Manager, Forest Productivity and Optimization

Overview

Company Overview:
Come grow with us! We are One Rayonier, a team that works together to create value by prioritizing safety, challenging the status quo, giving back to our communities, and driving innovation through continuous learning. With nearly 100 years of experience, we’re still discovering new ways to make lives better with our trees, our land, and — our most important resource — our people.

At Rayonier, we strive to create an employee experience where you feel valued and proud to be part of our team. We foster a respectful, inclusive and collaborative environment that celebrates your unique talents and perspectives. Experience the Rayonier difference:
We’re big enough to offer exciting career paths, but small enough for you to know your colleagues by name. Come join a team that empowers you to make a difference!

Role:
Manager, Forest Productivity & Optimization. You will champion efforts to enhance the efficiency, productivity, and long-term sustainability of our forestry operations. In this role, you will lead high-impact process improvement projects, leverage data analysis to uncover optimization opportunities, and establish operational best practices across the organization. You will serve as the vital technical link between research and practice—translating tree improvement, nutrition, and silvicultural research into actionable field strategies that empower our foresters and maximize timberland value.

• Operational Optimization:
  Identify and implement strategies to improve operational efficiency, productivity, and resource allocation while eliminating process bottlenecks.
• Process Improvement & Best Practices:
  Structure and manage continuous improvement projects; develop and scale cost-efficiency initiatives across forestry operations.
• Field Research & Applied Innovation:
  Design and implement field trials to evaluate emerging technologies, silvicultural practices, tree improvement, and forest nutrition. Manage and mentor contractors and employees involved in research activities.
• Research Cooperative
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Partner with university and industry research cooperatives, coordinating activities to maximize operational and financial benefits.
• Data & Analytics:
  Collect and analyze financial and operational forestry data to identify trends, establish benchmarks, and drive strategic decision-making.
• Financial Stewardship:
  Oversee project budgets and forecasts, maintain strict cost controls, and perform quarterly variance reporting.
• Technology Transfer:
  Act as a technical advisor to silviculture managers, field foresters, and contractors, ensuring research findings are effectively adopted in daily operations.
• Safety & Sustainability:
  Actively promote our culture of safety and ensure productivity initiatives align with sustainability commitments and environmental stewardship goals.

• Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Forestry, Forest Management, or a related field. A Master of Science in Forestry or a related discipline is preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of five (5) years of experience in forestry operations or a Master’s in Forestry or a closely related field with a minimum of three (3) years of experience. Knowledge in one or more sun-disciplines of forestry (e.g., genetics, soils, biometrics, entomology, pathology) is desired.
• Core Forestry Knowledge: Strong understanding of silvicultural practices, harvesting operations, and forest management principles.
• Industry Acumen: Knowledge of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in forest management.
• Technical
  
  Skills:
  
  Strong GIS skills with ArcGIS Enterprise; analytical skills including statistical analysis of forestry data with R; proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel).
• Project & Process Management: Experience with data analysis, process improvement methodologies, and project management. Ability to independently manage projects and initiatives, set priorities, and seek direction as needed to align with business objectives.
• Other: Valid driver’s license.

This role is physically active, requiring regular movement indoors and outdoors. It may involve office work with travel…