Director of Landfill Operations

Overview

Interstate Waste Services is the most progressive and innovative provider of solid waste and recycling services in the greater New York, New Jersey and Connecticut markets with a rail-served landfill in Ohio.  IWS is committed to delivering high-quality waste, recycling and environmental services, while prioritizing the safety of our employees, customers and communities. We cater to a diverse range of industrial, medical and commercial/residential customers.

Founded in 1998, IWS has grown over the years through acquisitions, many of which were family-owned businesses that remain a part of our team today. We’re proud to combine the resources of a large company with the values and care of a family-run business.

Essential Job Summary:

Lead a safe, compliant, productive, reliable, and financially sound landfill operation while building the people, systems, and infrastructure required for long-term performance and growth.

The Director of Landfill Operations is accountable for the overall performance of IWS's rail-served landfill, including safety, environmental compliance, daily operations, financial results, asset reliability, workforce effectiveness, and long-range capacity planning. The Director leads a safe, compliant, productive, reliable, and financially sound landfill operation while building the people, systems, and infrastructure required for long-term performance and growth. 

This role works closely with Environmental, Safety, Maintenance, Rail, Finance, Human Resources, Engineering, and other support teams to manage waste flow, equipment, staffing, budgets, capital projects, regulatory obligations, and business-continuity risks. Success requires a highly visible field leader who exercises sound judgment, develops people, solves problems with urgency, and creates clear accountability throughout the operation.

Essential Job Functions: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Other minor duties may be assigned.

Leadership and People Management

• Provide overall leadership for landfill operations and translate company goals into clear operating plans, priorities, responsibilities, and measurable performance expectations.
• Lead, coach, and develop managers and supervisors; conduct regular performance discussions, address performance or conduct concerns promptly, and ensure consistent follow-through.
• Build organizational depth through structured training, cross-training, talent assessment, succession planning, and development plans for critical roles.
• Ensure staffing levels, schedules, training, and work practices support operational needs; partner with Human Resources on recruiting, retention, employee relations, labor matters, compensation, promotion, discipline, and consistent application of company policy.
• Maintain a visible presence across the operation, engage employees at all levels, and model the standards of safety, accountability, urgency, teamwork, and professionalism expected throughout the facility.

Safety, Environmental Compliance, and Risk Management

• Promote a safety-first culture through leadership by example, field observations, employee engagement, training, and timely correction of unsafe conditions or behaviors.
• Ensure compliance with company safety policies and all applicable OSHA, DOT, federal, state, and local requirements; keep safety processes, procedures, training, and records current.
• Ensure all injuries, incidents, near misses, environmental events, and significant operational failures receive thorough root-cause investigations, with corrective actions, retraining, and appropriate accountability completed in partnership with Safety and other responsible teams.
• Maintain compliance with permits and regulatory requirements related to solid waste, waste acceptance, air, landfill gas, stormwater, leachate, groundwater, and other environmental programs; ensure accurate and timely inspections, documentation, reporting, and corrective actions.
• Lead emergency-response and business-continuity planning for fires, severe weather, environmental events, equipment or infrastructure failures, and other conditions that may disrupt the facility.

Operational Performance and Asset Reliability

• Direct the day-to-day landfill operation and support managers and supervisors in meeting safety, quality, service, throughput, productivity, and budget expectations.
• Oversee waste acceptance and placement, compaction, grading, daily and intermediate cover, slope management, road maintenance, working-face control, and effective use of remaining airspace.
• Coordinate inbound rail, gondola, truck, scale, and internal hauling activities to achieve safe unloading, reliable throughput, efficient waste flow, and consistent customer service.
• Organize and schedule the people, equipment, contractors, materials, and other resources required to accomplish operating plans and respond to changing site conditions.
• Partner with Maintenance to improve heavy-equipment and infrastructure reliability, preventive-maintenance compliance, equipment availability and utilization, lifecycle planning, and response to unplanned downtime.
• Develop and implement programs that improve safety, productivity, quality, reliability, employee retention, and profitability; use disciplined problem solving and continuous improvement to sustain results.
• Engage suppliers, contractors, consultants, and key vendors in problem solving and performance improvement; manage scope, cost, schedule, quality, and compliance with IWS safety and operating expectations.

