diff --git a/cmd/multus-daemon/main.go b/cmd/multus-daemon/main.go
index 9d17cac8d..2c7e443b8 100644
--- a/cmd/multus-daemon/main.go
+++ b/cmd/multus-daemon/main.go
@@ -57,8 +57,6 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(4)
 	}
 
-	configWatcherDoneChannel := make(chan struct{})
-	multusConfigFile := ""
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(ctx)
 
@@ -111,29 +109,6 @@ func main() {
 			_ = logging.Errorf("failed to create the configuration manager for the primary CNI plugin: %v", err)
 			os.Exit(2)
 		}
-
-		if multusConf.OverrideNetworkName {
-			if err := configManager.OverrideNetworkName(); err != nil {
-				_ = logging.Errorf("could not override the network name: %v", err)
-			}
-		}
-
-		generatedMultusConfig, err := configManager.GenerateConfig()
-		if err != nil {
-			_ = logging.Errorf("failed to generated the multus configuration: %v", err)
-		}
-		logging.Verbosef("Generated MultusCNI config: %s", generatedMultusConfig)
-
-		multusConfigFile, err = configManager.PersistMultusConfig(generatedMultusConfig)
-		if err != nil {
-			_ = logging.Errorf("failed to persist the multus configuration: %v", err)
-		}
-
-		go func(ctx context.Context, doneChannel chan<- struct{}) {
-			if err := configManager.MonitorPluginConfiguration(ctx, doneChannel); err != nil {
-				_ = logging.Errorf("error watching file: %v", err)
-			}
-		}(ctx, configWatcherDoneChannel)
 	} else {
 		if err := copyUserProvidedConfig(multusConf.MultusConfigFile, multusConf.CniConfigDir); err != nil {
 			logging.Errorf("failed to copy the user provided configuration %s: %v", multusConf.MultusConfigFile, err)
@@ -151,14 +126,10 @@ func main() {
 
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	if configManager != nil {
-		wg.Add(1)
-		go func() {
-			<-configWatcherDoneChannel
-			logging.Verbosef("ConfigWatcher done")
-			logging.Verbosef("Delete old config @ %v", multusConfigFile)
-			os.Remove(multusConfigFile)
-			wg.Done()
-		}()
+		if err := configManager.Start(ctx, &wg); err != nil {
+			_ = logging.Errorf("failed to start config manager: %v", err)
+			os.Exit(3)
+		}
 	}
 
 	wg.Wait()
diff --git a/pkg/server/config/manager.go b/pkg/server/config/manager.go
index 2082a5bd1..027252827 100644
--- a/pkg/server/config/manager.go
+++ b/pkg/server/config/manager.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify"
 
@@ -123,9 +124,43 @@ func newManager(config MultusConf, defaultCNIPluginName string) (*Manager, error
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to load the primary CNI configuration as a multus delegate with error '%v'", err)
 	}
 
+	if config.OverrideNetworkName {
+		if err := configManager.OverrideNetworkName(); err != nil {
+			return nil, logging.Errorf("could not override the network name: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
 	return configManager, nil
 }
 
+// Start generates an updated Multus config, writes it, and begins watching
+// the config directory and readiness indicator files for changes
+func (m *Manager) Start(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup) error {
+	generatedMultusConfig, err := m.GenerateConfig()
+	if err != nil {
+		return logging.Errorf("failed to generated the multus configuration: %v", err)
+	}
+	logging.Verbosef("Generated MultusCNI config: %s", generatedMultusConfig)
+
+	multusConfigFile, err := m.PersistMultusConfig(generatedMultusConfig)
+	if err != nil {
+		return logging.Errorf("failed to persist the multus configuration: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	wg.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		defer wg.Done()
+		if err := m.MonitorPluginConfiguration(ctx); err != nil {
+			_ = logging.Errorf("error watching file: %v", err)
+		}
+		logging.Verbosef("ConfigWatcher done")
+		logging.Verbosef("Delete old config @ %v", multusConfigFile)
+		os.Remove(multusConfigFile)
+	}()
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (m *Manager) loadPrimaryCNIConfigFromFile() error {
 	primaryCNIConfigData, err := primaryCNIData(m.primaryCNIConfigPath)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -175,7 +210,7 @@ func (m *Manager) GenerateConfig() (string, error) {
 // MonitorPluginConfiguration monitors the configuration file pointed
 // to by the primaryCNIPluginName attribute, and re-generates the multus
 // configuration whenever the primary CNI config is updated.
-func (m *Manager) MonitorPluginConfiguration(ctx context.Context, done chan<- struct{}) error {
+func (m *Manager) MonitorPluginConfiguration(ctx context.Context) error {
 	logging.Verbosef("started to watch file %s", m.primaryCNIConfigPath)
 
 	for {
@@ -215,7 +250,6 @@ func (m *Manager) MonitorPluginConfiguration(ctx context.Context, done chan<- st
 		case <-ctx.Done():
 			logging.Verbosef("Stopped monitoring, closing channel ...")
 			_ = m.configWatcher.Close()
-			close(done)
 			return nil
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/server/config/manager_test.go b/pkg/server/config/manager_test.go
index 105f50843..ab3efadb8 100644
--- a/pkg/server/config/manager_test.go
+++ b/pkg/server/config/manager_test.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Configuration Manager", func() {
 	var configManager *Manager
 	var multusConfigDir string
 	var defaultCniConfig string
+	var wg *sync.WaitGroup
 
 	BeforeEach(func() {
 		var err error
@@ -67,9 +69,12 @@ var _ = Describe("Configuration Manager", func() {
 
 		configManager, err = NewManager(*multusConf)
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+		wg = &sync.WaitGroup{}
 	})
 
 	AfterEach(func() {
+		wg.Wait()
 		Expect(os.RemoveAll(multusConfigDir)).To(Succeed())
 	})
 
@@ -102,15 +107,10 @@ var _ = Describe("Configuration Manager", func() {
 		config, err := configManager.GenerateConfig()
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-		_, err = configManager.PersistMultusConfig(config)
-		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-
 		ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
-		configWatcherDoneChannel := make(chan struct{})
-		go func(ctx context.Context, doneChannel chan struct{}) {
-			err := configManager.MonitorPluginConfiguration(ctx, doneChannel)
-			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-		}(ctx, configWatcherDoneChannel)
+		defer cancel()
+		err = configManager.Start(ctx, wg)
+		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		updatedCNIConfig := `
 {
@@ -129,9 +129,6 @@ var _ = Describe("Configuration Manager", func() {
 		file, err := os.ReadFile(configManager.multusConfigFilePath)
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		Expect(string(file)).To(Equal(config))
-
-		// stop groutine
-		cancel()
 	})
 
 	When("the user requests the name of the multus configuration to be overridden", func() {