Title: PM Sanitation and Maintenance Supervisor

Reports To: Director of Sanitation/QA Manager

Location: Delray Beach, FL

Type: Full-Time | Onsite | Non-Exempt

COMPANY SUMMARY

Pero Family Farms is a market share leader with over a century of dedication, commitment and integrity. Operating since 1908, Pero is the farm trusted by retailers and consumers alike. We are a fully integrated farming operation, with departments that specialize in organic farming, logistics, global supply chain management, national sales operations, food processing operations, and strategic marketing functions. Our operation includes over 35,000 acres spanning across the East Coast of the United States from Florida to New York, with distribution and production facilities in several different states. We pride ourselves in maintaining a strong family heritage and tradition dedicated to quality, innovation, and excellent customer service that has been feeding America’s families for over a century. As we continue to expand our organic vegetable offerings, we have become one of the largest organic vegetable growers in the country. We are looking to grow our workforce family and continue strengthening our position as a trusted market share leader.

JOB PURPOSE

The PM Sanitation and Maintenance Supervisor is responsible for leading sanitation operations while serving as a critical link between the Sanitation, Maintenance, Quality, and Production teams. This position oversees the execution of the plant’s sanitation program and ensures that equipment, machinery, and facility areas are properly cleaned, maintained, and ready for safe and efficient production.

In addition to managing sanitation activities, this role is expected to proactively identify equipment, mechanical, facility, and infrastructure issues discovered during sanitation activities and work directly with the Maintenance team to ensure preventative maintenance, repairs, and corrective actions are identified, prioritized, communicated, and completed in a timely manner.

The ideal candidate is mechanically inclined, highly observant, and understands that effective sanitation is not only about cleaning equipment, but also about identifying conditions that could lead to equipment failure, food safety concerns, production downtime, or safety risks.

This position requires flexibility with schedule, including nights, weekends, holidays, and overtime as business needs require.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Sanitation Leadership & Operations

• Schedule, coordinate, and manage sanitation crews to ensure the plant meets all required sanitation standards for machinery, equipment, production lines, and facility areas.
• Build, maintain, and execute the Master Sanitation Schedule, ensuring all required cleaning frequencies are consistently achieved and documented.
• Train, coach, and supervise sanitation employees on proper cleaning procedures, chemical handling, GMPs, food safety, PPE, and safety requirements.
• Maintain sanitation programs and documentation with minimal supervision.
• Participate in the development, implementation, and auditing of SSOPs.
• Ensure sanitation activities are completed thoroughly, safely, and within established production and sanitation timelines.
• Maintain superior plant cleanliness and strictly enforce GMP, food safety, sanitation, and safety requirements.
• Maintain chemical inventory and coordinate with chemical suppliers regarding products, equipment, training, usage, and sanitation-related issues.
• Work with the Quality Manager to troubleshoot, inspect, and correct sanitation concerns that may impact product quality or food safety.
• Make recommendations for sanitation process improvements and lead continuous improvement initiatives.

