General Manager – Medicine Hat

David Aplin Recruiting; Medicine Hat; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

David Aplin Recruiting is seeking an experienced General Manager to lead a Medicine Hat business unit in Alberta. The role drives strategic planning, financial performance, and day‑to‑day manufacturing activities, building high‑performing teams across functions.

The successful candidate will have 10+ years of leadership, a related degree or designation, and strong operational and commercial acumen within manufacturing or agriculture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree or professional designation along with relevant experience.
• 10+ years of leadership with progressive responsibility in manufacturing/agriculture.
• Experience managing P&L and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership across operations and supporting functions.
• Translate strategy into business-unit priorities with measurable results.
• Drive continuous improvement and cost management across the operation.
• Mentor and develop leaders and frontline managers.
• Ensure alignment with corporate objectives and safety/quality standards.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Financial acumen

People development

Problem solving

Education

Related degree

Professional designation

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Financial systems

Job description

Our client is a well-established Canadian organization operating within the manufacturing and agricultural sector, with a strong focus on operational excellence, customer service, quality, safety, and continuous improvement.

As the organization continues to develop its operations in Medicine Hat, Alberta, we are seeking an experienced General Manager to provide overall leadership for the business unit. This is a senior operational leadership opportunity for an individual who combines strong commercial understanding with hands‑on manufacturing leadership and a genuine ability to build high‑performing teams.

The Opportunity
Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer / Vice President of Operations, the General Manager will have overall responsibility for the performance and effective operation of the Medicine Hat business unit.

The successful candidate will lead a team of department managers across key functional areas, working collaboratively with corporate leadership and other business‑unit leaders to execute strategic objectives and achieve operational and financial goals.

This is a highly visible role requiring a leader who is comfortable moving between strategic planning, financial performance, operational problem‑solving, people leadership, and day‑to‑day manufacturing activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Participate in strategic planning and business discussions with senior leadership and other business‑unit leaders.
• Provide overall leadership across operations, accounting, engineering, and related functional areas.
• Establish, monitor, and report on key operational and financial performance metrics.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives throughout the operation.
• Identify issues, develop solutions, and provide dynamic, practical problem‑solving.
• Build strong working relationships within and across departments.
• Translate corporate objectives into clear business‑unit priorities and measurable results
• Promote a respectful, accountable, collaborative, and performance‑oriented workplace.
• Develop employees through mentoring, coaching, and hands‑on leadership at multiple levels of the organization.
• Manage and allocate company resources and assets effectively.
• Maintain accountability for the business unit’s P&L performance, including:
• Direct labour and material costs
  • Production costs
  • Overhead
  • Operating expenses
• Manage key business resources, including:
• Capital expenditure and budget requests
• Preventative maintenance programs
• Inventory levels and controls
• Workforce requirements and employee management
• Cash flow management
• Ensure effective coordination between departments and alignment with broader corporate objectives.
• Undertake additional responsibilities as assigned by the COO.

What We’re Looking For
The successful candidate will be an experienced business leader with a combination of manufacturing, agricultural, operational, and commercial experience.

You will bring:

• A related degree, professional designation, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• 10 + years of leadership experience with progressive responsibility.
• Demonstrated leadership capability and experience managing managers and multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience within a manufacturing and/or agricultural environment.
• Knowledge and understanding of the agricultural industry preferred
• Experience managing financial and operational performance, ideally including P&L accountability.
• Strong understanding of production costs, labour, materials, overhead, inventory, and operating expenses.
• Experience with continuous improvement and performance measurement.
• Strong problem‑solving and decision‑making skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship‑building abilities.
  
• The ability to coach, mentor, challenge, and develop employees at various levels.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, financial systems, and inventory‑control systems.

Leadership Profile
We are looking for more than an experienced operations manager. The successful candidate will be a business leader and team builder who can establish credibility with employees while maintaining accountability for results.

You will be comfortable being visible on the manufacturing floor, understanding operational realities, analysing financial and performance information, and working with department leaders to turn challenges into practical solutions.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strategic thinking combined with strong operational execution.
• A hands‑on and approachable leadership style.
• Demonstrated Commercial and financial acumen.
• Strong accountability and follow‑through.
• A commitment to continuous improvement.
• The ability to build trust and productive relationships.
• A coaching mindset and commitment to employee development.
• The ability to operate effectively in a changing and demanding manufacturing environment.

Why This Opportunity?
This is an opportunity to take full operational leadership of an established manufacturing business unit while working closely with senior corporate leadership.

The role offers the opportunity to influence strategy, develop people, improve operational performance, manage financial results, and contribute directly to the continued growth and success of the Medicine Hat operation.

Candidates must be currently residing in Canada and legally authorized to work for any employer in Canada without requiring employer sponsorship.