Plant General Manager

Join a growing national leader in sustainable materials management, operating 35 facilities across the United States and serving municipalities and businesses with innovative recycling and organics solutions. Managing millions of tons of recyclable materials each year, the organization combines advanced technology and operational excellence with a commitment to environmental impact. This opportunity offers excellent benefits, including major medical coverage, and strong opportunities for continued career advancement within a growing organization.

The Plant General Manager will own a major recycling operation in Bloomington, Illinois, overseeing a 24/7 operating environment and leading both Single Stream Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and Commercial Recycling operations. This highly visible leadership role will drive production, safety, staffing, maintenance, material flow, P&L performance, and continuous improvement while developing a high-performing operations team. The ideal candidate brings 5 years of leadership and P&L management experience in recycling, manufacturing, waste management, or a comparable industrial operation and is comfortable leading a round-the-clock facility.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operations across a 24/7 recycling and material recovery facility.
• Lead, coach, and develop Operations Managers, supervisors, and frontline employees across a team of 15 .
• Manage facility budgets, P&L performance, operating expenses, labor costs, downtime costs, and cost per ton.
• Drive throughput, equipment uptime, recovery rates, product quality, and overall operational efficiency.
• Monitor operational and financial KPIs and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Oversee maintenance programs to maximize equipment reliability, safety, and efficient operation.
• Manage staffing, scheduling, payroll coordination, hiring, onboarding, and vacancy coverage.
• Maintain and audit SOPs, standard work, training, and certification programs.
• Lead capital projects and operational initiatives from planning through execution.
• Champion safety programs, incident investigations, corrective actions, and regulatory compliance.
• Coordinate inbound and outbound material movement with transportation and logistics.
• Partner with sales, commodities, accounting, HR, EHS, and corporate leadership to support facility performance.
• Provide operational and financial reporting to leadership.
• Maintain strong relationships with customers and suppliers.
• Provide on-call leadership and schedule flexibility to support a 24/7 operation.

Qualifications

• 5 years of operational leadership experience required.
• 5 years of P&L management experience required.
• Experience directly leading teams of 15 employees.
• Experience overseeing a 24/7 operation or ability to support the scheduling and on-call requirements of a round-the-clock facility.
• Experience in recycling, waste management, manufacturing, industrial operations, or a comparable plant environment.
• Experience managing facility budgets, labor costs, operating expenses, and operational KPIs.
• Experience overseeing production, maintenance, staffing, safety, and continuous improvement programs.
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Experience managing capital projects and operational improvement initiatives preferred.
• Bilingual English/Spanish proficiency preferred.
• Ability to work onsite in Bloomington, Illinois.