Sanitation Team Manager I at Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. – Oakland, Mississippi

Sanitation Team Manager I

US-MS-Oakland

Job ID: 2026-9078
Type: Regular Full-Time
# of Openings: 1
Category: Production Management
Oakland Plant

Overview

The Sanitation Team Manager I is responsible for supervising sanitation employees, leading and coordinating all sanitation activities to reduce food safety risk and ensure production areas meet company standards and regulatory requirements. The Sanitation Team Manager I achieves optimal sanitation results through effective coaching and continuous improvement initiatives. The role drives compliance with GMPs, food safety programs, and ensures the facility is always audit ready.

Responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (Duties, responsibilities and activities are listed in no order and may be changed or updated at any time with or without notice.)

Leadership & Vision

• Supervise sanitation employees, assign tasks and verify completion of cleaning activities across production areas and equipment.
• Plan and monitor daily and weekly sanitation schedules to ensure compliance with regulatory and compliance standards.
• Enforce safety rules, promote safe work practices and actively support company safety programs.
• Execute daily, weekly, and monthly sanitation and MSS plan, ensuring alignment with broader site and corporate goals.
• Conduct regular team meetings to align priorities, address challenges, and recognize achievements.
• Escalate, resolve, and find immediate solutions to sanitation deviations that can compromise safety of our production.

Sanitation Excellence

• Ensure the 7 steps of sanitation are trained, always understood, and followed by all sanitation team members.
• Thorough understanding of the chemicals used for effective cleaning of each surface type, application process, titration, dwell time and the safety measures required to prevent injury.
• Understanding how a CIP system operates, be able to trouble shoot breakdowns and monitor chemical usage.
• In depth knowledge of pre-operational inspection procedures specific to cleaning concerns of each piece of equipment.
• Oversee daily sanitation activities, ensuring thorough execution of the sanitation program and quick resolution of any food safety issues through thorough STPD activities that identify root cause, create corrective actions and monitor sustainment of those actions.
• Identify opportunities for sanitation improvement and lead initiatives to improve sanitation effectiveness.
• Maintain compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), FDA, OSHA, USDA, SQF, company policies and other applicable regulations.
• Ensure proper handling and safe use of cleaning chemicals, PPE, and sanitation equipment.
• Drive adherence to SSOPs and continuous improvement frameworks.
• Maintain proper documentation and records for regulatory and audit compliance.

Financial Management

• Track the budget for sanitation activities, labor and chemical usage ensuring cost control and optimal resource utilization.
• Track chemicals spend weekly and monthly. Manage inventory of sanitation supplies and chemicals; request purchases as needed.
• Identify cost reduction opportunities through improved sanitation and chemical use efficiency and waste reduction.

Talent & Organizational Development

• Train, coach and develop sanitation team members in proper cleaning techniques, chemical safety and food safety standards.
• Foster a culture that reinforces Company Purpose and Values, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Lead cross-functional training to ensure team versatility and flexibility in managing sanitation demands.
• Ensure front-line team proficiency in key tools and systems, including:
  • STPD (Standardized Problem Solving) tool
  • Titration procedures
  • Safety Chain

Collaboration & Strategic Partnerships:

• Collaborate with site leadership, maintenance, engineering, food safety and quality teams to identify and resolve food safety and sanitation related issues and prevent contamination risks.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure sanitation effectiveness when implementing new processes and selecting and installing new equipment.
• Support senior leadership with broader strategic plant objectives, KPIs and employee engagement activities.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Associate of Science degree in a STEM field (Engineering, Food Science, Technology, Math, etc.) required.
• Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM field preferred.
• Experience in lieu of degree will be considered.

Experience

• Minimum 2 years of manufacturing experience in a leadership role, preferably in the food industry.

Demonstrated Proficiencies

• Multiple examples of delivering performance improvement in food safety and sanitation.
• Multiple examples of building organizational capabilities (team skill proficiency improvements, team promotions).
• Multiple examples of solving issues to root cause and eliminating recurrence.

Preferred Proficiencies

• Knowledge of GMP, HACCP, OSHA and food safety regulations.

Other

• Communication Skills – excellent verbal and written communication skills, including technical writing and presentation skills.
• Interpersonal Skills - must have strong interpersonal skills and ability to manage cross functional support through influence.
• Organizational Skills – must have excellent organizational skills to prioritize multiple projects with various simultaneous deadlines. It must be detailed and accurate.
• Judgment/Decision Making – ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, and make appropriate business judgment and recommendations.
• Computer Skills – working knowledge of Microsoft based software, including Excel, Word, and Outlook