Area Manager Plant Operations

Republic Services

Walnut Creek (CA)

On-site

USD 166,000 - 228,000

Full time

12 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision benefits

401(k) with company match

ESPP

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Republic Services is seeking an Area Manager, Plant Operations to oversee complex recycling operations and provide analytical support for the Recycling group. The role focuses on profitable recycling prioritization, standardization, and implementing initiatives that align with the company’s strategy.

The position requires leadership of field activities, collaboration across recycle center management, and travel up to 70% domestically to support sites and improvements.

Qualifications

Experience in managing a budget with P&L responsibility.
5+ years in waste industry operations or related fields.
Proven ability to implement process improvements and standards.

Responsibilities

Develops and manages field recycling activities aligning with technology, trends and resources.
Implements best practices for diversion development and durable standards.
Drives continuous improvements and standardization of recycling operations.
Conducts field audits for safety, efficiency and regulatory compliance.
Collaborates with center management to achieve operational goals and benchmarks.
Trains staff in safety, compliance, tracking systems and efficiencies.

Skills

Budget management

Leadership

Change management

Process improvement

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Area Manager, Plant Operations manages and oversees complex recycling operations and analytical support for the Recycling group. The Area Manager, Plant Operations is responsible for profitable recycling prioritization and development; functional standardization and optimization; return analysis policy and procedure development and support; and implementation of recycling initiatives and customer solutions that support the organization’s strategy.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Develops and manages field recycling activities and ensures operation alignment through the consideration and foresight of available technological advances, industry and customer trends and behaviors, organizational talent, capital resources and waste stream value.
Updates, identifies and participates in implementation of best practices for diversion development; works with operations and maintenance in development of durable standards.
Responsible for continuous improvements, including operational standardization of design specifications and procedures within the recycling operations.
Manages and conducts efficiency, safety and operation field audits to ensure facility standards of operations; reviews findings and results with Division and Area management.
Ensures and enforces rebate structure and benchmarks productivity in Recycle Centers to align with Company standards and compliance through operational site visits.
Collaborates with all levels of Recycle Center management to implement operations goals.
Trains Recycle Center operational employees in safety, compliance benchmarking, tracking systems and operational efficiencies.
Identifies equipment needs and capital spending requirements; recommends purchase to Director, Post Collec5tions & Recycling. Works closely with Procurement on evaluation of recovery systems purchases; formulates clear recommendations to Area and Divisional teams on recovery equipment systems and purchases.
Develops equipment and safety standards for processing manufactures and audits those standards to support. Holds equipment manufacturers accountable for equi0ment function standards.
Applies knowledge of new processing equipment technology to system designs.
Managers operation development and implementation of financial performance and productivity tools, standards and metrics for recycling operations.
Travels domestically up to 70% of the time.
Performs other job-related duties as assigned or apparent.

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience in managing a budget, including P & L responsibility.
Prior experience in a business role with responsibility for start-up operations, execution, change management and/or increasing efficiencies for newly implemented operations, processes or standards.
Demonstrated success in the implementation of a process-oriented culture that is focused on best practices and continuously improving operational standards/results.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

High school diploma or G.E.D.
A demonstrated knowledge of recycling operations management gained through a minimum of 5 years of related waste industry experience with an emphasis in recycling systems and design, processing and manufacturing systems and/or recycling materials marketing.

Pay Range

The pay range for this position is $165,700.00 to $227,800.00* which reflects theminimumwagein multiple jurisdictions. The actual range will depend on the locality in which you are hired.

Bonus Plan Details (if applicable)

Bonus - Annual Incentive Plan Target, 20% Annual

Rewarding Compensation and Benefits

Eligible employees can elect to participate in:

Comprehensive medical benefits coverage, dental plans and vision coverage.
Health care and dependent care spending accounts.
Short- and long-term disability.
Life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment insurance.
Employee and Family Assistance Program (EAP).
Employee discount programs.
401(k) plan with a generous company match.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Benefits https://jobs.republicservices.com/us/en/about-us/benefits

The statements used herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by an employee in this position, and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required by an incumbent so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the Company.

