Sanitation Lead - 3rd Shift

Ajinomotocareers; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. is seeking a Sanitation Team Leader to supervise daily cleaning and equipment assembly in a USDA-compliant facility in California. You will monitor sanitation practices, train staff, and ensure safety and quality standards.

The role requires 2–4 years in sanitation/production, strong communication, and leadership. Expect night shifts and overtime as needed in a fast-paced production environment.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or GED required; associate degree or technical schooling preferred or equivalent experience.
• 2–4 years of experience in sanitation or related role.
• Minimum 3 years of production experience in a USDA food manufacturing facility.

Responsibilities

• Oversee sanitation team to ensure GMPs and SOPs are followed.
• Inspect equipment after cleaning and ensure proper assembly of equipment and lines.
• Maintain chemical room and inventory, including titration logs.
• Provide training on chemical safety, LOTO, SOPs and JSA.
• Ensure sanitation procedures (SSOP) are implemented and monitored.
• Coordinate with supervisor to troubleshoot microbiological issues and ensure quality.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Problem solving

Teamwork

Organization

Conflict management

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

Education

High School diploma or GED

Associate’s degree or technical schooling preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

MS Excel

Job description

Position Summary

Under the direction of the sanitation supervisor, the sanitation team leader is functionally responsible in his assigned area to maintain surveillance over equipment and facility cleanup. The sanitation team leader is responsible for inspecting equipment after cleaning and ensuring proper assembly of equipment and production lines.

Position Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Assures sanitation employees are:
• following GMPs, and SOPs.
• using proper safety precautions, including chemical usage safety.
• reporting unusual equipment wear, metal corrosion, equipment breakdown, etc.
• properly cleaning equipment in accordance with SOPs and general cleaning procedures.
• properly assembling equipment and production lines.
• Implement and monitor approved sanitation cleanup procedures (SSOP).
• Implement and monitor safety guidelines as needed, including:
• Chemical safety and awareness
• Job Safety Analysis
• Provide and document training as needed, including:
• Chemical safety and awareness
• Lockout/Tagout
• SOP’s & JSA’s
• Maintain the chemical room on a daily basis to include mixing/preparing all chemicals to be used each night during sanitation activities.
• Maintain accurate chemical inventory and usage logs.
• Maintain titration logs for chemicals used.
• Keep chemical room clean and orderly at all times.
• Perform all activities at minimal cost, while keeping cleaning effectiveness at a maximum.
• Continually monitor the effectiveness and adequacy of all cleaning activities via preoperational inspections.
• Complete any necessary paperwork to comply with guidelines of USDA, the HACCP program, and any auditing agencies.
• Work with sanitation supervisor to troubleshoot any microbiological problems that may be due to improper cleaning.
• Directly responsible for ensuring proper equipment and production line assembly. This includes equipment inspection and release to QA for final pre-operational inspection.
• Establish and maintain good plant communication skills and work with others in a teamlike manner to accomplish work objectives.
• Maintain visibility and communication with sanitation employees.
• Perform work within company standards and efficiencies.
• As required, train other sanitors and new employees in the proper cleaning, handling, disassembly and assembly of equipment.
• Responsibilities often require overtime, and weekend hours
• Must be able to effectively communicate with team members of all job levels.
• Other duties & responsibilities as assigned

Position Qualifications

Education

• High School or GED
• An Associate’s degree or equivalent technical school degree preferred or equivalent experience and education

Experience

• Minimum Years of Experience: 2 to 4 years
• Minimum of 3 years production or related experience in a USDA food manufacturing facility required.

Certifications

N/A

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with and train employees in a clear and concise manner either through written or verbal instruction
• Strong initiative and the ability to work with others to achieve desired results.
• Strong organizational skills required.
• Ability to work cooperatively and maintain a professional working relationship with team members.
• Ability to lead fairly, firmly and consistently.
• Ability to interact and to manage conflict while maintaining composure and perspective.
• The ability to identify, define, and solve problems, and to coach team members to do the same.
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Outlook and Office, specifically Microsoft Excel.

Working Conditions

The working conditions of this job require the employee to frequently be exposed to wet, humid, and extremely cold conditions. Employee is occasionally exposed to vibration and the noise level can be moderate. To protect against these conditions, frequent use of personal protective equipment is required.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

• Sit - Frequent
• Stand - Frequent
• Walk - Frequent
• Lift - Frequent
• Bend/Twist - Frequent
• Reach - Frequent
• Vision - Close vision and the ability to adjust focus. - Constant

AAP/EEO Statement

Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. (AFNA) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. AFNA does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis protected by stated, federal, or local law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

The statements contained herein reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions for this job, the level of knowledge and skill typically required, and the scope of responsibility, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned.

Pay range: $23-28/hr.

Ajinomoto Foods Benefits | Benefits Hub 2026