Help shape how work gets done safely across our operations.
Wayne-Sanderson Farms is seeking a Corporate Manager of Ergonomics to lead and advance our company-wide ergonomics strategy across poultry processing, prepared foods, hatcheries, feed mills, distribution, and support operations.
This is an opportunity for an experienced ergonomics, safety, occupational health, engineering, or human factors professional to have a visible, enterprise-wide impact. You'll work directly with Operations, Engineering, Occupational Health, Maintenance, Human Resources, and Safety teams to identify ergonomic risks and develop practical solutions that improve employee well-being while supporting operational performance.
This role is ideal for someone who enjoys being in the field, solving real operational challenges, using data to drive decisions, and influencing change across multiple facilities.
What You'll Do
Lead Our Ergonomics Strategy
- Lead the development and continuous improvement of the company's enterprise-wide ergonomics program.
- Serve as a key technical resource for ergonomics, human factors, biomechanics, and musculoskeletal disorder prevention.
- Establish practical standards and tools that help facilities identify and reduce ergonomic risks.
- Stay current on emerging technology, industry practices, and regulatory developments that can strengthen our approach.
Turn Ergonomic Risks into Practical Solutions
- Conduct and oversee ergonomic assessments of jobs, equipment, processes, tools, and workstations.
- Partner with facility teams to identify higher-risk activities, prioritize improvements, and ensure solutions are effective.
- Use established ergonomic assessment methods, including the Ergonomic Job Measurement System (EJMS), NIOSH lifting principles, and other appropriate tools.
- Bring ergonomics into equipment selection, automation, capital projects, line redesigns, and facility improvements before changes are implemented.
- Engage employees and frontline leaders in identifying risks, testing solutions, and building improvements that work in real-world production environments.
Help Reduce Injuries and Improve Employee Well-Being
- Lead initiatives focused on reducing musculoskeletal injuries and cumulative trauma disorders.
- Partner with Occupational Health teams on early symptom reporting, intervention, return-to-work efforts, and appropriate accommodations.
- Analyze injury, symptom, exposure, and operational data to identify trends and prioritize areas for improvement.
- Help develop practical approaches to workstation design, job rotation, lifting, repetitive work, tool selection, and non-routine tasks.
Build Ergonomic Capability Across the Company
- Develop and deliver practical ergonomics training for operational leaders, supervisors, Safety, Occupational Health, Engineering, Maintenance, and employees.
- Coach facility teams on how to recognize ergonomic risks, conduct assessments, recommend solutions, and follow improvements through completion.
- Lead cross-functional ergonomic improvement events and help facilities build sustainable prevention practices.
Use Data to Drive Continuous Improvement
- Develop a consistent approach to ergonomics auditing across company locations.
- Establish meaningful performance measures around injury trends, assessments, corrective actions, and control effectiveness.
- Translate data into clear dashboards, recommendations, and presentations for operational and executive leaders.
- Identify broader trends and opportunities that can improve ergonomics across multiple facilities, not just one location.
What You'll Bring
- Bachelor's degree in ergonomics, occupational health, industrial engineering, safety, kinesiology, human factors, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or a related field.
- 5+ years of progressive experience in ergonomics, occupational health, industrial engineering, safety, human factors, or a related discipline.
- Experience developing or implementing ergonomics or musculoskeletal injury-reduction programs.
- Experience working across multiple facilities or operations is strongly valued.
- Experience in poultry processing, food manufacturing, manufacturing, distribution, or another high-volume industrial environment is preferred.
- Strong knowledge of ergonomics, biomechanics, human factors, industrial work design, and musculoskeletal injury prevention.
- Working knowledge of OSHA requirements and recognized ergonomic practices for industrial environments.
- Ability to turn assessment findings and data into practical solutions that work in an operational environment.
- Strong project management, presentation, facilitation, and communication skills.
- Ability to build relationships and influence change across functions and locations without direct authority.
Preferred Credentials
Professional credentials such as Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE), Associate Ergonomics Professional (AEP), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), or related ergonomics, occupational health, human factors, or continuous-improvement certifications are preferred.
