General Manager

Axios Professional Recruitment is partnered with a growing organization in the brass manufacturing industry seeking a General Manager to support the launch and leadership of a brand-new facility. Successful candidates will bring deep expertise in brass machining and manufacturing processes, along with strong operational leadership and business development capabilities within a start-up style environment. This is a highly visible leadership role requiring a hands-on leader who can balance technical engineering expertise with strategic business management.

Responsibilities

Facility Launch & Operational Leadership

• Lead the redevelopment and operational launch of the manufacturing facility, including equipment implementation, process development, staffing, and production readiness.
• Provide full P&L responsibility for the business unit, including budgeting, forecasting, capital planning, cost control, and profitability improvement initiatives.
• Oversee daily operations through a team of department leaders including engineering, finance, maintenance, operations, and production.
• Lead hiring, organizational development, and workforce planning efforts as the facility continues to scale, including recruitment of operators, engineers, and leadership personnel.
• Partner closely with the current Plant Manager to ensure a successful leadership transition and knowledge transfer.
• Lead capital equipment planning, purchasing, installation, and implementation to support operational growth, efficiency improvements, and capacity expansion.
• Drive successful launch of new customer programs while ensuring quality, timing, and customer expectations are achieved.
• Build and maintain strong customer relationships by supporting program launches, resolving technical challenges, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction.
• Utilize deep knowledge of brass machining, brass alloys, tooling, feeds/speeds, and manufacturing processes to drive operational success and continuous improvement.
• Support business development initiatives and collaborate with sales teams to identify opportunities within the domestic brass machining market.

Ongoing Business & Plant Leadership

• Establish and drive the strategic direction for the business unit to support profitable growth and long-term operational success.
• Oversee new business assessments and support sales growth initiatives to ensure profitable expansion opportunities.
• Champion company strategies and continuous improvement initiatives throughout the organization.
• Lead lean manufacturing and operational excellence initiatives focused on quality, cost reduction, productivity, safety, customer satisfaction, and on-time delivery.
• Manage plant performance metrics including EBIT, ROIC, sales growth, operational cost improvement, and successful new product launches.
• Maintain and improve plant profitability through operational efficiencies, cost management, and productivity improvements.
• Conduct weekly and monthly forecasting, production planning, and capacity reviews to ensure operational and customer requirements are achieved.
• Lead the annual business planning and budgeting process.
• Provide leadership for employee relations through effective communication, coaching, training, mentoring, and team development initiatives.
• Lead cross-functional problem-solving efforts to drive operational improvements and strengthen working relationships across departments.
• Ensure compliance with quality standards, OSHA regulations, environmental requirements, company policies, and all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Determine operational staffing and headcount needs to support production and business objectives.
• Identify and lead capital investment and continuous improvement projects that support long-term operational growth and efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, or related field preferred.
• Minimum 7–10 years of leadership experience within a machining or manufacturing environment.
• Strong expertise in brass machining is required; experience with bronze, copper, and aluminum machining is also highly valued.
• Demonstrated understanding of the brass manufacturing market, customer base, and industry trends.
• Experience leading manufacturing operations with full P&L responsibility; experience leading facility startups, operational turnarounds, or redevelopment initiatives preferred.
• Strong engineering and technical manufacturing background with hands-on operational leadership experience.
• Experience managing customer relationships and supporting successful program launches in demanding manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated success building and developing teams within a growing or evolving organization.
• Strong knowledge of lean manufacturing principles, Kaizen, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Excellent communication, leadership, organizational, and decision-making skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Willingness to travel nationally as needed to support customers, business development, and operations.

Preferred Leadership Profile

• Hands-on operational leader with strong technical credibility and brass machining expertise.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to build, launch, and scale manufacturing operations.
• Strong relationship builder capable of working effectively with customers, employees, and leadership teams.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, evolving, start-up style manufacturing environment.
• Driven leader with the ability to lead change, develop teams, and execute strategic growth initiatives successfully.

Axios Professional Recruitment - an entirely employee-owned company - is the largest independent employer in West Michigan. Our mission is to match people with meaningful, long-lasting, and enjoyable careers, not just a job. Since 1988, we've helped match over 300,000 people just like you with top employers across West Michigan.