Sanitation Manager

Smithfield Foods • Springdale, OH

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Step into a role where your leadership directly safeguards product quality, regulatory compliance, and consumer trust. As Sanitation Manager, you will be responsible for driving the plant’s sanitation program, ensuring all activities are executed in alignment with SSOPs and USDA requirements. Beyond addressing deficiencies, you’ll champion proactive measures that prevent issues before they arise—creating a culture of excellence in food safety. This position is central to maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness and operational integrity, ensuring the production of safe, wholesome meat products that meet both regulatory expectations and customer confidence.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Food Science, Engineering or related field and 5+ years of relevant experience in the professional sanitation or meat industries and processes; or equivalent combination of education and experience, required.
• 2+ years of demonstrated experience in team management/development or project leadership is required.
• Knowledge of sanitation science, USDA/FSIS/HACCP/SSOP requirements, and the ability to interpret sanitation guidelines, technical procedures, and government regulations.
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities, skilled in report writing and business correspondence, with proficiency in Microsoft Office (Access, Excel, Word), and capable of performing mathematical calculations, data analysis, and interpreting instructions in multiple formats.
• Demonstrated ability to uphold regulatory, company, and customer standards while fostering strong relationships, maintaining a positive work environment, and contributing effectively in dynamic team settings.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in fast‑paced, dynamic environments while contributing to team success.
• Ability to travel as needed to support operational and organizational requirements.

Responsibilities

• Sanitation System Compliance – Verifies that sanitation activities are properly designed, executed, and documented to ensure safe, wholesome products and compliance with USDA regulations and company objectives.
• Regulatory Oversight & Audit Performance – Makes defendable compliance decisions that balance productivity with regulatory requirements, while ensuring low incidence of pre‑op NRs, shelf life failures, and microbial swabbing issues, and achieving strong audit results.
• USDA & Vendor Liaison – Serves as the primary contact with USDA during plant start‑up and participates in weekly meetings with the sanitation service provider, plant management, and USDA to review findings and resolve issues.
• Employee Training & Development – Ensures sanitation staff receive pre‑op inspection training, provides feedback on performance, and fosters strong working relationships with USDA and the sanitation company.
• Leadership & Supervision – Provides guidance and direction to sanitation employees, including hiring, training, performance management, and resolution of employee concerns, in alignment with organizational policies and applicable laws.

Benefits

• Smithfield is proud to offer robust, flexible and affordable benefit plans and programs to support our team members and their loved ones, and with out-of-pocket costs, on average, 20 percent less than plans offered by other employers.
• Beyond our medical plans, our Be Well programs offer tools and resources to enhance your quality of life, at no additional cost.
• These programs are uniquely tailored to our Smithfield team and provide support for elective surgeries, weight loss, mental health, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, smoking cessation, asthma, maternity management and more.
• Our company invests in your future.
• We offer comprehensive training and professional development programs designed to help you reach your full potential.
• Our partnership with GUILD supports your continuing education with tuition assistance covering English language learning and various certificate programs, while our leadership development initiatives nurture high-potential talent.
• For those looking to build specialized skills, we offer apprenticeship programs that combine hands-on experience with focused learning.
• We also offer unique benefits like our Smithfield Scholarship Program for employees’ children.
• Smithfield’s Education Reimbursement Program provides financial reimbursement to team members who want to further their formal education by obtaining a GED/High School Equivalency (HSE) Diploma or by pursuing an academic degree at an accredited college or university that is not a Guild learning partner.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees