Position Summary

The Vice President of Solid Waste Operations provides strategic operational oversight, direction, and coordination to ensure safe and efficient operations of Metro Waste Authority’s solid waste operations including, landfills, transfer stations, maintenance facilities, and compost facilities. This position ensures compliance with standard operating procedures and safety programs while effectively managing to improve performance and productivity by ensuring the highest standards of environmental safety and operational excellence are met. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Responsible for the overall safety of Solid Waste Operations and staff, ensuring compliance with all safe work practices, policies and procedures, and always acting in a safe manner.  
• Plans, organizes, and directs the operations at Metro Park East Landfill, Metro Park West Landfill, Metro Northwest Transfer Station, Metro Central Transfer Station, and the Metro Compost Center. 
• Work closely with onsite team to ensure they have full understanding of program requirements.
• Plan and coordinate resources needed from operation divisions. 
• Works with staff to prepare and monitor the annual operating budget and capital plan for respective facilities.  
• Sets the strategy associated with major capital projects, oversees all components of construction development and coordinates with engineers on all bids, specifications, and adjustments to final design. 
• Responsible for the achievement of short and long term financial and operational objectives through a focus on efficiency and expense reduction. 
• Performs short and long-term financial analysis as part of the facility’s strategic plan. 
• Responsible for identifying, analyzing, and reacting to information on productivity, expenses, price and volume/cost to manage the operations and predict and correct trends. 
• Ensures organizational policies and government regulations are followed by maintaining standard operating procedures, keeping regulations current, and auditing contractors for program compliance. 
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with regulatory agencies.
• Provides effective and professional leadership and direction, promotes positive employee morale and drives change throughout the organization. 
• Strategizes and provides guidance on collective bargaining agreements. 
• Collaborates in new business opportunities including RFP oversight, acquisition due diligence, and integration. 
• Responsible for developing and managing all solid waste and environmental, staff and programs.
• Maintains knowledge of the latest technological developments and provides subject matter expertise in these areas. 
• Monitors industry trends, new equipment and technology, and market research and drives appropriate initiatives when research supports a new program.
• Provides leadership and support to Managers and operational staff.
• Demonstrates continuous effort to improve operations, streamline work processes, and increase efficiency.

Environmental Stewardship – Demonstrates an understanding of Metro Waste Authority’s Environmental Management System (EMS). Guided by the EMS processes and procedures, we focus on six main areas aimed at increasing diversion and/or protecting the environment. These include:

•  Recycling
• Household Hazardous Waste Collection
• Organics Management
• Water Quality Improvement
• Greenhouse Gas Reduction
• Environmental Education

MWA Values - Demonstrates an understanding of Metro Waste Authority’s values and applies them to the position, and assigned responsibilities, as well as to all interactions with customers and co-workers.

• Leadership – Set the example because everyone is a leader!
• Integrity – Always do what is right!
• Positivity – Bring our best to every task, every day and bring out the best in your colleagues!
• Teamwork – Collaborate because we know that together we will address opportunities and challenges!
• Innovation – Forge a new path and evolve!

Competencies

• Accepting Responsibility - Takes accountability for delivering on commitments; owns mistakes and uses them as opportunities for learning and development; openly discusses his/her actions and their consequences both good and bad
• Assembling Talent - Actively works to recruit, hire, and retain high performers; constantly looking for talent to add to the organization; creates a challenging and rewarding work environment; has a reputation as a great person to work with.
• Critical Thinking - Skilled at finding logical flaws in arguments and plans; identifies problems and solutions that others might miss; provides detailed insight and constructive criticism into problems and complex situations
• Driving Continuous Improvement - Establishes methods to monitor and improve performance of systems and processes; utilizes specialized techniques for continuous improvement (e.g., Kaizen, Six Sigma, Total Quality Management)
• Making Accurate Judgments and Decisions - Bases decisions on a systematic review of relevant facts and information; avoids making assumptions or rushing to judgment; provides clear rationale for decisions.
• Managing Performance - Clearly defines and communicates roles and responsibilities; holds people accountable for accomplishing objectives; recognizes and rewards people who achieve results and deliver on performance expectations; provides effective feedback on performance
• Thinking Broadly- Considers long-term consequences and implications associated with actions or events; sees relationships between diverse systems, organizations, or environments; considers problems from a range of viewpoints.
• Safety - Demonstrates “Safety First” in every activity; reports hazards and incidents promptly; fosters a culture of Safety, Service, Schedule with team interactions.

Travel

This position requires occasional travel in and around the Des Moines metro area to support other Metro Waste Authority facilities.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or environmental science. 
• 10 years of job-related experience in the management of solid waste programs. 
• 5-7 years’ experience managing people.
• Landfill Operator's Certification or ability to obtain within 6 months. 
• May substitute experience as a landfill or operations manager for some of the education requirement.
• Valid driver’s license 

Preferred Education & Experience

• Master’s degree in environmental science, Public Administration, or related field.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers; handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. 

Work Environment

Work is generally in a climate-controlled environment. However, this job oversees work at the landfill, compost center, and transfer station locations. These locations are subject to potential hazards, including odor, dust, moving machinery, and extreme temperatures. This role routinely involves the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.  

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or environmental science. 
• 10 years of job-related experience in the management of solid waste programs. 
• 5-7 years’ experience managing people.
• Landfill Operator's Certification or ability to obtain within 6 months. 
• May substitute experience as a landfill or operations manager for some of the education requirement.
• Valid driver’s license 

Preferred Education & Experience

• Master’s degree in environmental science, Public Administration, or related field.

About Metro Waste Authority

While Metro Waste Authority was formed simply as the agency to manage the landfill for the county, our role in the community quickly evolved into managing waste from a holistic environmental perspective. In some ways, the Metro Waste Authority is working to put ourselves out of business. Our core business, at least. The agency now manages curbside recycling, garbage, and yard waste collection; provides safe hazardous waste disposal; and, pilots new innovative programs such as construction and demolition recycling. In 2021, Metro Waste Authority will open the doors to our very own Material Recovery Facility with the goal of making the same positive impact on recycling as we’ve done for garbage during the last 50 years.

Connections working at Metro Waste Authority