Assistant Manager – Compost & Soil Operations
About The Position
Skagit Soils is seeking an Assistant Manager for their Compost & Soil Operations. This is a hands-on, working leadership role where you will be involved in both operational tasks and leading a small crew. You will work closely with the Site Manager to ensure production runs smoothly, troubleshoot issues, and manage the day-to-day operations. The ideal candidate will have an understanding of composting or material flow in a yard environment and be ready for a leadership step. The role involves managing compost production, operating heavy equipment like loaders, screeners, and grinders, leading a team of 6-7 employees, ensuring safety and yard awareness, interacting with customers, and contributing to process improvement.
Requirements
- Experience in composting, soils, landscaping materials, recycling, or similar outdoor operations
- Solid loader experience & mechanical knowledge
- Familiarity with screeners, grinders, or similar processing equipment is a big plus
- Understanding of how material behaves—wet vs dry, contaminated vs clean, finished vs raw
- Comfortable working outside year-round in a fast-moving yard
- Someone who naturally steps up, takes ownership, and leads by example
- Interest in growing into a Site Manager or Operations leadership role
Responsibilities
- Keep material moving from inbound yard waste to finished product
- Build, turn, and manage windrows with attention to moisture, temperature, oxygen, and contamination
- Blend soils and compost products to spec (topsoil mixes, amended soils, etc.)
- Run and support screening operations—adjusting feed rates, monitoring output quality, and managing overs/regrinds
- Maintain clean, organized stockpiles and efficient yard layout
- Operate loaders for feeding grinders and screeners, blending materials, building windrows, and managing stockpiles
- Operate screeners (trommel/deck screens), understanding screen sizes, adjusting feed rates, and managing overs
- Operate grinders, feeding material correctly, watching for contamination, and coordinating grind size
- Perform daily walkarounds and equipment care
- Lead a crew of about 6–7 employees during your shift
- Set the pace for the day and adjust as things change
- Step in and help wherever needed
- Train new hires on equipment basics, safety, and workflow
- Fill in as the acting site lead when the manager is out
- Keep a constant eye on traffic flow—customers, trucks, loaders all in tight spaces
- Enforce safe practices
- Spot issues early: unstable piles, blind spots, unsafe behavior
- Make sure incoming material meets acceptance standards
- Help customers get what they need—product selection, loading, basic guidance
- Jump into the scale house when needed for breaks or coverage
- Handle issues calmly and professionally
- Speak up when something isn’t working—layout, process, equipment flow
- Help improve efficiency without cutting corners
- Take ownership of your area of the yard
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
Number of Employees
1-10 employees
