Position Summary
Liquid Amber Landscape Management Ltd. is seeking an experienced Snow Operations Manager to manage the day-to-day field delivery of our commercial and municipal snow and ice operations for the 2026–2027 winter season.
This is a fixed-term management position from October 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027.
The Snow Operations Manager will have primary responsibility for coordinating field personnel, subcontractors and equipment, monitoring weather and site conditions, assigning and adjusting work, inspecting service quality, responding to operational issues, and ensuring Liquid Amber's contractual snow and ice obligations are met.
The position requires a high degree of independent judgment, decision-making and accountability. The Snow Operations Manager is expected to manage routine winter operations without requiring continuous direction from ownership.
This is primarily a management, coordination and field oversight position. The Snow Operations Manager will not normally be assigned to a regular production route. However, when operational circumstances require additional support—including significant snow events, employee absences, staffing shortages, subcontractor availability issues, equipment breakdowns or emergency conditions—the Manager must be willing and capable of assisting directly with snow and ice operations.
Primary Responsibilities
1. Management of Snow & Ice Operations
The Snow Operations Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day management of winter field operations, including:
- Plan and coordinate snow and ice operations based on weather forecasts, site conditions, contractual requirements and available resources.
- Determine when crews, subcontractors and equipment need to be deployed.
- Assign employees, subcontractors and equipment to routes, sites and operational priorities.
- Modify routes, assignments and priorities as conditions change.
- Direct plow operators, sanding operators, sidewalk crews and other winter personnel.
- Coordinate loaders, skid steers, plow trucks, sanding trucks and sidewalk equipment.
- Monitor operational progress throughout snow events.
- Determine when repeat service or additional service is required.
- Coordinate response to employee absences, subcontractor shortfalls, equipment breakdowns and unexpected operational issues.
- Make day-to-day operational decisions without requiring prior approval from ownership for routine matters.
- Ensure contractual service timelines and client requirements are achieved.
- Escalate significant client, safety, staffing, subcontractor or financial matters to ownership when appropriate.
2. Staff Supervision & Leadership
The Snow Operations Manager will provide direct supervision and leadership to winter field employees.
Responsibilities include:
- Direct and supervise snow and ice personnel.
- Assign and reassign work.
- Establish daily and event-specific priorities.
- Monitor employee attendance, reliability and performance.
- Address employee call-ins and arrange replacement coverage.
- Provide instructions, coaching and operational direction.
- Monitor employee productivity and quality of work.
- Address performance or conduct concerns in the field.
- Document significant employee performance issues and make recommendations to ownership regarding corrective action or discipline.
- Ensure employees understand client expectations, routes and site-specific requirements.
- Ensure crews have the equipment and information necessary to perform their work.
- Participate in hiring, onboarding and training of winter personnel when required.
3. Subcontractor Management
The Snow Operations Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day coordination and oversight of approved snow and ice subcontractors.
Responsibilities include:
- Coordinate subcontractor deployment based on weather conditions, site requirements and available internal resources.
- Communicate service expectations, site-specific requirements, response times and completion standards.
- Confirm subcontractor availability before and during forecasted snow and ice events.
- Monitor subcontractor progress throughout active operations.
- Conduct site inspections to verify subcontracted work meets Liquid Amber and client standards.
- Identify deficiencies and direct subcontractors to complete corrective work.
- Maintain clear records of subcontractor attendance, service times, site coverage and operational issues.
- Ensure subcontractors follow required safety procedures, site rules and company expectations.
- Escalate repeated performance, reliability or safety concerns to ownership.
- Assist with evaluating subcontractor performance at the end of major events and throughout the winter season.
- Coordinate replacement resources when a subcontractor is unavailable, delayed or unable to meet service requirements.
The Snow Operations Manager will not have authority to enter into new subcontract agreements or materially alter pricing without ownership approval, but will have authority to manage the day-to-day execution and quality of subcontracted work.
4. Site Inspections, Quality Control & Ice Monitoring
Site monitoring is a major component of this management position.
The Snow Operations Manager will:
- Conduct scheduled and weather-driven site inspections.
- Perform inspections during daytime, evening, overnight and early-morning periods as conditions require.
- Inspect parking lots, sidewalks, entrances, accessibility areas, stairs, loading areas, fire routes and other contracted surfaces.
- Monitor snow accumulation, drifting, packed snow, freezing rain, refreezing, black ice and other hazards.
- Determine when additional plowing, sanding, sidewalk clearing or ice-control services are required.
- Authorize and dispatch appropriate internal or subcontracted resources to address changing conditions.
- Inspect completed work for compliance with company and client standards.
- Identify deficiencies and direct corrective action.
- Conduct follow-up inspections when necessary.
- Maintain a strong focus on public safety, slip-and-fall prevention and contractual compliance.
5. Operational Field Support – When Required
The Snow Operations Manager is not normally assigned to a regular plowing, sanding or sidewalk route.
The Manager's primary function is to manage the overall operation and ensure available employees, subcontractors and equipment are deployed effectively.
However, the Manager is expected to provide hands-on operational support when reasonably necessary due to:
- Significant or prolonged snowfall events.
- Snow accumulation exceeding normal operational capacity.
- Employee absences or unexpected call-ins.
- Staffing shortages.
- Subcontractor no-shows, delays or capacity issues.
- Equipment breakdowns.
- Emergency weather conditions.
- Multiple simultaneous service requirements.
- Contractual deadlines requiring additional resources.
- Other circumstances where additional operational support is necessary.
When required, the Manager may:
- Operate a plow truck.
