Substrate Manager

Highline Core Values include:

We do the right thing, always. We lead the way. We are fanatical about quality. We are transparent in our relationships. We always consider the human element. We embrace diversity and inclusion.

Position Summary:

Working closely with the Regional Compost Manager West on all aspects related to Phase I, Phase II and Phase III at our Crossfield site with a strong focus on wharf operations, tunnel filling, tunnel management, equipment operations, production planning, and particularly our hygiene levels. A key metric is to ensure that your teams all follow Highline’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) and our standards, which are set out in the in-house terminology, which we refer to as our “Compost Criteria” our “Non-Negotiables” auditing structure, each of which is an appendix to this document. Taken together, these two items provide the framework and structure within which you and your team will operate to ensure that you are leading a world-class team with the resultant compost quality and consistency.

Your role includes production planning and maintaining proper staffing levels, attaining the various compost quality and yield requirements while always meeting and exceeding our hygiene goals. All of which must always be backed up by excellent communication. These goals will be achieved while working closely with the Regional Compost Manager West, the headfilling team and the growing team. You are responsible for ensuring that your team meets their targets through strong planning and communications, managing your costs and stock usages, together with a driven focus on continuous improvement initiatives and efficiencies.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Leadership & Code of Conduct:

• Embraces and supports the Highline culture and values, always acting as a brand ambassador.
• Interacts with others in a manner that promotes respect, confidentiality, and dignity.
• Develops and actively fosters an engaged work force, displaying professionalism even when challenging to do so, while quickly managing the culture to stop behaviours not aligned to Company Values.

2. Safety:

• Safety risks in the tunnel department are heightened during “spawning”, a process whereby pasteurized compost is mechanically separated by a large pulling winch for the addition of spawn. This is the most dangerous process in our organization and requires your leadership and constant vigilance. With strict, detailed attention to procedure and with the proper training, this process is very manageable and safe.
• The risk stems from the potential of inhaling the spores. During this process, all staff in the area must wear the appropriate masks and filters. This is a critical non-negotiable to which there should never be an exception. All staff working in this area are required to be clean-shaven, ensuring each mask has an airtight seal.
• All staff must adhere to our Safety Policies, including use of proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other safety equipment.
• Responsible for reporting any unsafe conditions immediately to Direct Report or to a member of the Safety Team.
• Responsible for reporting all incidents, injuries or near misses immediately to Direct Report or Safety Advocate
• Cooperates in the Early & Safe Return to Work Program if an injury or medical illness requires accommodation.

3. Hygiene Responsibilities:

• A high level of hygiene must be always maintained in the tunnel area and wharf area.
• After each use machines must be dry cleaned and washed thoroughly, to protect against competitive Molds in the tunnel area and to prevent premature wear and tear of equipment.
• Tunnel area must be thoroughly dry cleaned, washed leaving no organic material behind and then disinfected to prevent contamination of the phase II substrate.

4. Phase I Management (Wharf and Bunkers)

• Oversees daily operation of the bunkers, including raw materials, inventory check sheets, work schedules, maintenance, and preventative maintenance checklists.
• Participates in and maintains accurate knowledge of changes to compost scheduled decisions allied to at times assisting in the operation of equipment as and when needed.
• Conducts an extensive array of accurate sampling as required for testing in our laboratory including, but not limited to, moisture tests, pH tests, Nitrogen tests and the physical testing of the compost as set out in the compost meetings.
• Maintains a full awareness and record of the required check sheet information, ensuring full completion on an individual basis and on a team basis.
• Reports any issues to the Regional Compost Manager West (with a special focus on highlighting in writing and verbally any poor practices being exercised within the facilities, poor product quality, poor hygiene practices, etc.)
• Liaises with the Regional Compost Manager West, concerning compost quality and highlighting any variances related to any equipment concerns.
• May operate any of the equipment on the site as and when required.
• Coordinates and logs in writing all required repairs to equipment or buildings.
• Attends weekly production meetings taking written notes and providing reports and feedback on the productivity and the work conditions within the compost wharf department.
• Assists the Regional Compost Manager West the development of new or modified Standard Operating Practices (SOP’s) allied to working within the wider compost team.
• Ensures that all the equipment is operational and that the spigot floors are cleaned after each use.
• Monitors the filling process of compost to ensure proper filling practices are being followed.

5. Tunnel Management:

• Compost details, weights and comments are to be completed on the compost passport and these records must be legible and kept in a tidy manner. It is important that this information is consistently filled out and accompanies each batch of compost throughout the whole process.
• Supervising your team correctly to ensure that they are always filling each tunnel in an even and consistent manner along the length of each tunnel and that all tunnels are correctly finished at the end in line with our SOP’s.
• Accurate and timely sampling of all your compost batches throughout the process, Highline expects that we achieve 100% of the pre-agreed samples and plate tests necessary to run a modern and hygienic tunnel facility.
• Forecasting aligned with good communications is a key metric to ensure that your farm receives the correct information and that the headfilling team is kept up to date across the working day to ensure that we fill the correct compost densities along with filling all of our growing areas each week. You are expected to lead the communications within your team and to lead by example.
• To ensure that all Phase II and III tunnels are closely monitored across the whole week and that necessary adjustments are made to ensure that we have consistently high-quality compost. It is critically important that you monitor your tunnels remotely and that all alarm settings are properly set and managed by you.
• All ammonia readings are taken and recorded when due and taken in the appropriate manner while following our standard SOP’s and that all readings are quickly and efficiently communicated usually but not exclusively via WhatsApp. Ammonia profiling and the management of our Nitrogen profile is a key element of your position, and this requires a constant level of communication and feedback to your associates on the wharf.
• Spawn codes must always be recorded accurately and that our spawn is kept in the precise conditions required for this critical ingredient in our business.

