Job Title: Senior Sanitation Lead
Location: Mishawaka, IN
Department: FSQA
Job Type: Houry
About United Petfood:
United Petfood is a private label producer of high-quality dry & wet pet food, biscuits and snacks. We are a Belgian family business with 25 high-tech pet kitchens in Europe and the US.
Joining us, means joining an international, passionate and driven team with one common goal: a healthy planet filled with healthy pets! But it doesn’t stop there: we truly care about building encouraging, supportive, long-lasting partnerships, both inside as well as outside of our fast-growing family company. By only working with the very best ingredients and most innovative technology available, we ensure a spot in which you can grow, bloom and make thousands of pets happy worldwide!
Position Summary
The Senior Lead Sanitation Tech is responsible for leading all sanitation activities within the facility to ensure compliance with food safety, quality, and regulatory standards. This position provides leadership and direction to the sanitation team, oversees daily sanitation operations, develops employees, and partners with plant leadership to maintain a clean, safe, and audit-ready production environment. The Senior Lead Sanitation Tech is responsible for staffing, training, performance management, sanitation program execution, and continuous improvement initiatives while ensuring compliance with all food safety and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements. This position reports directly to the FSQA Manager.
Duties & Responsibilities
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Perform dry cleaning and general cleaning and sanitation responsibilities as assigned throughout the plant.
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Inspect, promote and maintain adherence to food safety cleanliness in the handling of product, ingredients and finished goods using proper work procedures and compliance with Food Safety Standards as defined by the FDA, BRC, Preventive Controls, FSSC 22000, HACCP and prerequisite programs under the direction of the FSQA Manager.
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Review machinery swab results with the Quality Assurance Manager and Lab Supervisor to verify sanitation effectiveness.
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Understand and use chemical or non-chemical pest control systems.
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Ensure chemical containers are properly marked, tagged, stored and inventoried.
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Maintain neat and accurate sanitation records.
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Actively participate as a member of the Food Safety Committee.
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Perform internal audits and support corrective actions.
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Provide daily leadership, direction, coaching, and accountability for Sanitation Technicians and Lead Sanitation Technicians.
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Create, update, maintain and implement SSOPs and the Master Sanitation Schedule.
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Responsible for post-clean assessments and sanitation verification.
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Partner with plant leadership to verify and validate sanitation effectiveness and continually improve sanitary conditions.
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Ensure sanitation employees are properly trained and competent.
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Partner with Human Resources to recruit, interview, onboard and maintain appropriate staffing levels utilizing direct hires and temporary staffing agencies.
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Conduct performance evaluations, provide coaching and development, recognize performance, and administer corrective action in accordance with company policy.
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Perform additional projects assigned by the FSQA Manager.
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Follow and hold others accountable for all GMPs and company policies.
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Other duties as assigned.
Workplace Safety
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Complete safety documentation and report deviations.
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Participate in mandatory safety training.
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Report all safety issues, near misses and injuries.
Quality & Food Safety
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Complete quality and food safety documentation.
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Participate in required food safety training.
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Preserve the integrity of the BRC/FSSC food safety system.
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Report food safety and quality concerns immediately.
Qualifications
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Minimum 3 years sanitation experience in the food industry.
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Minimum 3 years in a lead or supervisory role in manufacturing.
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Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience preferred.
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Knowledge of Safety, HACCP, GMPs, OSHA, BRC and FSSC requirements.
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General knowledge of food manufacturing equipment.
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Experience using Microsoft Office and computers.
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Knowledge of chemical handling and PPE.
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Mechanically inclined.
Our Values in Action:
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We Aim Higher – Deliver quality and efficiency on every pallet; continuously look for ways to improve our processes.
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We Make It Work – Solve problems quickly and keep production moving; flexibility and a hands-on mentality are key.
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We Grow United – Collaborate with your team and support colleagues to achieve shared goals.
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We Do What’s Right – Follow safety, quality, and operational standards; act responsibly in all tasks.
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We Thrive on Passion – Bring energy, care for animals, and dedication to producing top-quality pet food.
Equal Opportunity Employer: United Petfood Producers USA Inc. is an equal opportunity workplace. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