EEO STATEMENT

Republic Services is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, relationship or association with a protected veteran (spouses or other family members), genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. For any concerns relating to Republic Services’ commitment to equal opportunity employment, you may contact the AWARE Line at 1-866-3-AWARE-4.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE: RSG) is a leader in the environmental services industry. We provide customers with the most complete set of products and services, including recycling, waste, special waste, hazardous waste and field services. Our industry-leading commitments to advance circularity and support decarbonization are helping deliver on our vision to partner with customers to create a more sustainable world.

In 2025, Republic’s total company revenue was $16.6 billion, and adjusted EBITDA was $5.3 billion. We serve 13 million customers and operate more than 1,000 locations, including collection and transfer stations, recycling and polymer centers, treatment facilities, and landfills.

Although we operate across North America, the collection, recycling, treatment, or disposal of materials is a local business, and the dynamics and opportunities differ in each market we serve. By combining local operational management with standardized business practices, we drive greater operating efficiencies across the company while maintaining day-to-day operational decisions at the local level, closest to the customer.

Our customers, including small businesses, major corporations and municipalities, want a partner with the expertise and capabilities to effectively manage their multiple recycling and waste streams. They choose Republic Services because we are committed to exceeding their expectations and helping them achieve their sustainability goals. Our 42,000 team members understand that it’s not just what we do that matters, but how we do it.

Our company values guide our daily actions

Safe : We protect the livelihoods of our colleagues and communities.
Committed to Serve : We go above and beyond to exceed our customers’ expectations.
Environmentally Responsible : We take action to improve our environment.
Driven : We deliver results in the right way.
Human-Centered : We respect the dignity and unique potential of every person.

We are proud of our high employee engagement score of 86. We have an inclusive and diverse culture where every voice counts. In addition, our team positively impacted 5.1 million people in 2024 through the Republic Services Charitable Foundation and local community grants. These projects are designed to meet the specific needs of the communities we serve, with a focus on building sustainable neighborhoods.

STRATEGY

Republic Services’ strategy is designed to generate profitable growth. Through acquisitions and industry advancements, we safely and sustainably manage our customers’ multiple waste streams through a North American footprint of vertically integrated assets.

We focus on three areas of growth to meet the increasing needs of our customers: recycling and waste, environmental solutions and sustainability innovation.

With our integrated approach, strengthening our position in one area advances other areas of our business. For example, as we grow volume in recycling and waste, we collect additional material to bolster our circularity capabilities. And as we expand environmental solutions, we drive additional opportunities to provide these services to our existing recycling and waste customers.

Recycling and Waste

We continue to expand our recycling and waste business footprint throughout North America through organic growth and targeted acquisitions. The 13 million customers we serve and our more than 5 million pick-ups per day provide us with a distinct advantage. We aggregate materials at scale, unlocking new opportunities for advanced recycling. In addition, we are cross-selling new products and services to better meet our customers’ specific needs.

Environmental Solutions

Our comprehensive environmental solutions capabilities help customers safely manage their most technical waste streams. We are expanding both our capabilities and our geographic footprint. We see strong growth opportunities for our offerings, including PFAS remediation, an increasing customer need.

Sustainability Innovation

Republic’s recent innovations to advance circularity and decarbonization demonstrate our unique ability to leverage sustainability as a platform for growth.

The Republic Services Polymer Center is the nation’s first integrated plastics recycling facility. These innovative sites process rigid plastics from our recycling centers, producing recycled materials that promote true bottle-to-bottle circularity. We also formed Blue Polymers, a joint venture with Ravago, to develop facilities that will further process plastic material from our Polymer Centers to help meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging. We are building a network of Polymer Centers and Blue Polymer facilities across North America.

Our customers are increasingly looking for decarbonization solutions, and we are leveraging our network of landfills to meet that need. Republic is committed to harnessing landfill gas, a natural byproduct of decomposing waste, and converting it to energy. Republic has partnered with renewable gas developers to construct Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) plants at our landfills, expanding beyond the 77 projects we currently have to make progress towards our goal to beneficially reuse 50% more biogas by 2030 (2017 baseline year).

RECENT RECOGNITION