Plant Manager

Company: Agrocorp Processing Ltd.
Location: Plant Location – Innisfail, Alberta
Work Location: On-site
Employment Type: Permanent, Full-time
Reports To: Operations Manager
Indirect Reporting: Executive Vice President of Operations
Direct Reports: Plant Operators
Indirect Reports: Plant Accounting Coordinator

About Agrocorp

Agrocorp Processing Ltd. is part of Agrocorp International, a global agri-commodity company committed to responsibly and sustainably sourcing, processing, and distributing agri-food products.

In Canada, Agrocorp operates grain elevators and processing facilities that purchase, clean, process, store, and ship pulses, grains, and other agricultural commodities. Our Canadian facilities work closely with growers, customers, logistics partners, and internal teams to deliver safe, reliable, and high-quality products.

Position Summary

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.

Key Responsibilities

Plant Operations and Maintenance

• 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.

Grain Purchasing, Merchandising and Execution

• 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.

Quality Control

• 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.

Grower Accounts and Contract Management

• 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.

Health and Safety

• 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.

Leadership and Human Resources

• 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.

Financial and Administrative Accountability

• 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.

Qualifications and Experience

• 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.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• 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.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• This is an on-site position at a rural processing plant and grain-elevator location.

• Public transportation may not be available.

• The successful candidate must have reliable transportation to and from the workplace.

• The position involves working in an agricultural and industrial environment where there may be grain dust, noise, machinery, varying temperatures, and outdoor exposure.

• Must be able to safely lift and carry up to 23 kilograms or 50 pounds.

• Must be able to stand and walk for extended periods.

• Must be able to bend, squat, reach, and climb ladders and stairs several times during a shift.

• Must be able to work outdoors in varying and potentially adverse weather conditions throughout the year.

• Must be able to safely enter operational areas and use required personal protective equipment.

• CSA-approved steel-toed footwear is required.

• Reasonable accommodation will be considered for qualified applicants and employees, up to the point of undue hardship, in accordance with applicable human rights legislation.

What Agrocorp Offers

• A permanent, full-time leadership position in Canada’s agricultural processing industry.

• The opportunity to lead a plant team and influence operational performance.

• A collaborative environment involving operations, logistics, merchandising, finance, human resources, and international teams.

• Competitive compensation based on qualifications and experience.

• Company benefit programs in accordance with applicable plan eligibility and company policy.

• Opportunities to contribute to continuous improvement, employee development, and the responsible movement of agricultural products through the supply chain.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Agrocorp Processing Ltd. is committed to creating and maintaining a respectful, inclusive, and diverse workplace. We value the different experiences, skills, perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds that employees bring to our organization.

Employment decisions are based on legitimate job requirements, qualifications, experience, demonstrated abilities, organizational needs, and performance. Agrocorp Processing Ltd. provides equal employment opportunities without discrimination on grounds protected under applicable federal or provincial human rights legislation.

We welcome applications from qualified candidates, including women, Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized communities, persons with disabilities, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, newcomers to Canada, veterans, and people from other historically underrepresented groups.

Accommodation During Recruitment

Agrocorp Processing Ltd. is committed to providing an accessible recruitment and selection process. Applicants who require accommodation during any stage of the recruitment process are encouraged to contact Human Resources.

Information received in relation to an accommodation request will be handled respectfully and confidentially and will only be used for the purpose of arranging appropriate accommodation.

We appreciate the interest of all applicants. Only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada. Any offer of employment may be conditional upon satisfactory completion of job-related reference checks, verification of qualifications, and other lawful pre-employment requirements applicable to the position.