General Manager Operations - Recycling & Resource Recovery

Our client is an established Australian environmental and resource recovery business operating within the rapidly growing circular economy sector. With sophisticated processing capabilities and an integrated approach spanning collection, logistics, asset recovery and recycling, the organisation is focused on delivering safe, sustainable and commercially effective resource recovery solutions.

They are seeking a commercially astute, hands-on General Manager – Operations to take leadership of its Sydney operations with responsibility for driving safety, operational performance, productivity, cost control, compliance and continuous improvement across the site based on Sydney.

🔹 Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and direction for Sydney operations, ensuring safe, reliable and efficient day-to-day performance.
• Develop and execute the operational plan in alignment with broader business objectives, customer requirements and commercial targets.
• Lead site performance across production, processing, warehousing, logistics, maintenance and resource recovery activities.
• Establish and manage operational KPIs covering safety, throughput, productivity, recovery rates, quality, downtime, labour utilisation and cost.
• Maintain a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with all relevant WHS, environmental, regulatory and operational requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to increase plant efficiency, throughput, asset utilisation and operational reliability.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and implement practical solutions to improve workflow, capacity and service performance.
• Lead preventative maintenance, plant reliability and asset management practices to maximise equipment availability and minimise unplanned downtime.
• Manage operational budgets, labour requirements and site expenditure, with accountability for delivering agreed financial and productivity outcomes.
• Work closely with commercial and customer-facing teams to ensure operational capacity is aligned with customer commitments and forecast volumes.
• Coordinate inbound and outbound material flows, transport and logistics requirements to support efficient facility utilisation.
• Maintain appropriate inventory, material control, chain-of-custody and operational reporting disciplines.
• Build, lead and develop a high-performing operational team, establishing clear accountability, performance standards and succession capability.
• Coach and develop frontline leaders and supervisors to strengthen management capability throughout the operation.
• Partner with senior leadership across commercial, finance, people, technology and compliance functions to deliver broader organisational objectives.
• Support operational expansion, capital projects, new technology implementation and process optimisation initiatives.
• Develop a culture of accountability, operational discipline and continuous improvement while maintaining a practical, hands-on presence across the operation.

🔹 Qualifications & Experience

• Significant senior operational leadership experience within recycling, waste management, resource recovery, manufacturing, industrial processing, logistics or a comparable operational environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing a complex, high-volume operational facility with responsibility for people, plant, productivity and financial performance.
• Strong understanding of production planning, plant operations, maintenance, warehousing and logistics.
• Proven capability in improving operational productivity, cost efficiency, throughput and asset utilisation.
• Strong knowledge of WHS, environmental compliance, risk management and operational governance within an industrial environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading sizeable operational teams through frontline managers and supervisors.
• Commercially astute, with strong financial understanding and experience managing operating budgets, labour costs and capital expenditure.
• Experience establishing and managing operational KPIs and using performance data to drive measurable improvement.
• Demonstrated success implementing Lean, continuous improvement or operational excellence methodologieswould be highly regarded.
• Experience within recycling, circular economy, environmental services or resource recovery would be advantageous, although strong candidates from adjacent industrial sectors will be considered.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Business or a related discipline are desirable.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to operate effectively from the operational floor through to senior executive level.
• A pragmatic, accountable and solutions-focused leadership style, with the ability to balance immediate operational requirements with longer-term business improvement.