Sanitation Superintendent (2nd/3rd Shift)

cargill

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Cargill is a family company committed to providing food and agricultural solutions to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way. We sit at the heart of the supply chain, partnering with producers and customers to source, make and deliver products that are vital for living. By providing customers with life’s essentials, we enable businesses to grow, communities to prosper, and consumers to live well. This position is in our Food Enterprise where we are committed to serving food manufacturers, food service customers, and retailers with a complete range of innovative ingredients and branded products. Our portfolio includes poultry, beef, egg, alternative protein, salt, oils, starches, sweeteners, cocoa and chocolate.Job Purpose and ImpactThe Sanitation Superintendent is accountable for strategic leadership, execution, and continuous improvement of facility‑wide sanitation programs, ensuring compliance with food safety, quality, regulatory, cost, delivery, safety, and training requirements. This role owns the development, implementation, evaluation, and optimization of sanitation systems and processes, proactively preventing product contamination while strengthening the partnership between Operations, Quality, Safety, and Sanitation functions. Additionally, the Sanitation Superintendent provides strategic leadership and oversight for plant sanitation programs, ensuring sanitation activities are effectively planned, executed, and aligned with broader business, operational, safety, and quality objectives. This role manages complex schedules by establishing priorities, assigning resources, and maintaining frequent communication with staff and key stakeholders to ensure work is completed efficiently and on time. The Superintendent actively plans, coordinates, and provides direction across sanitation related programs, including quality assurance, food safety, employee relations, health and safety, operations, and maintenance, while maintaining a forward thinking perspective on the operational and business impacts of sanitation decisions. Through strong analytical thinking, sound judgment, and disciplined follow through, the role oversees the cleaning and sanitization of equipment, surfaces, utensils, and the plant environment, providing leadership, motivation, and technical support to teams. The Sanitation Superintendent models integrity, accountability, and a one team mindset, effectively giving and receiving feedback to develop leaders and strengthen team performance, while partnering with contractors, suppliers, and technical experts to troubleshoot issues, identify root causes of non conformities, and drive sustainable corrective actions that uphold safety and quality standards.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience
Minimum of four years of related work experience. Typically reflects 5 years or more of relevant experience.
Ability to travel up to 5% for the role

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of good manufacturing process, safety, lock out and tag out and health and safety regulations
Two years of supervisory experience leading sanitation or production teams
Knowledge of the sanitation process, cleaning chemistry, chemical storage, handling and dispensing systems and sanitary design principles
Knowledge of industry related quality systems and inspection programs, cleaning systems and chemicals
Prior experience leading sanitation operations in a multi‑shift, high‑complexity manufacturing environment.
Experience with continuous improvement projects

Responsibilities

Provide senior‑level leadership and technical oversight for the cleaning and sanitization of processing equipment, utensils, food contact and non‑food contact surfaces, and the full plant environment, supporting sanitation teams and cross‑functional partners as operational needs arise.
Strategically plan sanitation requirements and activities by establishing priorities, budgets, and schedules; assigning work; and communicating expectations clearly and consistently across departments and shifts.
Own the sanitation program lifecycle, including development, implementation, execution, evaluation, and continuous improvement, ensuring compliance with company policies and governmental regulations.
Monitor, update, and enforce sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs) and actively participate in internal and external audits, leading corrective and preventive action plans based on audit findings.
Manage the ordering, inventory, storage, and safe handling of sanitation agents and cleaning chemicals, ensuring compliance with safety, regulatory, and environmental requirements.
Partner with contractors, suppliers, and technical experts to troubleshoot sanitation issues, analyze root causes, and eliminate non‑conformities through sustainable solutions.
Support and execute company safety programs at the facility level and provide input into sanitation excellence initiatives across the broader organization.
Lead, coach, and develop sanitation leadership and frontline teams, making sound decisions related to hiring, performance management, feedback, and disciplinary actions while modeling integrity and accountability.
Demonstrate strong business acumen by balancing food safety, quality, cost, labor, and operational priorities without compromising compliance or safety standards.
Perform other duties as assigned.