Woodlands Operations Manager

The Woodlands Operations Manager will take ownership of day-to-day woodlands operations in Nova Scotia, ensuring reliable fibre flow from harvest through to mill delivery. The role leads a small team of supervisors responsible for harvesting and trucking operations and works closely with mill leadership and regional stakeholders to align production with demand.

This is a highly operational, hands-on leadership role in a fast-paced environment supported by a large contractor network and continuous production activity. You will be responsible for production planning, scheduling, KPI tracking, and overall operational performance across multiple harvesting systems and trucking operations.

The successful candidate will work directly with harvesting crews, trucking operators, contractors, and landowners, ensuring safe, efficient, and cost-effective execution of operations. A key focus of the role is strengthening and growing the contractor base to support long-term operational capacity.

Your Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in forestry, woodlands operations, construction, transportation/logistics, or a related heavy operational environment

• Bachelor's Degree or College Diploma in a relevant field, such as Forestry, Natural Resources, or a related discipline.

• At least 5 years of supervisory experience, demonstrating effective leadership and people management skills.

• Proven leadership experience managing field-based, production-focused teams.

• Experience working with contractors and mixed workforce models is an asset. 

• Ability to manage scheduling, production planning, and KPI-driven performance.

• Strong leadership presence with credibility in hands-on operational settings.

• Valid driver’s license and willingness to travel and work in a dynamic and sometimes remote work environment.

This is an opportunity to join J.D. Irving’s Woodlands operations, a well-established and evolving forestry network in Atlantic Canada with significant investment in infrastructure and capability. The successful candidate will play a critical role in improving operational performance, expanding contractor capacity, and ensuring long-term fibre supply reliability.

To express interest in this opportunity please apply online by clicking “Apply Now” below.

For more information contact Thomas Pugh, Partner, at View phone number on meridiarecruitment.ca and View email address on meridiarecruitment.ca or Heather Simmons, Consultant at View phone number on meridiarecruitment.ca and View email address on meridiarecruitment.ca . If you require accommodation to participate in the recruitment process, please let us know.

Meridia Recruitment Solutions connects leading organizations with top talent by building strong relationships and creating ideal matches with candidates because we are only successful when you are. We appreciate your interest in this opportunity.

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