Sanitation Superintendent

High Liner Foods USA; Newport News (VA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

High Liner Foods USA is seeking an experienced sanitation supervisor for the third shift to oversee third-party sanitation activities, ensuring safety, quality, and regulatory alignment at our Newport News plant.

You will coordinate with QA, Operations, Maintenance, and vendors to address sanitation gaps, verify cleanability, and support pre‑operational readiness. The role requires strong communication and a proactive problem-solving approach.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in food manufacturing sanitation or related programs.
• Bachelor's degree preferred but not required.
• HACCP certification and third-party audits experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of sanitation requirements, chemical safety, GMPs, and regulatory standards.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and manage vendor relationships.

Responsibilities

• Provide daily on-site support and oversight of third‑party sanitation activities, ensuring work is completed safely and in line with MSS and regulatory standards.
• Serve as the primary third‑shift High Liner Foods contact for the sanitation contractor and escalate significant risks or compliance concerns to the Plant Food Safety and Quality Manager.
• Support pre‑operational readiness by confirming sanitation work is complete and areas are ready for line set‑up and QA pre‑operational review.
• Collaborate with QA, Operations, Maintenance, Warehouse, Dry Storage, the sanitation contractor, and the chemical provider to resolve sanitation-related issues.
• Support sanitation validation, verification, CAPA, and root cause activities with Plant Food Safety and Quality leadership.
• Communicate sanitation status, pre‑op concerns, production readiness, KPI updates, and follow‑up needs to leadership.
• Build a productive relationship with contractor leadership, coordinating priorities and reinforcing a shared commitment to food safety and sanitation execution.
• Participate in shift handover meetings and sanitation performance meetings with contractors and High Liner leadership.
• Engage with the plant food safety team to support HACCP program improvements.

Skills

Communication

Follow-up

Conflict resolution

Critical thinking

Decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

HACCP certification

Job description

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide daily on-site support and oversight of third‑party sanitation activities, including ensuring work is completed safely, effectively, and in alignment with the MSS, food safety requirements, regulatory standards, and site policies.
• Serve as the primary third‑shift High Liner Foods contact for the sanitation contractor, supporting timely communication and follow‑up while escalating significant risks, performance gaps, or compliance concerns to the Plant Food Safety and Quality Manager.
• Support pre‑operational readiness by confirming sanitation work is complete, deficiencies are addressed, verification activities are completed as required, and areas are ready for line set‑up and QA pre‑operational review.
• Partner with QA, Operations, Maintenance, Warehouse, Dry Storage, the sanitation contractor, and the chemical provider to resolve sanitation‑related issues impacting cleanability, food safety, quality, and production readiness.
• Support sanitation validation, verification, CAPA, and root cause activities in partnership with Plant Food Safety and Quality leadership.
• Communicate sanitation status, pre‑op concerns, production readiness, KPI updates, and follow‑up needs to appropriate internal stakeholders, site and contractor leadership.
• Build and maintain a productive working relationship with contractor leadership by setting clear expectations, coordinating daily priorities, supporting timely follow‑up, and reinforcing a shared commitment to food safety, quality, and effective sanitation execution.

Chemical & Equipment Management

• Partner with the chemical provider and sanitation contractor to support proper chemical selection, concentration, titration, and usage verification.
• Verify contractor practices for chemical storage, handling, dispensing, PPE, tools, and sanitation equipment to align with site requirements.
• Identify chemical, equipment, supply, or process gaps and coordinate follow‑up with the appropriate internal or external partner.

Documentation, Compliance & Communication

• Review sanitation records for accuracy and completeness, including MSS completion, chemical logs, titration records, equipment cleaning records, verification activities, and contractor‑provided documentation.
• Ensure that SSOPs are documented, maintained, updated as necessary, and are aligned with actual sanitation practices followed.
• Support enterprise and sanitation audit preparedness and execution, maintaining the site audit ready every day.
• Provide shift summaries, KPI updates, and vendor performance feedback to the Plant Food Safety and Quality Manager and site leadership team.
• Participate in routine shift handover meetings and regular sanitation performance meetings with contractors and High Liner leadership.
• Engage with the plant food safety team to ensure sanitation is an active participant. Support changes, and improvements to the site HACCP Program as necessary.

Continuous Improvement

• Use KPI trends, pre‑op findings, environmental results, audit observations, and contractor feedback to identify and support sanitation improvements.
• Partner with key internal and external stakeholders to improve sanitation methods, tools, equipment cleanability, pest control practices, chemical systems, and overall program effectiveness.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in food manufacturing sanitation, food safety, or sanitation program support; experience working with third‑party sanitation contractors preferred.
• Bachelor's degree preferred but not required.
• HACCP certification and experience with third‑party audits strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of sanitation requirements, chemical safety, pre‑operational inspection expectations, GMPs, and regulatory standards.
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority, build strong vendor partnerships, and hold external partners accountable to established performance expectations.
• Strong communication, follow‑up, conflict resolution, critical thinking, and decision‑making skills.
• Ability to work a third shift (approximately 11pm-7am) and flex schedule as needed to support business demands.
• Reliable, professional, and able to remain calm and effective under pressure.

Working conditions:

Office Environment: The noise level in the office work environment is moderately quiet.

Plant Environment: The plant work environment will expose the employee to loud noise, food grade dust & odors, moving & vibrating machinery, heavy equipment, powered industrial trucks, heights, traffic, anhydrous ammonia, oil and electricity. The employee may be exposed to adverse weather conditions including extreme cold, heat, rain, snow, dust, smoke and odors. Flexibility of work hours. Ability to work on feet for extended periods of time if needed.

Physical requirements/Allergens

Lifting, pushing, and pulling of approximately 70 pounds and prolonged standing and walking.

Work with allergen containing food materials: Fish, shellfish, tree nuts (including coconut), eggs, wheat, soy, dairy and other sensitizing agents.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, sit, talk, listen, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is required to use hands to handle, operate, and feel objects, tools or controls. The employee is occasionally required to operate a motor vehicle to travel to off‑site meetings. The employee must have visual acuity sufficient to operate a motor vehicle and digital camera, as well as other office and position equipment. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. Employee must be able to hear and speak clearly in order to communicate with clients, coworkers, employees and vendors.

Travel:

Expected travel for this role is 0-5%

Direct reports:

yes

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

AAP/EEO Statement

High Liner Foods (USA), Inc. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, High Liner Foods (USA), Inc. complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.