Financial Management and Long-Range Planning

• Own the facility's operating and capital budgets, forecasts, and P&L performance; monitor tons, revenue, cost per ton, labor, overtime, fuel, maintenance, contractor, and vendor spending, and act promptly when results are off plan.
• Use operating and financial data to identify trends, set priorities, evaluate tradeoffs, solve problems, and communicate performance, risks, and recovery plans to senior leadership.
• Develop short- and long-range plans for staffing, equipment, airspace utilization, cell development, roadways, rail and unloading infrastructure, environmental systems, and other capital needs required for safe growth and operational continuity.
• Participate in the design and execution of the facility operating plan, clarify decision rights and accountability, and align near-term execution with established long-range objectives.

Stakeholder and Cross-Functional Leadership

• Work collaboratively with Environmental, Safety, Maintenance, Rail, Finance, Human Resources, Engineering, Commercial, and other teams to resolve issues and deliver site objectives.
• Build productive relationships with regulators, local officials, community stakeholders, customers, and business partners; represent IWS professionally during inspections, meetings, audits, and site visits.
• Provide senior leadership with clear, timely, and fact-based communication regarding site performance, emerging risks, resource needs, regulatory matters, and action plans.

Requirements and Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, environmental science, business, operations management, or a related field preferred. In lieu of a degree, a high school diploma or equivalent combined with significant relevant experience will be considered.
• At least ten (10) years of progressive operations experience in landfill, solid waste, heavy industrial, aggregate, construction, or a comparable operating environment; direct landfill leadership experience is strongly preferred.
• At least five (5) years of leadership experience managing managers or supervisors and a sizable frontline workforce.
• Demonstrated knowledge of landfill operating practices and environmental compliance requirements, including waste acceptance, airspace management, stormwater, leachate, landfill gas, groundwater, and regulatory recordkeeping.
• Demonstrated experience managing a P&L, developing operating and capital budgets, forecasting financial and workforce needs, and using performance data to drive decisions and corrective action.
• Experience leading safety programs, incident and root-cause investigations, corrective actions, and compliance with OSHA and other applicable requirements.
• Strong understanding of heavy-equipment operations, preventive maintenance, equipment utilization, and asset planning; experience with rail-served operations is preferred.
• Experience working in a union environment and handling employee and labor-relations matters is preferred.
• Manager of Landfill Operations (MOLO) certification, or an equivalent credential, is preferred at hire and required within the first twelve (12) months of employment.
• Strong leadership presence, judgment, communication, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make timely decisions and work effectively across departments and organizational levels.
• Ability to lead effectively in a fast-paced, changing operating environment while maintaining attention to safety, compliance, people, service, and financial performance.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and operational reporting systems; valid driver's license required.
• Must be available to respond to urgent site needs outside normal business hours.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements:

• Ability to work in both office and active landfill environments, including exposure to dirt, dust, odors, noise, heavy equipment, uneven terrain, traffic, and weather extremes.
• Ability to walk active operating areas, climb in and around equipment or site infrastructure as needed, and occasionally lift up to 30 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Leadership Success Measures:

• Consistent safety performance and timely closure of corrective actions.
• Sustained environmental and permit compliance.
• Reliable daily throughput, equipment availability, and customer service.
• Delivery of budget, cost-per-ton, productivity, and capital-plan commitments.
• Improved employee capability, accountability, retention, and succession depth.
• Effective airspace, infrastructure, and long-range operating readiness.

Additional Information

This job description is intended to be an accurate representation of the general functions of the job, rather than exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities, or experience. Other duties may be assigned, requested, or required. Aspects of the job may be altered without notice.

Interstate Waste Services provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training

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