Sanitation Program Manager North East, PA - Supply Chain - Plant

Grow with Welch's!

Welch's is on a journey towards our bold ambition of being the global-leader of convenient, good for you fruit-based food and beverages. To turn this goal into a reality we need you and other exceptionally talented, agile, and innovative individuals who are eager to contribute to something extraordinary!

At Welch's, we're not just offering a job; we're inviting you to be a part of a vibrant, authentic, and inclusive culture where you not only belong, but also have the opportunity to unleash the best, most authentic version of you.

We're looking for a hands-on, high-impact
Sanitation Program Manager to lead our plant sanitation strategy and execution. This role is responsible for creating a sanitation culture where food safety is non-negotiable, continuous improvement is expected, and operational excellence is achieved every day.

You'll partner across Operations, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, and Environmental Health & Safety to strengthen sanitation systems, improve equipment design, optimize cleaning processes, and ensure our facility consistently meets the highest food safety standards.

This is a highly visible leadership role for someone who enjoys solving complex problems, developing people, and driving measurable improvements across the plant.

• Lead and continuously improve all plant sanitation and pest control programs, ensuring compliance with food safety regulations and internal quality standards.
• Serve as the site's sanitation subject matter expert (SME), providing technical leadership and troubleshooting support across production, maintenance, engineering, quality, and corporate teams.
• Own the development, validation, and continuous improvement of sanitation procedures, CIP systems, sanitation chemistry, and sanitary equipment design.
• Build a culture of accountability by training, coaching, and developing employees across all shifts on sanitation best practices, chemical safety, GMPs, and food safety expectations.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that eliminate waste, improve cleaning effectiveness, reduce downtime, and enhance operational performance using Lean and problem-solving methodologies.
• Conduct routine sanitation audits, GMP inspections, and housekeeping assessments, ensuring timely corrective actions and sustainable improvements.
• Lead the site's Environmental Monitoring Program, post-CIP microbiological verification, and sanitation validation activities while ensuring robust documentation and regulatory compliance.
• Partner with Engineering and Maintenance to ensure new equipment, facility modifications, and capital projects incorporate sanitary design principles from the outset.
• Lead sanitation readiness for internal, customer, regulatory, and third-party audits while supporting rapid and effective corrective action execution.
• Manage the Master Sanitation Schedule and ensure sanitation activities are completed effectively, documented accurately, and continuously optimized.
• Monitor sanitation performance through KPIs and trend analysis, using data to identify opportunities and drive measurable improvements.
• Build strong partnerships with chemical suppliers and external service providers to ensure best-in-class sanitation practices.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis investigations and implement sustainable corrective and preventive actions.
• Supervise and develop sanitation technicians and janitorial staff, establishing clear expectations, coaching for performance, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Promote a proactive food safety culture by actively participating in Food Safety Teams, consumer complaint investigations, internal audits, regulatory inspections, and cross-functional improvement

• A visible, hands-on leader who enjoys being on the production floor and developing people.
• Passionate about food safety and committed to raising operational standards every day.
• Comfortable challenging existing processes and driving meaningful continuous improvement.
• A collaborative partner who builds trust across Operations, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, and EHS.
• Data-driven, organized, and able to translate technical sanitation concepts into practical execution.

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Engineering, or a related technical field preferred.
• 3 to 5 plus years of progressive sanitation program leadership experience within a food or beverage manufacturing environment is required.
• Strong knowledge of…