- Operate a sanding truck.
- Operate a loader, skid steer or sidewalk machine when trained and authorized.
- Apply sand, salt or other approved ice-control materials.
- Shovel or clear sidewalks and pedestrian areas.
- Assist crews with priority locations.
- Temporarily cover an absent employee's or subcontractor's route or assignment.
- Complete corrective work identified during site inspections.
Hands-on production work is intended to supplement the Manager's primary management responsibilities when operational circumstances require it and is not intended to constitute the Manager's normal day-to-day assignment.
6. Documentation & Operational Reporting
The Snow Operations Manager will be responsible for ensuring appropriate operational documentation is completed.
Responsibilities include:
- Ensure snow and ice activities are properly documented using company systems.
- Verify completion of required site inspections.
- Ensure photographs, timestamps, GPS information and service records are properly recorded.
- Review employee and subcontractor field documentation for completeness and accuracy.
- Document hazardous or unusual site conditions.
- Report property damage, incidents and significant safety concerns.
- Maintain records of corrective actions.
- Provide ownership with concise operational updates during significant weather events.
- Identify outstanding work, staffing concerns, subcontractor concerns, equipment problems and potential client issues.
7. Safety & Risk Management
As a member of management, the Snow Operations Manager is responsible for promoting and enforcing safe work practices.
Responsibilities include:
- Ensure employees and subcontractors follow company safety procedures and safe-work practices.
- Ensure appropriate PPE is used.
- Identify and address unsafe working conditions.
- Ensure employees and subcontractors are informed of known hazards.
- Respond appropriately to potential slip-and-fall hazards.
- Report incidents, injuries, property damage and significant safety concerns.
- Take reasonable immediate action where conditions present a risk to employees, subcontractors, clients or the public.
- Ensure equipment is operated safely and appropriately.
- Promote a culture of accountability, safety and professional conduct.
Management Authority & Decision-Making
The Snow Operations Manager is expected to exercise independent judgment in managing winter field operations.
Within established company policies, budgets, contractual requirements and safety procedures, the Manager will have authority to:
- Deploy crews, subcontractors and equipment.
- Assign and reassign employee and subcontractor work.
- Modify routes and priorities.
- Determine when additional snow or ice-control service is operationally required.
- Direct employees or subcontractors to return to sites where deficiencies are identified.
- Arrange replacement coverage for absent employees or unavailable subcontractors.
- Reallocate equipment and personnel between sites.
- Direct operational responses to changing weather and site conditions.
- Provide employees with performance direction and corrective coaching.
- Provide subcontractors with operational direction and service-quality feedback.
- Make recommendations to ownership regarding staffing, discipline, subcontractor performance, equipment and operational improvements.
Significant expenditures, termination of employees, execution of new subcontract agreements, material pricing changes, material changes to client contracts and other major business decisions remain subject to approval by ownership.
Schedule & Availability
Snow and ice management is weather dependent and does not follow a conventional Monday-to-Friday schedule.
The Snow Operations Manager must be available as reasonably required to manage winter operations, including:
- Early mornings.
- Overnight periods.
- Evenings.
- Weekends.
- Statutory holidays.
- Short-notice weather events.
- Extended snow events.
- Freezing rain and ice events.
- Periods requiring repeated site inspections.
The Manager is expected to organize their working time around operational requirements and maintain sufficient availability to effectively manage the company's winter operations.
During periods of mild weather, the workload may be substantially lighter. During significant winter events, considerably greater availability may be required.
Qualifications
Required
- Valid Alberta Class 5 driver's licence with an acceptable driver's abstract.
- Previous experience in snow removal, landscape operations, property maintenance, construction or a comparable field-based environment.
- Previous supervisory, foreman, management or crew-lead experience.
- Demonstrated ability to lead employees and make independent decisions.
- Strong organizational, communication and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to manage multiple crews, subcontractors, sites and operational priorities simultaneously.
- Knowledge of snow and ice management practices.
- Ability to assess snow and ice conditions and determine appropriate operational responses.
- Willingness and ability to perform snow and ice work when operational circumstances require additional support.
- Ability to work outdoors in winter conditions.
- Comfortable using smartphones, GPS, digital reporting systems, photographs and weather applications.
Preferred
- Commercial or municipal snow and ice management experience.
- Previous management of multiple snow-removal crews and subcontractors.
- Experience operating plow trucks and sanding trucks.
- Experience operating loaders, skid steers and sidewalk snow equipment.
- Experience managing contractual service requirements and response times.
- Experience coordinating and evaluating subcontracted field services.
- Experience with documented site inspections and snow-and-ice liability management.
- Relevant safety, equipment-operation or traffic-control training.
Ideal Candidate
The successful Snow Operations Manager will be:
- A leader – capable of directing employees and subcontractors and holding service providers accountable.
- Independent – able to manage routine winter operations without constant direction from ownership.
- Proactive – identifies problems before they become client complaints or incidents.
- Decisive – makes timely and reasonable operational decisions.
- Reliable – understands that winter operations require availability when weather conditions dictate.
- Organized – effectively manages multiple crews, subcontractors, sites, equipment and priorities.
- Observant – recognizes changing site conditions, hazards and service deficiencies.
- Accountable – takes ownership of the winter operation and follows issues through to completion.
- Team-oriented – willing to assist operationally when unusual circumstances require additional manpower.
- Safety-focused – understands the responsibility associated with managing employees, subcontractors and public-facing snow and ice operations.
Pay: $65,000.00-$80,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company car
- Dental care
- Vision care
Work Location: In person
