General Manager

Circular Services; Normal (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

Life Insurance

FSA

401k with company match

Paid Parental Leave

PTO

EAP

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

Circular Services is seeking a General Manager to lead operations at the Normal, IL recycling facility. The GM will oversee production, maintenance, material flow, staffing, budgets, and safety, while building a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

This role reports to and partners with operations leaders to optimize throughput and cost per ton. Responsibilities include hiring and staffing, managing P&L, coordinating with transportation, driving KPIs, and ensuring regulatory

Qualifications

• Five+ years of experience in recycling, waste management, manufacturing, or similar industry in a plant or operational leadership role.
• Strong understanding of inventory management and operational processes.
• Ability to manage budgets and P&L, analyze operating data, control costs, and improve efficiency.
• Proven leadership, coaching, and team development skills.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Commitment to environmental sustainability and Circular Services’ mission.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day facility operations to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant processing of materials.
• Hiring, onboarding, staffing levels, scheduling, payroll coordination, and vacancy coverage.
• Managing facility budgets, operating expenses, P&L, labor costs, downtime costs, and cost per ton.
• Drive throughput, maximize recovery rates, and maintain high-quality output across fiber, plastics, and metals.
• Collaborates with transportation and logistics department to ensure timely inbound and outbound material movement.
• Monitor production data and KPIs to identify trends, improve performance, and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Partner with sales and commodities teams to align production with market demand and optimize revenue.
• Manage capital projects and operational initiatives from planning through execution.
• Maintaining and auditing SOPs, standard work, training, and certification programs.

Skills

Leadership experience

Budget & P&L management

Operational analysis

Inventory management

Communication skills

Safety compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

About Circular Services

Circular Services is a leading developer and operator of circular economy infrastructure and services and the largest private recycling and organics company in the U.S. with operations across the country. We help businesses and municipalities reduce and divert waste, lowering disposal costs and fueling local supply chains by ensuring materials are recovered, recycled, and reused.

About the Role:

Circular Services is hiring a General Manager to lead operations in our Normal, IL, recycling facility. This role is accountable for production, maintenance coordination, material flow, staffing, financial performance, and administrative activities while building a culture of safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and operational discipline. The General Manager leads Operations Managers and supervisors, in both the Single Stream Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and Commercial Recycling plant for recovering paper, plastic and fiber materials. The GM uses operational and financial data to improve productivity, uptime, quality, labor efficiency, and cost per ton.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
• Company-paid Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 401k with company match
• Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Tuition Reimbursement Program

Responsibilities:

Operations Oversight

• Lead day-to-day facility operations to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant processing of materials.
• Hiring, onboarding, staffing levels, scheduling, payroll coordination, and vacancy coverage.
• Managing facility budgets, operating expenses, P&L, labor costs, downtime costs, and cost per ton.
• Drive throughput, maximize recovery rates, and maintain high-quality output across fiber, plastics, and metals.
• Collaborates with transportation and logistics department to ensure timely inbound and outbound material movement.
• Monitor production data and KPIs to identify trends, improve performance, and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Partner with sales and commodities teams to align production with market demand and optimize revenue.
• Manage capital projects and operational initiatives from planning through execution.
• Maintaining and auditing SOPs, standard work, training, and certification programs.

Safety

• Champion a safety-first culture with a goal of zero incidents across all operations.
• Ensure compliance with all environmental, health, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Incident reporting, investigation, follow-up, documentation, and corrective actions with EHS/HR.
• Lead safety training programs, audits, and participation in safety committees.
• Model safe behaviors and hold all employees accountable to established safety standards.

Customer Service

• Maintain strong customer and supplier relationships for better understanding and decision making.
• Partner with accounting (AP/AR) to resolve discrepancies and ensure accurate financial reporting.

Communication & Culture

• Communicate goals, performance expectations, and operational updates clearly across all levels of the organization.
• Provide regular reporting (daily, weekly, monthly) to leadership.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, maintenance, transportation, and sales teams.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and performance reviews in coordination with corporate partners.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Build, coach, and develop a high-performing team of leaders and frontline employees.
• Promote an environment of respect, transparency, and ethical behavior.
• Support employee engagement through training, recognition, and professional development opportunities.
• Perform other duties, special projects, and strategic initiatives as assigned to support the evolving needs of the business.

Minimum Job Qualifications:

• FIVE++ years of experience in recycling, waste management, manufacturing, or similar industry in a plant or operational leadership role.
• Strong understanding of inventory management and operational processes.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets and P&L performance, analyze operating data, control costs, and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability.
• Proven leadership, coaching, and team development skills.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Commitment to environmental sustainability and Circular Services’ mission.

Preferred Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, or equivalent experience Probably should be required
• Bilingual (English/Spanish).

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• Regular use of hands, tools, and equipment; frequent standing, walking, and movement.
• Ability to lift up to 20 pounds.
• Work performed in a moderate to high noise environment.
• Work may occur in non-climate-controlled industrial settings.
• Up to 15% travel, depending on business needs.

EEOC:

Circular Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind: Circular Services is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at Circular Services are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Circular Services will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.