Sanitation Lead

The Clorox Company • Alpharetta, GA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Business Unit Sanitation & Environmental Monitoring (EM) Manager leads the leads the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of cleaning, inspection, sanitation, and environmental monitoring programs across multiple plants to minimize microbial risk. This role ensures compliance to corporate standards and regulatory requirements, strengthens hygienic design and cleaning validation, and drives risk-based environmental monitoring, trending, and CAPA effectiveness to proactively manage contamination risks. The manager serves as the primary coach and trainer for plant team members and interfaces with QA, Operations, Engineering, EH&S, External Manufacturing, Sanitation vendors and external labs to maintain a robust, data-driven hygiene program. This position requires strong technical expertise, leadership, and multi-site coordination capabilities.

Requirements

• Minimum 6 years of experience in sanitation, quality, microbiology, or food safety with strong operational experience of GMP, sanitation, and environmental monitoring.
• Understanding of wet and dry cleaning /validation and verification processes to include COP, CIP, soil identification/chemical selection, dry clean methods
• Able to collaborate with plant teams to develop validated and verifiable SSOP’s and effective environmental monitoring programs
• Must demonstrate proven critical thinking, people and team development skills, strategic aptitude, and independent leadership
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment with facilities, Sanitation vendors, regulatory agencies, and customers
• Ability to effectively organize, coordinate and execute
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including understanding of risk management and risk-based quality systems
• Strong interpersonal skills – a proven team player who contributes to a result focused and motivating team environment
• Highly Flexible and Adaptable. Able to work independently in a fast-paced multitasking environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization.
• Flexibility to travel (up to 40%)
• Must be able to work in manufacturing environments, including standing for extended periods and wearing required PPE.

Nice To Haves

• Ability to understand environmental regulations and their impact on the organization
• Ability to help develop and/or execute strategic plans to meet departmental and organizational goals while complying with regulatory and customer requirement
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Governance & Program Ownership Deploy corporate Sanitation and EM standards at all Business Unit sites; ensure alignment with all requirements.
• Maintain site risk profiles (product & material risks, equipment design risks, data reviews) and adjust program requirements accordingly.
• Approve site-level deviations, risk assessments, and program changes (e.g., updated EM maps, SSOPs, chemical changes).
• Identify and recommend capital expenditure needed to reduce site risk profile.
• Ensure robust EM design and execution: sampling frequency, testing requirements, action/alert levels, aseptic technique, and chain-of-custody.
• Own data review cadence: weekly/monthly trend analysis (heat maps, Pareto, recurrence tracking); identify hotspots and drive containment and eradication. This includes KPI’s and program performance reviews.
• Lead deviation management: root cause investigations, corrective/preventive actions (CAPA), escalation, and effectiveness checks.
• Oversee SSOP completeness and accuracy (equipment-specific cleaning steps, disassembly points, chemical concentrations, contact times).
• Continuously improve the process to reduce waste, effort, and time while improving results.
• Partner with Engineering on hygienic design and maintenance requirements.
• Lead verification and changeover hygiene assessments for high-risk lines; verify cleaning and sanitation validations and implement environmental monitoring as applicable.
• Conduct Site Improvement Program (SIP) audits covering SSOP adherence, EM plan execution, and hygienic discipline.
• Coach and educate plant team members on technique, documentation, problem-solving, sampling techniques, and basic micro and sanitation understanding.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing: best practices, playbooks, and lessons learned across plants and Business Units.
• Act as the Sanitation SME as a member of the BU Micro Risk Assessment Quad team.
• Assess, define and validate C&S and EM requirements based on the MRA outputs.
• Provide input on critical control points (CCPs), contamination risk zones, and mitigation strategies.

Benefits

• comprehensive, competitive benefits that prioritize all aspects of wellbeing and provide flexibility for our teammates’ unique needs
• robust health plans
• a market-leading 401(k) program with a company match
• flexible time off benefits (including half-day summer Fridays depending on location)
• inclusive fertility/adoption benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees