Ag Operations Lead

McCain Foods Limited

• $81K — $108K *
Food & Beverages
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree or relevant post-secondary education preferred
  • Minimum of 3 years' experience in potato agriculture and/or food manufacturing
  • Demonstrated leadership capability and relationship-building skills
  • Strong commercial awareness and business acumen
  • Excellent negotiation skills with external partners
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills in English
  • Ability to travel within Southern Alberta and occasionally in North America

Responsibilities

  • Provide dotted-line leadership to Field Representatives in the Coaldale region
  • Foster a performance-driven team culture aligned with Agriculture strategy
  • Represent Agriculture at plant safety meetings and champion safety standards
  • Optimize departmental processes and plan seasonal agricultural activities
  • Coordinate sampling efforts across the region
  • Lead annual grower improvement plans and partnerships with growers
  • Manage audits, maintain operating procedures for compliance
  • Support annual contracting strategy, including cost analysis and crop planning
  • Act as contact for the North America Seed Team and grading partners
  • Collaborate with plant teams to support production and supply needs
  • Drive adoption of digital tools for accurate data capture
  • Participate in initiatives for continuous improvement

Benefits

  • Health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription drug)
  • Retirement savings benefits
  • Leave support including medical, family, and bereavement leave
  • Vacation and paid holidays
  • Company-supported volunteering time
  • Mental health resources
Full Job Description
Position Title: Ag Operations Lead

Position Type: Regular - Full-Time

Requisition ID: 43128

The Agriculture Operations Lead in Coaldale, Alberta is a developmental leadership role designed to provide both breadth and depth of experience, positioning the incumbent for future progression into roles of greater responsibility.

This role is accountable for all aspects of potato agricultural operations and supply activities supporting the Coaldale plant site. You will lead through best-in-class safety principles and talent development, building and strengthening a high-performing agriculture team that is inclusive, diverse, and engaged while supporting one of McCain's key growing regions in Southern Alberta.

What you'll be doing.

  • Provide dotted-line leadership to Field Representatives in the Coaldale region, including KPI creation and development planning
  • Foster a proactive, performance-driven team culture aligned with regional Agriculture strategy
  • Represent Agriculture at plant safety meetings and champion world-class safety standards across local operations
  • Optimize departmental processes and lead proactive planning of seasonal agricultural activities
  • Coordinate sampling efforts (emergence tracking, field sampling, storage sampling, etc.) across the region
  • Lead annual grower improvement plans and strengthen partnerships with Southern Alberta growers
  • Manage audits and maintain standard operating procedures to ensure compliance and consistency
  • Support development and execution of annual contracting strategy, including cost of production analysis and crop planning
  • Act as a key point of contact for the North America Seed Team and third-party grading partners supporting Coaldale operations
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with plant teams and scheduling to support daily production and raw supply needs
  • Drive adoption of Agriculture digital tools and ensure accurate, timely data capture
  • Participate in regional and global initiatives to support continuous improvement and personal development


What you'll need to be successful.

  • Bachelor's degree or relevant post-secondary education preferred
  • Minimum of 3 years' experience within potato agriculture and/or food manufacturing
  • Demonstrated leadership capability with the ability to influence and build strong cross-functional relationships
  • Strong commercial awareness and business acumen
  • Excellent negotiation and relationship management skills, particularly with growers and external partners
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills in English
  • Proven track record of performance and delivering results
  • Ability to travel within the Southern Alberta growing region, with occasional North America travel as required


About the team.

You will be part of the Coaldale Agriculture team supporting one of McCain's major production facilities in Alberta. The team includes Field Representatives and cross-functional partners in plant operations, quality, and supply chain. This role reports into the Field Manager and plays a key role in connecting growers, regional strategy, and plant execution to deliver high-quality raw materials and strong business outcomes.

Compensation Package : $81,600.00 - $108,900.00 . CAD annually + Bonus Eligibility

The above reflects the target compensation range for the position at the time of posting. Hiring compensation will be determined based on experience, skill set, education and training, and other organizational needs. This posting is for an existing vacancy.

Benefits: At McCain, we're on a mission to create a winning culture that puts employee safety and well-being at the heart of what we do, every day. We understand and appreciate that each person's needs are unique and ensure our benefits & well-being programs reflect that. Employees are eligible for the following benefits: health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription drug), retirement savings benefits, and leave support including medical, family and bereavement. Well-being programs include vacation and holidays, company-supported volunteering time, and mental health resources. Coverages are aligned with applicable law and can vary by work level, location, and nature of the role. Additional benefit detail available during the application process.

Your well-being matters to us, and we're here to provide you with the necessary resources to support you in being your best self at work - and at home.

Job Family: Agriculture
Location(s): CA - Canada : Alberta : Coaldale || CA - Canada : Alberta : Lethbridge

Company: McCain Foods (Canada)

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