General Manager (lighting/electrical distribution)

Industry: Lighting/electrical distributor

Compensation: $$230K-$290K via $200K-235K base 20-30% target bonus

Location: Onsite in: Schaumburg, IL area

The General Manager is responsible for the overall operating and financial performance of a growing lighting, electrical, sustainability, and design-focused business group, with direct accountability for P&L, revenue growth, gross margin, operating expenses, people, processes, and execution.

This position serves as the senior day-to-day business leader, translating company strategy into measurable operating results. The successful candidate will combine financial discipline, operational leadership, commercial judgment, and people management.

This is not solely an operations position. The General Manager must understand how sales, estimating, purchasing, project management, inventory, vendor relationships, logistics, and customer experience work together to drive profitable growth.

P&L Ownership & Financial Performance

• Own and manage the P&L across the operating businesses.
• Develop annual operating plans, budgets, forecasts, and financial targets with executive leadership.
• Drive performance against revenue, gross margin, operating expense, EBITDA, and working-capital objectives.
• Regularly review financial and operating results and take corrective action when performance falls below plan.
• Establish departmental accountability for financial and operational performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability through pricing, purchasing, productivity, inventory, freight, and operating efficiencies.
• Maintain visibility into backlog, pipeline, bookings, revenue, margin, and cash-flow drivers.

Business Leadership & Commercial Performance

• Provide day-to-day leadership across the businesses and translate strategic priorities into operating plans.
• Establish annual, quarterly, and monthly objectives for each functional area.
• Create a culture where expectations, ownership, deadlines, and results are clearly defined.
• Partner with sales leadership to achieve revenue and gross-margin objectives.
• Maintain visibility into major opportunities, strategic accounts, pipeline, backlog, and customer concentration.
• Participate in strategy for major customers and significant projects.
• Expand opportunities within key accounts while balancing revenue growth with profitability and risk.

Operations & Execution

• Oversee performance from quote through procurement, project management, delivery, invoicing, and closeout.
• Establish consistent processes, responsibilities, and service standards across departments.
• Improve communication and handoffs between sales, estimating, purchasing, project management, warehouse/logistics, accounting, and customer service.
• Monitor project profitability and identify margin erosion early.
• Improve forecasting of materials, purchasing, inventory, and delivery schedules.
• Develop operating systems and reporting that provide clear visibility into business performance.

Purchasing, Vendor & Supply Chain

• Ensure purchasing strategies support competitive pricing and targeted gross margins.
• Strengthen vendor management and negotiation practices.
• Monitor vendor performance, lead times, rebates, freight, payment terms, and purchasing concentration.
• Develop strategic manufacturer and supplier relationships that create competitive advantages.

People & Organizational Leadership

• Lead, coach, and hold department leaders accountable for performance.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority.
• Develop measurable goals and KPIs for managers and departments.
• Identify organizational gaps and recommend hiring, restructuring, training, or development.
• Develop future leaders and reduce dependency on individual employees or institutional knowledge.
• Build a culture centered on accountability, urgency, teamwork, customer service, and profitability.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in distribution, electrical, lighting, construction-related products, project-based distribution, or a comparable industry.
• Demonstrated experience managing a business unit or significant operation with P&L responsibility.
• Strong understanding of revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, budgeting, forecasting, and working capital.
• Experience leading multiple functional departments.
• Strong commercial instincts and understanding of sales and customer relationships.
• Experience improving operational processes and organizational accountability.
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to develop teams and hold leaders accountable for measurable results.

What Success Looks Like

• Financial and operating performance is visible and managed through clear metrics.
• Department leaders own results and are measured against defined KPIs.
• Projects move consistently from quote to procurement, delivery, invoicing, and closeout.
• Margins are proactively protected through pricing, purchasing, freight, project management, and change-order discipline.
• Executive leadership can focus on strategy, major customers, growth opportunities, partnerships, and the future of the company rather than routine operating issues.