion and sustained effectiveness of sanitation CAPAs.
Identify recurring findings across facilities and recommend long-term, 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.
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.