Operations Manager

Who We Are

Emterra Group is a dynamic, growth-oriented, and safety-focused group of companies. Our organization have been deemed to be an “essential service” by providing collection and processing for recycling, organics, and waste that keep our communities clean and safe. With customer service and safety as our focus, we are looking for an energetic and driven employee to support our growing company and play a crucial role in waste diversion and the circular economy. Emterra is proud to be recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers, a certified diverse supplier of the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC) and the Canadian Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBE).

Reporting to senior operations leadership, the Operations Manager leads day‑to‑day performance at the Niagara Material Recovery Facility and the Niagara Ecoglass processing and packaging operation. The role is accountable for safe, compliant, reliable, and cost-effective operations across production, quality, maintenance, logistics, inventory, customer service, and people leadership. The successful candidate will manage site financial performance, support continuous improvement, and help grow the Niagara Ecoglass program through strong product execution and customer relationships

Position Description

• Lead people and labour relations: Recruit, onboard, schedule, coach, and develop plant and office employees; set clear expectations; manage performance; and administer the collective agreement consistently.
• Drive safe operations: Demonstrate visible safety leadership, ensure workers understand hazards and safe-work requirements, verify required training and personal protective equipment, participate in inspections and safety meetings, and support the Joint Health and Safety Committee in accordance with applicable requirements.
• Manage production: Plan and coordinate receiving, processing, packaging, storage, and shipment activities for recyclables, specialty materials, and Niagara Ecoglass to achieve throughput, recovery, uptime, residual, and service targets.
• Protect product quality: Establish and monitor quality controls, audit inbound and outbound materials, maintain packaging standards, manage inventory accuracy, and ensure finished products meet buyer and customer specifications.
• Optimize reliability: Coordinate preventive and corrective maintenance, review mobile-equipment inspection reports, maintain required logs, and act promptly to reduce equipment downtime.
• Own financial results: Develop and manage operating plans and budgets, review monthly financial results, monitor costs and margins, identify variances, and implement corrective actions to improve profitability.
• Use data to improve performance: Maintain accurate operational records and reports, analyze trends, and lead practical continuous-improvement initiatives that increase productivity and reduce waste.
• Advance automation and process efficiency: Identify, evaluate, and implement practical automation, digital tools, and process improvements that streamline workflows, reduce manual effort and operating costs, improve data accuracy, and enhance production efficiency, reliability, quality, and safety.
• Support customers and growth: Coordinate product availability, order fulfilment, packaging, delivery expectations, and quality resolution with internal partners, haulers, buyers, and end users; provide operational input to pricing, sales, marketing, and business-development activities.
• Maintain compliance: Operate in accordance with applicable municipal, provincial, and federal requirements, including the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the facility’s Environmental Compliance Approval.
• Maintain site readiness: Sustain high housekeeping standards and coordinate required inspections, testing, repairs, and records for fire-protection and other facility systems.
• Perform other related duties and support operational projects as required.

Skills & Qualifications

• Three to five years of progressive experience leading plant, production, processing, packaging, logistics, or comparable operations.
• Demonstrated experience supervising employees in a fast-paced industrial environment; experience in a unionized workplace is strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of Ontario occupational health and safety requirements and a proven commitment to proactive safety leadership.
• Experience with production planning, quality control, inventory, logistics, preventive maintenance, and continuous improvement.
• Financial and analytical capability, including budgeting, cost control, variance analysis, and operational reporting.
• Strong judgment, organization, and problem-solving skills, w