Sr Specialist Sanitation

The Hershey Company•Robinson, IL

60d•Onsite

About The Position

The Hershey Company Robinson plant is a non-union plant producing products such as PayDay, Heath, Skor, Milk Duds, Whoppers, Reese's Pieces, Mounds and Almond Joy in a high-speed complex environment. Under minimal guidance, the Sanitation Specialist's primary role is to coordinate efforts to achieve and maintain sanitation programs and compliance Hershey's Product Excellence Program (PEP). This position is responsible for overseeing the sanitation program to ensure compliance and proper execution in accordance with sanitation, food safety and safety corporate standards, HACCP principles, GFSI standards as well as local and state regulations, in order to maintain a visibly clean, audit ready environment for food production. Recommends and secures the appropriate resources (internal and external) and time (including necessary downtime) to assure a sanitary environment is maintained.

Requirements

Effective communication of technical and non-technical information to various levels, both internally and externally to the organization
Knowledge of federal and state food industry regulations including Food Safety Modernization Act
Understanding of sanitation and pest control practices.
Internal candidates shall have strong understanding of The Hershey Company's Product Excellence Program (PEP)
Strong working knowledge of QA principles
Strong computer and document management skills
Strong documentation skills and attention to detail
Strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively with all levels internal and external to the plant to deliver timely results
Establish and sustain effective relationships with all employees in order to foster and environment where innovation and cooperation are used to solve problems
Strong auditing/assessment skills
Knowledge of manufacturing operations
Strong leadership skills and ability to influence management, enabling the activities of employee teams that do not have direct reporting to the Specialist
Ability to interact effectively with third party and internal auditors
Position will primarily work 1st shift, but work schedule flexibility is required to support a 24/7 manufacturing operation is required
Work environment includes plant, warehouse, and plant grounds. Must be physically capable of walking, climbing, squatting etc. to complete sanitation inspections.
Knowledge of pest control habits and possess the ability to identify pests (mice & rat droppings, insects, etc.).
Bachelor's Degree in Food Science or related field preferred
1-2 years related experience required; 5 years preferred
Minimum of 1 year in a supervisory capacity required

Nice To Haves

Sanitation related experience in a high-speed automated Consumer Goods manufacturing environment preferred (e.g. production of food, beverages, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, household goods, and/or tobacco)
SAP experience preferred
Relevant certifications such as GFSI and/or PCQI are a plus
Confectionary based processes knowledge is a plus
Allergens Management is a plus

Responsibilities

Manages Sanitation employees work schedule and responsibilities.
Manage departmental financial responsibilities for sanitation, developing budget and cost controls when ordering supplies and scheduling services.
Develops and maintains Master Sanitation Schedule and Environmental Microbiology Monitoring Program.
Lead verification, monitoring, and validation of the sanitation related programs.
Supervises certified pest control operators and assures compliance to pest control program
Develop and report plant food safety and sanitation KPIs.
Identify and develop sanitary design solutions working with Microbiology, Engineering and/or Maintenance teams.
Develops and conducts periodic audits and/or review results to interpret data trends, monitor emerging issues related to sanitation, and develop remediation strategies accordingly.
Act as an in-house expert resource for hourly, salary employees and supporting departments within the food safety and sanitation related discipline.
Act as the primary interface for sanitation issues with regulatory agencies, corporate and other third-party audits, providing leadership to identify, monitor, correct, and eliminate gaps between the plant environment and the required standards.
Creates and updates cleaning procedures.
The position serves as a technical resource for Manufacturing and Engineering along with providing leadership and guidance in the areas of sanitation and associated incident investigation and resolution, troubleshooting and other related matters.
The position provides QA support to the various Business Units across the plant.
Assure employee ownership of programs by developing and communicating essential information related to food safety and sanitation to all employees including management and line operatives.