Fresh & Ready Food Group | Sanitation Manager Longview, TX Full-Time | Salary Exempt Reports to: Quality Assurance Manager Lead the sanitation program that protects our product, our people, and our customers. Fresh & Ready Food Group is looking for an experienced Sanitation Manager to lead the sanitation program within our Ready-to-Eat food manufacturing operation. This is a technical food safety and sanitation leadership position with responsibility for the systems, people, verification programs, environmental controls, and continuous improvement efforts that protect product safety and reduce microbiological risk. The right candidate will bring deep sanitation knowledge, strong people leadership, and the ability to turn environmental and sanitation data into action. You will work closely with Quality, Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and plant leadership while leading the sanitation organization at the facility. What You'll Own You will have ownership of the facility's Master Sanitation Program and will be responsible for continuously strengthening sanitation performance across the plant.

Key responsibilities include:

Own, maintain, and continuously improve the plant Master Sanitation Program Develop sanitation standards, SSOPs, cleaning frequencies, verification requirements, and accountability systems Lead and develop Sanitation Supervisors, Leads, Technicians, and Associates Partner with Quality and Food Safety on the facility environmental monitoring program Review microbiological, sanitation verification, and environmental trends and drive corrective action Lead investigations involving environmental positives, recurring ATP failures, sanitation failures, and microbiological concerns Establish and maintain hygienic zoning and sanitation controls for Ready-to-Eat and high-care areas Oversee sanitation chemical programs, including effectiveness, application, documentation, control, and cost management Partner with Maintenance and Engineering to improve hygienic equipment design, equipment cleanability, and microbial harborage prevention Review new equipment and facility modifications through a sanitation and hygienic-design lens Lead sanitation preparation and response for USDA, customer, GFSI, regulatory, and third-party audits Develop sanitation training for leaders and hourly associates Establish and monitor sanitation KPIs, including sanitation effectiveness, labor efficiency, chemical usage, pre-operational performance, environmental results, and corrective actions Manage sanitation labor, chemical, supply, equipment, and capital budgets Build staffing depth and support succession planning throughout the sanitation organization The Candidate We're Looking For This role is best suited for a sanitation leader who understands both the science behind sanitation and the operational discipline required to consistently execute it. You should be comfortable discussing environmental pathogen control, Listeria prevention, sanitation chemistry, SSOPs, hygienic zoning, ATP verification, microbiological swabbing, root-cause analysis, and corrective action just as comfortably as you lead teams, manage performance, and work with plant leadership. Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Food Safety, Engineering, Operations, or a related field; other degrees may be considered based on relevant experience 7+ years of progressively responsible sanitation or food manufacturing experience Multiple years of sanitation leadership experience Advanced understanding of microbiological principles within Ready-to-Eat food manufacturing Strong knowledge of environmental pathogen control, particularly Listeria prevention and control Advanced knowledge of sanitation chemistry and chemical application Strong working knowledge of SSOPs, GMPs, HACCP, environmental monitoring, hygienic zoning, and sanitation verification Experience with ATP, protein, allergen, and microbiological swabbing programs Ability to analyze environmental monitoring data and identify trends Understanding of sanitary equipment design and microbial harborage prevention Strong knowledge of USDA sanitation requirements applicable to Ready-to-Eat manufacturing Experience leading root-cause investigations and corrective and preventive action programs Strong understanding of cleaning validation and sanitation effectiveness Experience managing sanitation labor, chemical, equipment, and operating costs Strong leadership, coaching, employee development, and performance-management capability Highly Preferred HACCP certification and extensive experience in Ready-to-Eat, USDA-regulated, meat/poultry, or another high-care food manufacturing environment are strongly preferred. Experience managing supervisors, leads, and hourly sanitation teams is also preferred. What Success Looks Like A successful Sanitation Manager does more than ensure the plant gets cleaned. Success means building sanitation systems that consistently: Protect Ready-to-Eat product safety. Control microbiological risk. Produce reliable sanitation and environmental results. Develop a strong sanitation team. Remain compliant and audit-ready. Improve over time instead of repeatedly solving the same problems. The job description specifically defines success as sanitation systems that protect RTE product safety, control microbiological risk, and provide effective, compliant, sustainable sanitation performance. Your Leadership Scope This position reports to the Quality Assurance Manager and leads the sanitation organization, including Sanitation Supervisors, Sanitation Leads, Sanitation Technicians, and Sanitation Associates. You will work closely with Quality/Food Safety, Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Plant Leadership, regulatory personnel, USDA representatives, customers, GFSI auditors, and other third-party auditors. Work Environment This position works directly within a refrigerated food manufacturing environment and requires regular presence in production areas. The environment may include temperatures below 40°F and requires appropriate PPE. The role involves significant standing, walking, lifting, pushing, pulling, and reaching throughout the workday. Why Fresh & Ready? Fresh & Ready Food Group is a fast-paced food manufacturing organization focused on delivering safe, high-quality products while creating a workplace where people can grow, contribute, and make an impact. We believe strong results come from strong teams, clear expectations, continuous improvement, and doing the right thing. Ready to Lead? If you are a sanitation leader who understands the connection between microbiology, environmental control, sanitation execution, equipment design, people leadership, and food safety , we want to hear from you. Apply today to help lead and strengthen sanitation at Fresh & Ready Food Group. Fresh & Ready Food Group is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals and maintaining a workplace free from unlawful discrimination and harassment. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law.

Pay:

From $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) Dental insurance Employee assistance program Employee discount Flexible schedule Health insurance Paid time off Referral program Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person