Plant Manager

Agrocorp International•Moose Jaw, SK

31d•Onsite

About The Position

Agrocorp Processing Ltd. is seeking an experienced and results-driven Plant Manager to lead the daily operations of our Innisfail, Alberta processing plant and grain elevator. The Plant Manager is responsible for overseeing plant operations, employee supervision, safety, maintenance, purchasing, grower relationships, quality control, logistics coordination, contract execution, and cost management. The successful candidate will provide hands-on leadership to ensure the facility operates safely, efficiently, and in accordance with operational, quality, financial, and regulatory requirements. This position requires a decisive leader who can manage competing priorities, develop employees, resolve operational challenges, and collaborate effectively across departments.

Requirements

Post-secondary education in agriculture, agribusiness, operations management, engineering, business administration, or a related discipline.
An equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant experience may be considered.
Previous management or supervisory experience in a grain elevator, agricultural processing facility, food production facility, manufacturing operation, or comparable industrial environment.
Practical knowledge of grain commodities, crop quality, grading, storage, cleaning, processing, and handling is strongly preferred.
Experience with logistics, rail coordination, transportation, inventory management, and shipping procedures.
Experience managing employees, contractors, operating budgets, maintenance activities, and production schedules.
Knowledge of workplace health and safety practices and incident-investigation procedures.
Experience working with growers, suppliers, customers, inspectors, and logistics partners is an asset.
Experience using Salesforce or another customer relationship or contract-management system is an asset.
Strong leadership, employee-management, and team-development skills.
Ability to motivate employees and establish clear performance expectations.
Decisive, solution-focused approach to operational problems.
Strong planning, prioritization, and time-management skills.
Ability to manage multiple responsibilities and meet production, delivery, and shipping deadlines.
Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.
Strong interpersonal, negotiation, customer-service, and conflict-resolution skills.
Sound judgment and the ability to appropriately handle confidential information.
Strong attention to detail and record-keeping skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Outlook, and Excel.
Ability to interpret operational reports, contracts, budgets, maintenance records, and safety documentation.
Ability to collaborate effectively with employees and stakeholders at different organizational levels.
Willingness to provide hands-on support and respond to operational needs outside regular working hours when reasonably required.
Must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

Nice To Haves

Practical knowledge of grain commodities, crop quality, grading, storage, cleaning, processing, and handling is strongly preferred.
Experience working with growers, suppliers, customers, inspectors, and logistics partners is an asset.
Experience using Salesforce or another customer relationship or contract-management system is an asset.

Responsibilities

Plan, direct, prioritize, and oversee daily plant operations.
Ensure production, cleaning, loading, receiving, storage, and shipping activities are completed safely and efficiently.
Develop the plant’s operating budget for approval and monitor expenses to maintain effective cost control.
Coordinate employees, equipment, contractors, and other resources to meet operational and shipping requirements.
Work with the operations team and approved contractors to schedule preventative maintenance, repairs, and planned shutdowns.
Ensure preventative maintenance inspections and activities are completed and appropriately documented.
Identify equipment, process, and workflow improvements that increase safety, efficiency, reliability, and long-term asset value.
Coordinate construction, expansion, and capital improvement projects with senior management, including planning, budgeting, contracting, and execution.
Respond promptly to plant breakdowns, operational interruptions, and other urgent situations.
Maintain ongoing communication with growers regarding pricing, crop prospects, varieties, expected tonnage, quality, and delivery logistics.
Ensure grower conversations, contract information, and relevant updates are accurately documented in Salesforce.
Support the execution of purchasing strategies in collaboration with the purchasing team and Agrocorp International.
Complete daily purchasing activities as directed or approved.
Monitor signed contracts, outstanding contract obligations, delivery schedules, and shipping positions.
Coordinate with growers, plant employees, rail providers, transportation providers, and the logistics team to schedule receiving, cleaning, loading, and shipment activities.
Ensure delivery, processing, and shipping activities meet contractual timelines and quality requirements.
Communicate logistics positions, delays, constraints, and other execution concerns to the appropriate departments.
Troubleshoot delivery, storage, transportation, rail, production, and shipping issues.
Ensure grain quality-control procedures are followed during purchasing, receiving, grading, storage, cleaning, processing, and loading.
Work closely with inspection agencies, traders, growers, customers, and internal teams regarding product quality.
Investigate quality discrepancies and coordinate corrective action.
Assist in resolving product claims, payment adjustments, and quality-related settlements.
Maintain appropriate quality, grading, inspection, and traceability documentation.
Promote consistent housekeeping, sanitation, storage, and contamination-control practices throughout the facility.
Manage procurement and grower contracts assigned to the plant.
Develop and maintain positive relationships with growers through timely, professional, and reliable customer service.
Maintain an accurate understanding of contract terms, delivery commitments, quality specifications, and commodity positions.
Review Salesforce reports to monitor contracts and grower positions.
Monitor short and long commodity positions in the context of mark-to-market requirements.
Administer over-weight and under-weight settlements, contract washouts, amendments, and other authorized contract adjustments.
Ensure contract notes, changes, approvals, and settlements are accurately documented in Salesforce.
Escalate significant contractual, quality, financial, or customer concerns to the appropriate management team.
Promote a proactive safety culture and act as a positive safety role model.
Ensure employees, contractors, and visitors comply with applicable workplace health and safety requirements and company policies.
Conduct or coordinate workplace inspections, hazard assessments, toolbox meetings, safety orientations, and required training.
Ensure employees are properly trained, competent, and authorized to perform assigned duties.
Report, document, track, and investigate incidents, injuries, near misses, hazards, and property damage.
Identify root causes and implement corrective and preventative measures.
Communicate and trend hazard identifications, incidents, and controls.
Implement appropriate measures to reduce risks to employees, contractors, equipment, products, and the facility.
Ensure required personal protective equipment is available, maintained, and properly used.
Maintain accurate safety, training, inspection, and incident records.
Cooperate with Human Resources and senior management on workplace investigations and return-to-work arrangements.
Provide clear direction, coaching, support, and performance feedback to plant employees.
Schedule employees and shifts according to operational requirements, workload, employee availability, and applicable employment standards.
Review and approve employee attendance, time records, vacation requests, leaves, and other scheduling matters within delegated authority.
Work with Human Resources throughout recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, discipline, accommodation, and employee departure processes.
Ensure employment decisions are appropriately documented and reviewed with Human Resources.
Identify employee training and development needs and coordinate appropriate training.
Assess employee performance and address barriers that prevent employees from completing their responsibilities.
Foster a respectful, accountable, collaborative, and inclusive workplace culture.
Promote effective communication and continuity between shifts.
Encourage teamwork and cooperation among plants and departments.
Share operational knowledge and best practices across Agrocorp’s Canadian teams.
Identify and implement opportunities for continuous improvement.
Immediately inform the appropriate Agrocorp teams of issues that may affect grower contracts, customers, plant operations, product quality, or shipment execution.
Monitor plant expenses, labour costs, inventory, maintenance spending, and operational performance.
Review invoices, purchasing requests, expense records, and supporting documentation within delegated authority.
Work with the Plant Accounting Coordinator and Accounting and Finance team to ensure transactions are properly recorded and supported.
Prepare and submit operational, financial, inventory, safety, maintenance, and performance reports.
Maintain accurate and complete plant records.
Protect confidential employee, customer, grower, contractual, operational, and financial information.