A master's degree in a related discipline is also preferred.
This is not a role focused solely on conducting assessments or responding to injuries.
You'll have the opportunity to help shape the company's overall approach to ergonomics, influence equipment and workplace design, partner with leaders across multiple functions, and develop solutions that can be implemented across our operations.
You'll have the visibility and reach to make improvements that positively affect employees across the organization while helping facilities operate safely and effectively.
What to Expect
- This is an individual contributor leadership role with significant influence across the organization.
- Frequent travel to company locations is required, approximately 50–70%, based on business needs.
- You'll spend meaningful time in production environments observing work and partnering directly with facility teams.
- Manufacturing environments may include hot, cold, wet, dusty, and noisy conditions.
- Some assessments, training, or operational needs may require flexibility outside traditional business hours.
- Appropriate safety and food-safety requirements must be followed while working within operational facilities.
- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Why Wayne-Sanderson Farms?
This role offers the opportunity to combine technical ergonomics expertise, strategic program leadership, and hands-on operational problem-solving.
For someone who wants to move beyond supporting a single facility and influence how ergonomics is approached across a large, geographically dispersed organization, this position provides a strong opportunity to make a measurable difference.
Equal Opportunity Employer
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Wayne-Sanderson does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender (sex), sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law or executive order.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in ergonomics, occupational health, industrial engineering, safety, kinesiology, human factors, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or a related field
- Five or more years of progressive experience in ergonomics, occupational health, industrial engineering, safety, human factors, or a related field
- Demonstrated success implementing ergonomics or musculoskeletal disorder reduction programs across multiple facilities
- Experience in poultry processing, food manufacturing, or another high-volume industrial environment
- Strong knowledge of ergonomics, human factors, biomechanics, industrial work design, and musculoskeletal disorder prevention
- Working knowledge of OSHA requirements and recognized ergonomic practices for industrial operations
- Ability to conduct ergonomic assessments and develop practical engineering and administrative controls
- Strong analytical, project management, facilitation, presentation, and written communication skills
- Ability to influence leaders and teams without direct authority across geographically dispersed operations
- Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) or Associate Ergonomics Professional (AEP) certification
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP) or related occupational health, human factors, or continuous improvement credential
- Master's degree in a related field
- Ability to travel frequently to company facilities, estimated at 50–70%
- Ability to work in hot, cold, wet, noisy, and industrial production environments
Wayne-Sanderson Farms Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Wayne-Sanderson Farms and has not been reviewed or approved by Wayne-Sanderson Farms.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is often characterized as fair or competitive for the local area, especially for entry-level plant roles. Overtime opportunities and shift premiums can materially improve take-home pay where available.
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Affordable Benefits — Benefits are frequently described as affordable, with health and dental coverage viewed as a relative strength of the overall package. The breadth of options is often positioned as a meaningful offset to the baseline wage for many roles.
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Retirement Support — The retirement program is positioned as a standout feature, with automatic enrollment and a dollar-for-dollar match on the first 4% of pay. External recognition of the plan’s design reinforces perceptions of a strong retirement offering.
Wayne-Sanderson Farms Insights
What We Do
Wayne-Sanderson Farms is an industry leader and the nation’s third-largest poultry producer, serving customers, consumers and communities with integrity, leadership and responsible farm, workplace and business practices. With a diverse portfolio of products, a strong operating culture and an industry-leading workforce of more than 26,000 people, Wayne-Sanderson Farms owns and operates 23 fresh and further-processing facilities across Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas. Wayne-Sanderson Farms produces affordable, high-quality poultry products for retail, foodservice, restaurant, industrial and institutional segments under the brand names of WAYNE FARMS® fresh and prepared chicken; SANDERSON FARMS® fresh chicken; COVINGTON FARMS® fresh and frozen chicken; PLATINUM HARVEST® premium fresh chicken; CHEF’S CRAFT® gourmet chicken; and NAKED TRUTH® premium chicken. For more information. visit our website at http://www.waynesandersonfarms.com







