Team Leader Sanitation - Military veterans preferred

Conagra Brands has the most energized, highest-impact culture in food. Our people persistently challenge and disrupt marketplace/business conventions and we are respected for our great brands, great food, great margins and consistent results. Conagra Brands, be part of building something BIG.
Job Summary
Manages the sanitation operation within the Hagerstown, MD facility in a manner as to ensure the manufacture of safe, quality product that meets all company, customer, and regulatory food safety and quality standards. Leads plant sanitation through supporting the effective use of chemicals and sanitation equipment, setting standards for maintaining equipment, developing programs for cleaning of production equipment and facilities, implementing sanitation assurance, improvement and regulatory compliance programs. This position reports to the plant Quality Assurance Manager.
Position Responsibilities
Safety: Provide a safe work environment for all employees. Assure safety awareness and training is provided for sanitation personnel. Support safety programs within sanitation/pest management. Utilize tools and policies within the facility and company to achieve a safe work environment for the sanitation team through training, accountability and improvement projects.
Supervision: Directly supervises sanitation team to ensure compliance to Platform Quality Sanitation Procedures and regulatory requirements (FDA/CFIS) within the plant. Meets strategic business needs by being involved in cross-functional teams within the plant to drive sanitation knowledge and improvement. Determines resources and provides technical guidance and leadership to plant personnel.
Technical Support: Advise management on effectiveness of routine plant sanitation and cleaning programs. Guide plants during special plant sanitation issues including microbiological and environmental control. Ensure plant follow up of Pathogen Environmental programs to detect and eliminate sources of contamination. Provide sanitary design recommendations for new and existing equipment and modification/installation of existing/new equipment. Participate in all engineering projects to ensure sanitary design aspects of the project and review/approve project for compliance with Platform sanitary design objectives.
Start-Ups: Provide sanitary design review, sanitation plan and verification procedures for new and/or modified equipment, new equipment start-ups, new product introductions, movement of equipment from one facility to another, or new product introductions to prevent problems resulting from inadequate sanitation procedures.
Metrics and Reporting: Develop and maintain sanitation assurance reporting to show effectiveness of sanitation and compliance to company requirements. Use data to identify and execute improvement in effectiveness, performance and cost as part of the facility sanitation business plan.
Problem Solving: Proactively utilize process metrics and experience to prevent problems that could affect product quality and safety. Investigate sanitation issues which are result in product contamination, reduced shelf-life, or customer rejection of products. Aid in the identification of root cause and corrective actions.
Service Providers: Works closely with sanitation chemical providers and others to maximize technical expertise and to drive issue resolution within sanitation/pest management. Acts as liaison between Preferred Chemical Vendor and plant to maximize services provided and drive cost effectiveness and process improvement.
Education and Training: Actively participates in Platform sponsored training initiatives. Build and expand capabilities of the sanitation team. Manages technical training for plant sanitation employees and auditors. Attend technical meetings to continually update knowledge in advances in sanitation and pest control. Conduct internal sanitation and pest control audits as needed. Develops, maintains and executes a sanitation training and certification program.
Equipment: Provide recommendations for equipment and machinery-based change (new equipment, retrofits or design modification of existing equipment – sanitary design reviews). Work closely with Engineering and equipment vendors to assure that new equipment meets sanitary design and regulatory design requirements prior to installation. Validate that equipment modifications or new equipment can effectively be cleaned and sanitized to a microbial level.
Policies & Procedures: Implement and maintain Platform Sanitation Procedures within the plant. Development of plant specific sanitation programs in compliance with Platform Sanitation Policies/Procedures. Track and measure key performance indicators and report out results on a monthly basis to Platform Sanitation Manager. These include but are not limited to CIP/COP, Master Sanitation Cleaning Schedule, SSOPs, sanitation internal assessments and cleaning validations. Supports internal and external food safety, sanitation and quality audits.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
This position provides direct leadership to a staff of approximately 15 plant sanitarians.
Position Qualifications
B.S. Degree, or equivalent work experience
Minimum 3 years of food industrial experience in operations, Quality and/or sanitation roles.
Excellent knowledge of FDA, USDA and HACCP requirements applicable to the facility.
Excellent knowledge of sanitary design, sanitation and pest management in food processing.
Excellent knowledge of food manufacturing processes.
Excellent understanding of food safety.
Excellent understanding of microbiological organisms and their impact on process design, sanitary design and sanitation.
Good experience with government regulatory requirements in the processing of food.
Computer skills including proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook required.
Ability to work within a flexible scheduling matrix required.
CIP experience preferred.
Strong interpersonal skills including written and verbal communications.
Problem solving skills with the ability to utilize innovative approaches to generate creative and sustainable solutions to complex issues.
Ability to analyze data and use that information to make timely, fact based decisions.
Detail oriented, organized, reliable and resourceful with the ability to work well both independently and within a team environment.
Contacts - Internal:
Manger Plant Quality
Plant Operations and Maintenance Leadership
Platform Sanitation Manager
Engineering Functions, as needed
TRAVEL:
Approximately 5% travel is required.
Physical Requirements
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand and walk. The employee is occasionally required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, and feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; taste and smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. The employee will be exposed to a noisy environment that varies from hot to cold in temperature. 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.
Conagra Brands is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, pregnancy, leave status, disability, veteran status, genetic information and/or any other characteristic or status protected by national, federal, state or local law.