General Manager

Northeast Nutrition Inc.; Truro; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Northeast Nutrition Inc., part of Cooke Aquaculture, is seeking a General Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for the Truro facility. Based on-site in Nova Scotia, you will oversee production, safety, quality, and regulatory compliance while driving cost efficiency and customer service.

You will lead a multidisciplinary team, set priorities, build robust processes, and champion continuous improvement through Lean principles.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive leadership in manufacturing or aquaculture environments.
• Experience leading a large-scale production operation.
• Strong knowledge of plant operations, maintenance, quality, and cost management.

Responsibilities

• Lead Plant Operations, overseeing production, quality, maintenance, safety, and planning.
• Drive operational excellence; apply Lean principles to improve throughput and efficiency.
• Ensure feed quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance across HACCP, CFIA, and FDA.
• Build and lead high-performing teams; coach managers and supervisors.
• Manage budgets, labor, materials, and costs to improve productivity and profitability.

Skills

Leadership

Operations

Continuous Improvement

Lean Manufacturing

Regulatory Compliance

Education

Post-secondary education in business or engineering

Job description

General Manager - Northeast Nutrition Inc.
Location: Truro, Nova Scotia
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
Work Setting: On-site
Experience Level: Senior Leadership

About Cooke Aquaculture

Cooke Aquaculture is a global seafood company with operations across North America, Europe, South America, and Australia. Our success is driven by a dynamic, highly skilled, and innovative team supported by dedicated employees who live and work in coastal communities and contribute to the strength of the local economy. As an integrated seafood company, Cooke is committed to delivering high-quality, responsibly produced seafood while continually investing in our people, operations, and communities.

About Northeast Nutrition Inc.

Northeast Nutrition Inc., a member of the Cooke family of companies, operates an integrated feed manufacturing facility in Truro, Nova Scotia. The facility produces high-quality, nutritionally optimized aquaculture feed that supports Cooke farming operations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Maine. We are seeking an experienced and results-oriented General Manager to provide strategic and operational leadership for the facility. This is a key leadership position responsible for ensuring safe, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective operations while delivering consistent feed quality and performance to support Cooke's farming operations.

The Opportunity

As General Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the performance of the Northeast Nutrition facility. You will lead a multidisciplinary team, establish operational priorities, drive continuous improvement, manage costs, and ensure the highest standards of safety, quality, regulatory compliance, and customer service. This is a highly visible leadership role with significant influence on operational performance and the broader success of Cooke's integrated aquaculture business.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Plant Operations
  • Provide overall leadership and accountability for day-to-day plant operations.
  • Oversee production, quality, maintenance, shipping and receiving, health and safety, labour management, training, and operational planning.
  • Develop and execute production plans to meet the needs of Cooke's farming operations while maximizing plant capacity and efficiency.
  • Establish performance objectives, monitor key operating metrics, and take decisive action to address gaps.
  • Ensure effective coordination between production, maintenance, quality, logistics, and other functional areas.
• Drive Operational Excellence
  • Lead a culture of continuous improvement across the facility.
  • Champion Lean Manufacturing principles and identify opportunities to improve throughput, productivity, reliability, and overall plant performance.
  • Reduce waste, unplanned downtime, production losses, and operating costs.
  • Partner closely with Maintenance to improve equipment reliability, preventative maintenance, and asset utilization.
  • Use operational data and performance metrics to identify trends, solve problems, and drive sustainable improvements.
• Ensure Feed Quality, Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance
  • Maintain the highest standards of feed quality, nutritional performance, and product consistency.
  • Ensure compliance with applicable HACCP, CFIA, FDA, environmental, occupational health and safety, and other regulatory requirements.
  • Lead the investigation and resolution of quality or feed-performance issues through effective root-cause analysis and corrective action.
  • Promote a culture where quality and food safety are embedded in every aspect of the operation.
• Build and Lead High-Performing Teams
  • Lead, coach, and develop managers, supervisors, and plant employees.
  • Establish clear expectations and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, respect, and continuous improvement.
  • Support workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, and succession planning.
  • Develop strong relationships with employees, operational leaders, and key stakeholders across Cooke.
  • Encourage employee engagement and participation in safety, quality, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Manage Financial & Business Performance
  • Develop and manage operating budgets and financial targets.
  • Maintain strong control over labour, raw materials, energy, maintenance, and other operating costs.
  • Identify and implement initiatives that improve productivity and profitability without compromising safety or quality.
  • Analyze operational and financial performance to support informed business decisions.
  • Balance short-term operational requirements with long-term capacity, reliability, and business objectives.
• Champion Health & Safety
  • Provide visible leadership in health and safety and ensure compliance with all applicable legislation and company standards.
  • Establish and maintain a proactive, prevention-focused safety culture.
  • Ensure employees are appropriately trained and equipped to perform their work safely.
  • Lead by example and hold leaders and employees accountable for safe work practices.

What You Bring

• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in feed manufacturing, aquaculture, food manufacturing, or a closely related process-manufacturing environment.
• Previous experience leading a manufacturing facility or large-scale production operation.
• Strong knowledge of plant operations, production planning, maintenance, reliability, quality, and cost management.
• Demonstrated success leading teams and delivering measurable improvements in productivity, efficiency, safety, and financial performance.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, root-cause analysis, and operational performance management.
• Strong understanding of HACCP, CFIA, FDA, and other applicable food/feed safety and regulatory requirements.
• Experience managing budgets, operating costs, capital requirements, and business performance.
• Excellent leadership, communication, problem-solving, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, highly integrated operating environment.
• Post-secondary education in business, engineering, manufacturing, food science, aquaculture, or a related discipline would be considered an asset.

Working Environment

This is an on-site leadership position based at the Northeast Nutrition facility in Truro, Nova Scotia. The General Manager is expected to maintain a strong presence on the production floor and actively engage with employees and operational teams. The role involves working in a manufacturing environment that may be fast-paced, noisy, and subject to varying temperatures. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is required in designated areas.

Why Join Cooke?

At Cooke, we believe our success comes from people who take initiative, demonstrate resourcefulness, and are committed to getting the job done well. We provide our leaders with the opportunity to make meaningful decisions, solve complex challenges, develop high-performing teams, and build a career within a growing global seafood company. You'll be joining an organization where your leadership can have a direct impact-not only on the performance of a facility, but on an integrated aquaculture operation spanning multiple regions.

Company Website:

https://www.cookeseafood.com