Cottage Cheese CP Utility & Sanitation Technician

Position Summary The CIP Utility and Sanitation Expert is responsible for ensuring the highest standards of hygiene, food safety, and equipment cleanliness within the cottage cheese production environment. This role oversees CIP systems, sanitation procedures, chemical handling, environmental cleaning, and compliance with regulatory and customer standards. The expert ensures that all processing equipment-including vats, pipelines, separators, curd tables, fillers, and packaging systems-is cleaned, sanitized, and validated to support safe, high-quality cottage cheese production. Key Responsibilities CIP Operations & Oversight 1. Operate, monitor, and troubleshoot automated Clean-in-Place (CIP) systems for all cottage cheese processing equipment. 2. Verify correct CIP parameters (temperature, flow, conductivity, chemical concentration, cycle times). 3. Maintain and update CIP charts, logs, and digital records for regulatory and internal audits. 4. Conduct pre-operational inspections to confirm equipment cleanliness and readiness for production. 5. Collaborate with maintenance to resolve equipment issues affecting CIP performance. Sanitation & Environmental Cleaning 1. Lead and execute sanitation of production rooms, curd tables, blending tanks, packaging lines, and associated utilities. 2. Perform manual cleaning where required (e.g., hard-to-reach areas, non-CIP equipment). 3. Ensure proper sanitation of cottage cheese-specific equipment such as: 4. Curd knives and screens 5. Creaming/blending tanks 6. Cottage cheese vats 7. Draining belts or tables 8. Fillers and conveyors 9. Conduct ATP swabbing, allergen testing, and environmental monitoring. Chemical Handling & Safety 1. Prepare and verify sanitation chemicals (caustic, acid, sanitizers, detergents) according to manufacturer and plant specifications. 2. Maintain chemical inventory and ensure proper storage, labeling, and PPE usage. 3. Train team members on safe chemical handling and lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures. Food Safety & Compliance 1. Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, PMO, GMP, HACCP, and company food safety standards. 2. Support internal and external audits by providing documentation and demonstrating sanitation controls. 3. Identify and correct sanitation deficiencies to prevent contamination risks (microbial, physical, chemical). Qualifications Required 1. Experience in dairy or food manufacturing sanitation, preferably in cultured products. 2. Understanding of CIP systems, sanitation chemistry, and hygienic design. 3. Ability to read and interpret CIP schematics, flow diagrams, and sanitation SOPs. 4. Knowledge of regulatory requirements (GMPs, HACCP, FSMA, PMO). 5. Ability to work in wet, cold, and fast-paced production environments. Preferred 1. Experience specifically with cottage cheese production equipment. 2. Prior leadership or training experience. 3. Familiarity with SCADA or automated CIP control systems. 4. Certifications in food safety or sanitation (e.g., PCQI, HACCP, 3-A Sanitary Standards).