Senior Sanitation Manager

The Role

CookUnity is seeking a Senior Sanitation Manager to lead and elevate our sanitation programs, ensuring the highest standards of cleanliness and food safety across our facilities. This role is critical in maintaining regulatory compliance and fostering a culture of food safety and sanitation excellence.

As the Senior Sanitation Manager, you will be responsible for building and managing CookUnity’s first internal sanitation team, overseeing daily sanitation operations, and ensuring all sanitation procedures align with food safety regulations, including USDA and GFSI standards. You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA), Supply Chain, and Operations, to optimize sanitation practices, manage third-party cleaning services, and support continuous improvement initiatives.

This role requires a hands-on leader with strong organizational skills, a passion for sanitation, and the ability to develop and implement best-in-class sanitation programs. The ideal candidate is a proactive problem solver who can train, coach, and lead a sanitation team while ensuring compliance with safety protocols and maintaining an efficient, well-organized operation.

This is a hybrid role, requiring on-site presence across multiple shifts, with the ability to travel as needed. Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish is required.

Responsibilities

• Facility Sanitation Oversight: Conduct daily facility inspections to ensure sanitation tasks are completed effectively and in compliance with internal standards and regulatory requirements.
• Chemical Safety & Training: Ensure employees understand chemical safety, proper handling, and usage; identify training gaps and develop sanitation training programs based on needs.
• Sanitation Program Development: Lead the creation and implementation of CookUnity’s first internal sanitation team, including hiring, training, and managing sanitation personnel.
• Team Leadership & Compliance: Supervise hourly associates during 2nd and 3rd shifts, ensuring adherence to sanitation protocols, workplace safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Vendor & Supply Chain Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for third-party cleaning services and collaborate with the Supply Chain team to manage chemical and cleaning supply purchases.
• Pest Control & Corrective Actions: Ensure sanitation-related corrective actions from inspections, audits, and pest control deficiencies are resolved efficiently and documented properly.
• Regulatory & Audit Readiness: Work closely with the Senior FSQA Manager to maintain regulatory compliance (USDA, FDA, GFSI) and prepare for internal/external audits and inspections.
• Master Sanitation Plan Execution: Partner with the Food Safety Manager to develop, implement, and reinforce all elements of the Master Sanitation Plan to drive continuous improvement.
• Organization & Documentation: Maintain cleanliness and organization of chemical storage areas, sanitation logs, and compliance records.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Attend weekly meetings with leadership and cross-functional teams to provide sanitation updates, discuss challenges, and implement solutions.
• Other Duties: Perform additional responsibilities as assigned by management to support the FSQA department.

Qualifications

• Experience: 4+ years of experience leading sanitation efforts in a food processing or manufacturing environment.
• Bilingual Required: Fluency in English and Spanish is mandatory
• Regulatory Knowledge: Strong understanding of USDA, FDA, FSMA, and GFSI sanitation standards and best practices.
• Sanitation Program Expertise: Experience creating training materials, SOPs, and sanitation protocols for chemical use and cleaning processes.
• Leadership & People Management: Proven ability to manage, train, and develop a sanitation team, including performance management and progressive discipline.
• Vendor & Supplier Relations: Experience managing relationships with chemical, dish machine, and sanitation service vendors.
• Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to assess sanitation challenges, develop solutions, and implement process improvements.
• Technology Proficiency: Familiarity with G Suite/Google Workspace and sanitation tracking software for compliance reporting.
• Collaboration & Communication: Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to work closely with FSQA, Supply Chain, and Operations teams.
• Flexibility & Travel: Ability to travel as needed and provide on-site leadership across multiple shifts.