Sanitation Operator

Darigold; Lynden (WA); On-site; USD 35,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and Wellness benefits

Paid vacation, sick and holidays

Pension contribution

Employee Assistance Program

Pay rate: $25.30-$31.63/hour

Night shift premium

Job summary

Darigold is seeking a Sanitation Operator at our Lynden, WA plant. You will clean production equipment, handle cleaning chemicals safely, and maintain food safety in a fast-paced dairy environment.

The role requires physical work, standing for long periods, and willingness to work overnights, weekends, and rotating shifts. Competitive hourly pay and benefits accompany this full‑time position.

Qualifications

• Ability to work independently and safely without direct supervision.
• Attention to detail and ability to complete multiple tasks.
• Maintain legible, accurate documentation.
• Good communications skills, verbal and written.

Responsibilities

• Assist production and maintenance teams with cleaning production equipment.
• Properly use cleaning chemicals and required PPE.
• Clean hoses, floors, and production areas to maintain food safety standards.
• Clean buckets, trash containers, handrails, restrooms, and other facility areas as assigned.
• Remove production waste, including garbage.
• Keep work areas clean, organized, and inspection-ready.
• Assist leadership to identify, troubleshoot, solve, and prevent sanitation problems.
• Maintain sanitation equipment and chemical inventories to assure availability for effective cleaning.
• Complete documentation per Darigold policies and regulatory requirements.
• Stand and move throughout most of the shift.
• Frequently use hands and arms to handle equipment and cleaning supplies.
• Lift and move materials up to 50 pounds.
• Work closely with team members and follow verbal instructions.
• Occasionally bend, kneel, crouch, climb, balance, or perform other physical tasks as needed.
• Work in hot, cold, wet, dry, or slippery conditions.
• Handle dairy products and work around typical food processing sights and smells.
• Use cleaning and sanitizing chemicals safely and according to procedures.
• Wear PPE including gloves, goggles/face shield, rubber boots, and rain gear.
• Follow GMPs and remove jewelry or cosmetic accessories in production areas.
• Follow safety, quality, and food manufacturing standards at all times.
• All other duties as assigned

Skills

Independent worker

Attention to detail

Documentation

Communication skills

Shift flexibility

Reliability

Job description

Darigold is seeking a motivated Sanitation Operator to join the team at our Lynden Washington plant. The Sanitation Operator helps keep our facility, equipment, and production areas clean, safe, and ready to produce our nutritious dairy products. This is an active, hands‑on role in a food production environment where you'll work around dairy products, production equipment, and cleaning chemicals. This is a full‑time hourly union position.

Darigold is the fifth largest dairy cooperative in the United States based on milk volume, and one of the largest privately held organizations headquartered in the state of Washington. Since 1918, our producers have taken pride in producing dairy products with unsurpassed quality. Today we are one of the nation's largest agricultural cooperatives, producing over 8.5 billion pounds of milk every year. Through innovative technology and our efficient, flexible production capabilities, we deliver value‑added products and customer‑driven solutions. Darigold is now known throughout the world for bringing fresh, wholesome dairy products and ingredients from the Northwest to people all around the globe.

What You Will Do

• Assist production and maintenance teams with cleaning production equipment
• Properly use cleaning chemicals and required personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Clean hoses, floors, and production areas to maintain food safety standards
• Clean buckets, trash containers, handrails, restrooms, and other facility areas as assigned
• Remove production waste, including garbage
• Keep work areas clean, organized, and inspection‑ready
• Assist plant leadership to identify, troubleshoot, solve, and prevent problems affecting sanitation
• Maintain sanitation equipment and chemical inventories to assure availability for effective cleaning
• Complete documentation is in accordance with Darigold policies and regulatory requirements
• Stand and move throughout most of the shift
• Frequently use hands and arms to handle equipment, tools, and cleaning supplies
• Lift and move materials weighing up to 50 pounds
• Work closely with team members and follow verbal instructions
• Occasionally bend, kneel, crouch, climb, balance, or perform other physical tasks as needed
• Work in hot, cold, wet, dry, or slippery conditions
• Handle dairy products and work around typical food processing sights, smells, and equipment
• Use cleaning and sanitizing chemicals safely and according to established procedures
• Wear required personal protective equipment, including gloves, goggles or face shield, rubber boots, and rain gear
• Follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), including wearing required food safety attire and removing jewelry and cosmetic accessories in production areas
• Follow safety, quality, and food manufacturing standards at all time
• All other duties as assigned

What You Will Bring

• Ability to work independently and safely without direct supervision in a fast‑paced environment
• Attention to detail, must be able to complete multiple and/or repetitive tasks
• Ability to maintain legible, accurate documentation
• Good communications skills, verbal and written
• Work overnight, weekends, and rotating/varying shifts – as needed
• Reliability – begin work on time and conform to work hours and schedule

Benefits Of Working At Darigold

We understand that as an employee, benefits that support you and your family in and out of work are important. We’re proud to offer eligible positions a competitive total rewards package that includes:

Specific contract per location

• Health and Wellness benefits
• Paid vacation, sick and holidays
• Pension contribution
• Employee Assistance Program
• Pay rate: $25.30-$31.63/hour depending on skills and experience
• Premium pay for off shifts (night, swing) and vacation relief (where applicable)

Our Commitment To Diversity

Achieving our vision to Lead Dairy Forward requires cultivating and supporting a team with varying backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We are committed to providing a workplace based on mutual respect where all employees feel included and can bring their best and authentic selves to work every day. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and Affid… We welcome all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability, marital status, creed, religion, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. As a condition of employment applicants offered a role will be required to successfully pass our pre‑employment background screen, receive a negative drug screen result & confirm eligibility to work in the U.S. We participate in E-Verify - please follow the links for details, English / Spanish & view our Right to Work Statement, English / Spanish.