Senior Sanitation & Food Safety Program Lead, US

DO & CO group; Des Plaines (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Daily meals

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

401(k) eligibility

Career development opportunities

Job summary

DO & CO group is seeking an experienced Sanitation & Food Safety Program Specialist to lead and standardize sanitation programs across our U.S. operations. You will assess complex production environments, identify risks, and translate technical requirements into practical, sustainable solutions.

The role involves hands-on leadership, developing SSOPs, monitoring environmental programs, and supporting regulatory audits with a focus on ready-to-eat and high-risk areas. Travel among U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Safety, Biology, Environmental Health, Public Health, Food Engineering, or related discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• At least five years of progressive experience in food manufacturing, airline catering, commissary operations, sanitation, food safety, or quality assurance.
• Strong working knowledge of food sanitation, GMPs, HACCP, Environmental Monitoring Programs, sanitation verification, and preventive controls.
• Demonstrated experience conducting sanitation inspections, investigations, root-cause analyses, and corrective-action follow-up.
• Experience identifying microbiological, sanitation, hygienic-design, allergen, and cross-contamination risks in complex food-production environments.
• Strong analytical, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Capable of working independently while effectively influencing and collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Willing and able to travel regularly among DO & CO’s U.S. facilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical oversight and guidance for sanitation programs across DO & CO’s U.S. facilities.
• Develop, standardize, and continuously improve SSOPs, Master Sanitation Schedules, cleaning procedures, and verification standards.
• Conduct sanitation assessments across production areas, ready-to-eat environments, equipment, coolers, freezers, dishrooms, drains, docks, and waste areas.
• Evaluate cleaning methods, chemicals, concentrations, contact times, equipment, sanitation contractors, and service providers.
• Identify hygienic-design concerns and sanitation vulnerabilities and partner with facility teams to implement sustainable solutions.
• Establish standardized pre-operational inspection and release programs across facilities.
• Conduct independent inspections to verify sanitation effectiveness and production readiness.
• Identify food residue, grease, biofilm risks, standing water, damaged surfaces, inaccessible areas, and other sanitation deficiencies
• Ensure corrective actions are completed and effective before equipment or production areas are released for use.
• Maintain consistent documentation, escalation, and follow-up procedures for significant findings.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of Environmental Monitoring Programs, with particular focus on ready-to-eat and high-risk areas.
• Review sampling plans, locations, frequencies, zoning, ATP results, and environmental trend data.
• Lead or support investigations involving recurring environmental findings or pathogens, including Listeria species and Listeria monocytogenes.
• Verify intensified cleaning, resampling, mitigation activities, allergen-cleaning validation, and corrective actions.
• Ensure sanitation tools are properly segregated, dedicated, and color-coded where required.
• Verify the proper selection, concentration, labeling, storage, dispensing, and use of sanitation chemicals.
• Ensure cleaning practices follow manufacturer instructions and established sanitation procedures.
• Evaluate equipment and facilities for harborage points, damaged surfaces, standing water, condensation, deteriorated seals, and other contamination risks.
• Participate in sanitation reviews for new equipment, renovations, construction projects, and process changes.
• Partner with Maintenance, Engineering, Operations, FSQA, chemical suppliers, and facility leadership to resolve sanitation-related deficiencies.
• Review pest-control programs, activity trends, and corrective actions with FSQA and facility leadership.
• Assess waste-handling areas, docks, compactors, recycling areas, and exterior conditions for sanitation and pest risks.
• Verify sanitation procedures supporting Halal segregation and shared-equipment controls.
• Evaluate cleaning and tool-control practices designed to prevent allergen and Halal/non-Halal cross-contact.
• Lead sanitation-related investigations and root-cause analyses.
• Develop risk-based corrective and preventive action recommendations.
• Verify the completion and sustained effectiveness of sanitation CAPAs.
• Identify recurring findings across facilities and recommend long-term, systemic solutions.
• Escalate significant sanitation and food safety risks to FSQA leadership.
• Develop and deliver technical training on SSOPs, GMPs, chemical safety, sanitation verification, environmental pathogen controls, and cross-contamination prevention.
• Coach Sanitation Managers, supervisors, FSQA personnel, Operations teams, and frontline employees.
• Verify training effectiveness through field observations and follow-up assessments.
• Support FDA inspections, customer audits, third-party audits, and internal food safety assessments.
• Assist facilities with regulatory observations, customer findings, CAPAs, and effectiveness verification.
• Promote sanitation as a critical food safety preventive control and shared organizational responsibility.

Skills

Analytical skills

Written and verbal communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Willing to travel

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Job description

DO & CO group is seeking an experienced Sanitation & Food Safety Program Specialist to lead and standardize sanitation programs across our U.S. operations. You will assess complex production environments, identify risks, and translate technical requirements into practical, sustainable solutions.

The role involves hands-on leadership, developing SSOPs, monitoring environmental programs, and supporting regulatory audits with a focus on ready-to-eat and high-risk areas. Travel among U.S.