Senior Manager Sanitation Excellence

Makers Pride•Downers Grove, IL

3d•Remote

About The Position

The Senior Manager Sanitation Excellence is responsible for driving sanitation best practices, standardization, and continuous improvement initiatives across all Maker’s Pride facilities. This role focuses on elevating sanitation programs to reduce microbiological, chemical, and foreign material risk while improving efficiency, consistency, and compliance. This individual serves as a subject matter expert in sanitation excellence, partnering with plant leadership and cross-functional teams to implement sustainable improvements, strengthen sanitation systems, and ensure adherence to USDA, FDA, and customer requirements. The role provides both strategic direction and hands-on support, with a strong emphasis on CI methodologies and standardized processes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Engineering, or related field preferred (or equivalent experience).
7+ years of progressive experience in food manufacturing sanitation, with leadership or management responsibility.
Demonstrated experience in USDA-regulated environments is required.
Proven track record of driving Continuous Improvement initiatives within sanitation, food safety, or operations.
Experience supporting multi-site or regional sanitation programs preferred.
Experience preparing for and supporting regulatory (USDA/FDA), customer, and GFSI audits (BRC, SQF).
Strong knowledge of sanitation programs including SSOPs, Master Sanitation Schedules, HACCP, allergen control, and environmental monitoring.
Working knowledge of USDA and FDA sanitation and food safety requirements.
Familiarity with GFSI standards (BRC, SQF) and audit expectations.
Understanding of microbiological and chemical validation and verification methods.
Knowledge of sanitary equipment design and wet/dry sanitation processes.
Experience with sanitation chemicals, pest control programs, and vendor management.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and data tracking/reporting tools.
Strong Continuous Improvement mindset with the ability to identify gaps and implement sustainable solutions.
Analytical and data-driven problem-solving capabilities.
Excellent communication and influencing skills across all organizational levels.
Ability to lead change and drive adoption of standardized sanitation practices.
Strong coaching, training, and team development skills.
Effective cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management.
Ability to operate in a fast-paced, multi-site environment and make sound business decisions.

Responsibilities

Lead the development, standardization, and deployment of sanitation best practices across all facilities, ensuring consistency in execution and compliance.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives within sanitation, leveraging CI tools (e.g., Kaizen, standard work, root cause analysis) to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and risk control.
Partner with plant teams to redesign sanitation processes to reduce downtime, improve outcomes, and optimize labor and chemical usage without compromising food safety.
Establish and refine enterprise sanitation standards, including SSOPs, Master Sanitation Schedules, and sanitation KPIs.
Analyze sanitation performance data and trends to identify risks, gaps, and improvement opportunities across locations.
Lead and participate in CI events as the sanitation subject matter expert.
Conduct sanitation audits to assess program effectiveness, identify gaps, and ensure adherence to USDA, FDA, GFSI, and internal standards.
Provide clear, actionable recommendations and follow-up to ensure sustainable corrective actions.
Support facilities in preparation for USDA inspections, third-party audits (BRC, SQF), and customer reviews.
Partner with Quality, Operations, Maintenance, and Safety teams to integrate sanitation into broader operational excellence initiatives.
Develop and deliver training to sanitation teams and plant leadership on best practices, CI tools, and regulatory requirements.
Support environmental monitoring, allergen control, and HACCP programs through improved sanitation practices.
Oversee sanitation-related vendor performance (chemicals, pest control) and escalate issues impacting performance or compliance.
Mentor and support plant sanitation leadership to build capability and ownership of standardized practices.
Communicate sanitation risks, deviations, and improvement plans clearly to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.