6. Preventative Maintenance:

As the Substrate Manager it is your responsibility to ensure that preventative maintenance is carried out on all the equipment and that it is always left in a safe and always working order by:

• Working closely with the maintenance manager to ensure that each piece of equipment is properly maintained, and that weekly and monthly inspections are carried out in line with our SOPs to minimise breakdowns and lost time.
• That you host and take minutes for weekly and bi-weekly meetings with the maintenance manager to have strong and robust communications around the preventative maintenance across your whole facility.
• Two key elements also come under this category, and they are fundamental to the success of your whole area. The maintenance and recording of your tunnel net pulls so they are always in good condition and your facility does not suffer any broken nets; also, your program for managing and keeping your filters in excellent condition.

7. Employee Relations:

• Manages the general conduct of all Phase I, II and III teams.
• Provides a working environment which promotes safety, well-being, dignity, and honesty with a strong level of feedback to your team.
• Ensures completion of recording and submission of daily attendance (including corrections and reconciliations) in electronic time management system.
• Responsible for scheduling all associates in accordance with changing production volumes, ensuring proper allocation of work hours and monitoring overtime hours, in accordance with Company policies.
• Ensures staff are properly utilized to minimize overtime and ensure the fair and equitable assignment of hours of work amongst associates.
• Monitors absenteeism and tardiness and works closely with Human Resources to promote good departmental attendance.
• Ensures timely and accurate reporting of attendance issues to Human Resources and the recording of attendance as required by Human Resources and the Company attendance policy.
• Issues corrective action and/or discipline when warranted with the assistance of Human Resources
• Completes administrative paperwork for department staff (i.e. time off requests, switched days, etc.)

8. Stock Management and Usage:

• Manages operations to ensure production efficiency, quality, service, and cost-effective management of resources.
• Ensures that all raw materials on arrival to the farm are within the specifications set out contractually.
• Provides transparent, factual, and timely measurements as requested, and fosters a team that mirrors these behaviours.
• Responsible for assisting with farm performance and reporting requirements, including but not limited to, internal reporting and Board reports as well as external regulatory reporting required under applicable public statues (i.e. Ministry of Labour, Ministry of the Environment)
• Responsible for ensuring that your team(s) meet their targets through strong planning and communications, managing your costs and stock usages, together with a driven focus on continuous improvement initiatives and efficiencies.

9. Weekly KPI Reporting:

• A key aspect of your role is to complete all the agreed KPI metrics from your tunnel facility both in an accurate and in a timely manner. Highline uses two guiding principles which you are always expected to champion within your team. These are two commitments which are part of our non-negotiables across our compost operations.

“If we can’t measure it, we cannot manage it”.

“Go look, see, ask why?”

• Provides input and assists with the establishment of monthly and annual budgets allied to supplying accurate and timely weekly KPI’s.

10. Continuous Improvement:

• Responsible for ensuring that your wharf and tunnel facility produces a consistent volume and quality of compost that is comparable with the best facilities in the world. To do this you need to lead a Continuous Improvement Process to ensure that each of the above areas of your compost and tunnel responsibilities, hygiene, and general housekeeping are, and remain, to a world-class standard as instructed by the Regional Compost Manager West and the Farm manager.
• Provides advice and recommendations to the Regional Compost Manager West, and the Farm Manager regarding construction, alterations, maintenance, materials, supplies, equipment and services not provided in approved plans and/or budgets.
• Assists in the planning, development, and implementation of farm strategies for generating resources and/or revenues for the Company.

11. Other Duties:

• Performs required calibration of computers, probes, thermometers, fans, etc.
• Work with and provide support to your team and your departmental associates and inter-departmental leaders as needed.
• Proactively contributes to the process of identifying opportunities to achieve the Company’s overall strategy to meet and increase volume, quality and food safety requirements.
• Professionally interacts with suppliers, third party auditors, customers and internal auditors, when required.
• As reasonably requested in the aid of operations or culture compliance, performs other duties as may be assigned.
• Provides meaningful continual improvement or innovation recommendations outside scope of responsibility.

Education & Qualifications:

• Experience (5 years) in compost making / substrate making preferred.
• Organic substrate making experience an asset.
• Must have extensive experience and understanding of mushroom substrate preparation and its importance within the mushroom growing process.
• Skilled in examining and re-engineering operations and procedures including production planning.
• Experience in working with teams of 10-15 people within a substrate facility.
• Experienced in developing and implementing new strategies and procedures.
• Ability to develop financial plans and manage resources including analysis and interpreting financial data.
• Requires written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to motivate teams and simultaneously manage several projects.
• Work requires a willingness to work a flexible schedule and the ability for independent travel.

Personal Attributes:

• Demonstrable strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize with an aptitude to effectively handle competing deadlines.
• Attention to detail and accuracy, appropriately balanced with the need to complete tasks.
• Above average analytical skills, the ability to problem solve a range of complex problems.
• Capable of independent and self guided work and accepts and adapts to change.
• Excellent interpersonal communications skills and professional behaviours, specifically maintaining confidentiality and sensitive information.

Earnings & Benefits:

• Extended Health & Dental for Associates and their eligible family members
• Life Insurance
• Paid Vacation Time
• Safety Shoe Reimbursement

Location of work:

• 1/2 Miles S of Crossfield Overpass, JTN 72- East side of Highway off Service Road, Crossfield, AB T4A 0H4

How to Apply:

• Indeed

Highline encourages applications from all qualified candidates. When requested Highline will accommodate people with disabilities at all stages of the recruitment, assessment and hiring process.

• #HMWL1

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Work Location: In person