Maintenance Identification & Preventative Maintenance Coordination

• Serve as the primary sanitation point of contact for identifying equipment and facility maintenance issues observed during cleaning and sanitation activities.
• Conduct visual and physical inspections of machinery, equipment, processing lines, drains, floors, walls, ceilings, doors, refrigeration areas, and other facility infrastructure during sanitation activities.
• Identify conditions such as leaks, damaged components, loose or missing parts, worn belts, damaged guards, corrosion, unusual equipment conditions, drainage issues, electrical concerns, structural deficiencies, or other potential maintenance problems.
• Proactively communicate identified maintenance issues to the Maintenance Supervisor/Manager and appropriate plant leadership.
• Partner with Maintenance to determine whether identified issues require immediate repair, corrective maintenance, or placement on a preventative maintenance schedule.
• Follow up on identified maintenance issues to ensure repairs and corrective actions are completed in a timely manner.
• Assist Maintenance in prioritizing issues based on food safety, employee safety, equipment reliability, production impact, and potential downtime.
• Maintain clear documentation of maintenance concerns identified during sanitation and communicate outstanding items during shift handoffs and management meetings.
• Identify recurring equipment or facility issues and recommend preventative solutions rather than allowing repeat failures or emergency repairs.
• Coordinate sanitation activities with Maintenance when equipment must be taken offline, disassembled, repaired, inspected, or returned to service.
• Verify that repaired or modified equipment and areas are properly cleaned and ready for production before being returned to service.
• Work closely with Plant Engineering/Maintenance on new equipment installations, processing line modifications, and facility redesigns to ensure sanitary design and accessibility for cleaning and maintenance.
• Help identify opportunities where equipment modifications or preventative maintenance can improve sanitation effectiveness, equipment reliability, and production uptime.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Maintenance, Quality, Production, Engineering, and Plant Management to resolve operational issues.
• Communicate sanitation and maintenance concerns clearly during shift meetings, handoffs, and daily plant operations.
• Work with the Quality team to ensure sanitation-related maintenance issues are addressed before they create product quality or food safety risks.
• Work with Production to coordinate sanitation activities while minimizing production disruption and equipment downtime.
• Participate in inspections, audits, investigations, and corrective action activities as needed.
• Make recommendations regarding hiring, discipline, promotions, and employee development within the sanitation team.
• Explain workplace hazards and required safety measures to employees and monitor compliance.
• Lead by example and promote a culture of accountability, preventative maintenance, food safety, cleanliness, and continuous improvement.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Work is performed primarily in a food manufacturing and packaging environment.
• Regular exposure to wet, humid, and refrigerated areas, including temperatures of approximately 45°F or lower.
• Exposure to food products and produce fumes, including onions, peppers, and other vegetables.
• Regular exposure to sanitation chemicals such as chlorine and other approved cleaning agents.
• May work with or around machinery, equipment, processing lines, tools, and maintenance activities.
• Position requires strict adherence to GMP, food safety, sanitation, and safety policies.
• Frequent interaction with sanitation crews, Maintenance, Quality, Production, Engineering, chemical suppliers, and management.
• Requires flexibility to work nights, weekends, holidays, and overtime as business needs require.
• Fast-paced production environment where timely issue identification and resolution are critical to maintaining production uptime.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to stand, walk, and sit for extended periods of time.
• Frequent use of hands for grasping, handling tools, writing, and operating equipment.
• Ability to bend, stoop, reach, climb, and maneuver in tight or elevated spaces as needed.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, and pull objects weighing approximately 5 to 50 pounds.
• Ability to perform physical inspections of equipment, machinery, and facility areas.
• Ability to safely work around machinery, tools, chemicals, and cleaning equipment.
• Ability to occasionally use cutting utensils such as knives or peelers.
• Ability to work extended hours and overtime as required.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience preferred.
• Previous experience in food manufacturing, sanitation, CIP systems, food safety, or food manufacturing regulatory requirements.
• 2+ years of experience in sanitation, maintenance, production, food manufacturing, or a related environment preferred.
• Previous supervisory or team leadership experience required.
• Mechanically inclined with the ability to recognize and troubleshoot basic mechanical and facility issues.
• Understanding of preventative maintenance principles and equipment reliability preferred.
• Experience working with production machinery, processing equipment, or food manufacturing systems preferred.
• Bilingual in Spanish/English or English/Creole preferred.
• Strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
• Demonstrated ability to identify potential problems before they result in equipment failure, downtime, or food safety concerns.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated superior verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to effectively communicate with employees and management across multiple departments.
• Ability to train, coach, motivate, and hold employees accountable.
• Working knowledge of English and basic mathematics.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, holidays, and overtime.

KEY SUCCESS MEASURES

Success in this role will be measured by the supervisor’s ability to:

• Maintain a consistently high standard of sanitation and GMP compliance.
• Ensure sanitation schedules and SSOP requirements are completed accurately and on time.
• Identify maintenance and equipment issues before they become production failures or food safety concerns.
• Partner effectively with Maintenance to ensure corrective and preventative maintenance is completed promptly.
• Reduce repeat equipment and facility issues through proactive identification and follow-up.
• Support improved equipment reliability and reduced unplanned downtime.
• Maintain strong communication between Sanitation, Maintenance, Quality, Production, and Engineering.
• Develop a sanitation team that operates safely, efficiently, and consistently.
• Maintain a clean, safe, audit-ready, and production-ready facility.

COMPANY BENEFITS/PERKS

• 401(k)
• Generous Matching 401K
• Health, Dental, Vision Insurance and more
• Paid Time Off (PTO)

The company (Pero) reserves the right to alter, amend, expand, or contract these duties and responsibilities as the company’s needs evolve.