What are the responsibilities and job description for the General Manager – Precision Machining position at Gradel Professional Search?
Position Summary
The General Manager is responsible for the overall performance and leadership of the client company, including safety, quality, delivery, profitability, customer relationships, workforce development, and long-term growth.
This individual will have full operating responsibility for the business and will lead the development and execution of its annual operating plan. The General Manager will work closely with the company leadership team and corporate leadership to improve operational performance, expand customer relationships, develop new business, and strengthen the company’s position as a leading provider of precision Swiss-style machined components.
The successful candidate will combine strong manufacturing leadership with financial discipline, commercial judgment, and the ability to build an accountable, high-performing organization.
Roles and Responsibilities
1. Business and Financial Leadership
Assume full responsibility for the company’s financial and operating performance, including revenue, profitability, cash flow, working capital, and capital deployment.
Develop and execute annual budgets, operating plans, forecasts, and strategic growth initiatives.
Set and monitor key performance indicators and take timely corrective action when performance falls below expectations.
Identify opportunities to improve pricing, product mix, productivity, capacity utilization, and margins.
Prepare and present operating results, forecasts, risks, and action plans to corporate executive leadership.
2. Operational Excellence
Provide leadership across manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, maintenance, and administrative functions.
Improve throughput, machine utilization, labor efficiency, scheduling, setup reduction, scrap, and on-time delivery.
Establish clear performance expectations and promote disciplined use of operating metrics.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives using appropriate lean-manufacturing and problem-solving methods.
Evaluate capacity requirements and recommend equipment, automation, technology, and facility investments.
Maintain a safe, organized, and professional working environment.
3. Commercial Growth and Customer Leadership
Maintain strong relationships with key customers and serve as an executive point of contact when appropriate.
Partner with the corporate commercial organization to pursue new customers, programs, and market opportunities.
Ensure quotations reflect appropriate costs, risks, capacity requirements, lead times, and profitability expectations.
Support customer negotiations involving pricing, delivery, quality, contracts, and long-term agreements.
Develop strategies to increase share of wallet with existing customers while improving customer and market diversification.
4. Quality and Compliance
Maintain a strong culture of quality, traceability, and continuous improvement.
Ensure compliance with customer requirements, applicable regulatory obligations, and the company’s quality-management system.
Support effective root-cause analysis and timely corrective action for internal and customer quality issues.
Ensure the organization remains prepared for customer, regulatory, and certification audits.
5. People and Organizational Leadership
Build, coach, and retain a capable leadership team with clear roles, objectives, and accountability.
Develop succession plans and strengthen the technical and leadership capabilities of the organization.
Promote open communication, teamwork, urgency, and personal accountability.
Ensure staffing, training, and workforce-development plans support current production requirements and future growth.
Foster a culture consistent with corporate values and operating philosophy.
6. Parent Company Collaboration
Participate actively in parent company leadership meetings, planning processes, and portfolio-wide initiatives.
Share capabilities, capacity, customer opportunities, and operating best practices with other sister operating companies.
Leverage corporate parent resources in areas such as sales, finance, human resources, information technology, cybersecurity, and capital planning.
Support cross-company opportunities that improve service to customers and create value for the broader organization.
Qualifications and Education Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, business, or a related field; equivalent manufacturing leadership experience may be considered.
10 years of progressively responsible manufacturing experience.
5 years of leadership experience with responsibility for operations, financial results, and organizational performance.
Demonstrated experience managing a manufacturing operation or business unit with meaningful P&L responsibility.
Strong understanding of machining economics, labor and overhead utilization, capacity planning, quoting, and capital investment.
Experience interpreting financial statements, budgets, forecasts, and operational performance metrics.
Proven ability to improve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and profitability.
Experience leading and developing salaried and hourly employees.
Preferred Skills
Experience leading a precision-machining, Swiss machining, or similarly technical manufacturing operation.
Familiarity with Citizen, Tornos, or comparable CNC Swiss-style equipment.
Experience serving medical, semiconductor, aerospace and defense, or other highly regulated and demanding markets.
Working knowledge of ISO 9001 or AS9100D and customer-specific quality requirements.
Experience with ERP systems, production scheduling, job costing, and data-driven performance management. JobBoss² experience a plus.
Background in lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, automation, and lights-out production.
Experience integrating or operating within a multi-site or private-equity-backed manufacturing organization.
Strong commercial skills, including customer development, pricing, quoting, and contract negotiation.
Additional Notes
This position reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the parent company and has overall responsibility for the performance of the local operating business. The General Manager is expected to maintain a strong on-site presence while collaborating regularly with corporate executive leadership and the leaders of other portfolio operating companies.