Director, Blue Box Operations

Who We Are

Ryse Solutions, part of the Emterra Group, is a leading Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) helping companies meet Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulatory obligations and sustainability goals for recycling, reusing, and recovering products and packaging. As the only multi-material PRO in Ontario, Ryse Solutions delivers comprehensive solutions across all regulated materials. As a family and female-owned Canadian business, Emterra Group’s 50 years of recycling expertise, and dedicated team of passionate people, deliver exceptional service, compliance, and circular economy solutions for its clients.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Vice President, the Director, Blue Box Operations is responsible is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational performance, and continuous improvement of Ryse Solutions' Blue Box value chain, from collection through processing and final disposition of materials.

As the functional leader of Blue Box Operations, the Director is accountable for ensuring producer obligations, operational commitments, regulatory requirements, and material management targets are achieved efficiently, cost-effectively, and in accordance with Ontario's evolving Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework.

Working closely with the Director of Compliance and internal teams, the Common Collection System (CCS), municipalities, processors, haulers, end-market partners, producers, and internal stakeholders, the Director will provide leadership and oversight across the Blue Box system while identifying opportunities to improve recovery performance, strengthen service delivery, reduce costs, mitigate risk, and support Ryse's long-term growth objectives.

This is a hands-on, cross-functional operations role that requires someone who is comfortable working both strategically and operationally while managing a small team. The Director will regularly engage with processor and various service providers throughout Ontario to understand operational realities, validate performance, resolve issues, and identify opportunities for improvement. The role requires a highly collaborative leader who can influence diverse stakeholders, translate complex regulatory requirements into practical operational solutions, and represent Ryse as a respected leader within Ontario's circular economy ecosystem.

Position Description:

• Develop and execute Ryse's Blue Box operational strategy, ensuring material management targets, and organizational objectives are achieved through an effective and efficient Blue Box value chain.
• Monitor and oversee the performance of the Blue Box value chain from collection through processing and final disposition, ensuring operational, contractual, and regulatory requirements are met.
• Own the operational roadmap for achieving producer material management targets, including establishing performance forecasts, identifying risks and gaps, coordinating corrective actions, and ensuring sustainable performance improvements.
• Lead initiatives that improve the operational drivers of system performance, including material capture, contamination reduction, sortation efficiency, recovery yield, throughput, chain of custody, verified final disposition, and overall system effectiveness.
• Establish and govern escalation, corrective action, and performance management processes to address service failures, audit findings, data anomalies, operational risks, contractual issues, and regulatory non-compliance.
• Ensure operational and material-flow data is accurate, auditable, and decision-ready, supporting regulatory reporting, producer obligations, operational performance assessment, and strategic planning activities.
• Provide leadership and accountability for operational budgets, forecasting, cost performance, and financial analysis, identifying opportunities to optimize costs while maintaining service, compliance, and recovery outcomes
• Lead performance reviews with key service providers and stakeholders, converting operational insights into accountable action plans and ensuring commitments are delivered and sustained.
• Leverage KPIs, dashboards, analytics, and operational reporting to evaluate system performance, identify trends and risks, support decision-making, and drive accountability across service providers and internal teams.
• Represent Ryse Solutions with the CCS, processors, municipalities, service providers, industry stakeholders, and other external partners, building strong relationships, resolving complex issues, and identifying opportunities to improve system performance.
• Lead and develop the Blue Box Operations function, providing coaching, direction, performance management, and leadership to team members while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, safety, and continuous improvement.

Skills & Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in recycling, waste management, materials recovery, logistics, supply chain, environmental services, or another complex operational environment, including responsibility for operational leadership, stakeholder management, and performance improvement.
• Post-secondary education in business administration, operations management, supply chain, environmental management, engineering, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in operations management, performance management, continuous improvement, service provider management, strategic planning, and cross-functional business leadership.
• Experience developing and monitoring KPIs, operational metrics, reports, and performance-management processes.
• Demonstrated ability to lead operational improvement initiatives, solve complex business challenges, and drive sustainable performance improvements across multiple stakeholders and service providers.
• Experience managing multiple projects, priorities, stakeholders, and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint.
• Working knowledge of Ontario’s Blue Box regulatory framework, producer responsibility programs, material management targets, chain-of-custody requirements, and the operational evidence needed to support compliant reporting.
• Strong analytical and digital fluency, including advanced Excel and experience with dashboards or business intelligence tools.
• Demonstrated ability to translate regulatory and contractual requirements into measurable operational plans, performance standards, corrective actions, and supplier accountabilities.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including budget development, forecasting, cost control, contract oversight, variance analysis, supplier performance management, and operational decision-making.
• Strong leadership, coaching, influencing, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills, with demonstrated ability to lead teams and influence executives, municipalities, processors, service providers, producer organizations, and industry stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to use approved artificial intelligence tools responsibly and effectively to support analysis, research, reporting, workflow improvement, and decision-making, while applying sound judgment, validating outputs, protecting confidential information, and complying with company policies.
• Experience leading small teams and developing people, including responsibility for performance management, coaching, and capability development.

Working Conditions.

• Regular travel throughout Ontario, including visits to processing facilities and other operational locations.
• Valid driver's licence and access to a personal vehicle required.
• Combination of office, remote, and field-based work.

Salary: $100,000 - $120,000/year.

Are you ready to jumpstart your career by joining one of Canada’s Greenest Employers and become part of the environmental solution? If so, apply now! We appreciate all applicants who apply however only those who are qualified, will be contacted.

Ryse Solutions is committed to maintaining an equitable, fair, and diverse environment. Any applicants who have a disability or require reasonable accommodation may speak directly with our Human Resources Department. Reasonable accommodations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Please note that AI may be used to support the application review process; however, all applications are reviewed by our Human Resources Team.

This posting is for an immediate vacancy, and we are actively hiring for this position.