General Manager
Client name disclosed upon mutual interest.
Location: Jackson or Bradford, Tennessee
Compensation: $150,000-$175,000 base salary + bonus
Industry: Precision Manufacturing
About the Role
We are looking for a General Manager to run a small precision manufacturing operation serving customers across oil and gas, power, and other industrial markets. This is a true operating role with ownership of production, purchasing, quality, equipment maintenance, the team, and the P&L.
This is a player-coach position. The General Manager will lead a team of under 20, including a four-person leadership team, and is expected to stay close to the work. The right person will be comfortable solving problems directly, coaching from the floor, and taking ownership in an environment without layers of functional support.
Responsibilities
Lead the Team
- Lead, develop, and hold accountable a team of under 20 across the front office, programming/design, shop floor, and sales/new product development.
- Set clear performance standards, have direct performance conversations, and follow through fairly and consistently.
- Oversee site-level hiring, onboarding, and discipline with support from the parent company's HR resources.
Own Throughput and Execution
- Own the flow of orders through the plant, including job release, sequencing, capacity planning, and labor allocation against promised dates.
- Hit monthly shipment targets by coordinating the front office, programming, shop floor, and sales around one operating plan.
- Identify and remove constraints limiting output, with particular focus on equipment capacity and uptime.
Support Commercial Growth
- Manage the sales and new product development lead and share ownership of the commercial result.
- Serve as the senior technical contact for key customers, including escalations, expedites, and new part development.
- Support quoting and pricing through sound job costing and informed make-versus-buy decisions.
Own Purchasing and Supply Chain
- Personally source raw material, negotiate pricing and terms, issue purchase orders, and manage domestic and international vendor lead times.
- Manage the supplier base and improve inventory accuracy, working capital, and payment terms.
- Partner with finance on month-end inventory valuation and close.
Drive Quality, Safety, and Maintenance
- Own the quality system, inspection process, corrective action, scrap, and rework performance.
- Maintain a safe operation, including OSHA compliance, incident investigation, PPE, lockout/tagout, safety training, and applicable environmental requirements.
- Build and implement a proactive maintenance schedule, prioritize equipment by business risk, and lead new equipment installation and operator training.
Build Better Systems
- Lead the site's ERP implementation alongside the parent company team, including quality control and shop-floor job tracking.
- Report monthly on bookings, shipments, gross margin, on-time delivery, scrap, and quality complaints.
- Evaluate existing systems and processes for elimination, simplification, or improvement.
Requirements
Must-Haves
- Five or more years leading a manufacturing operation with P&L or full cost accountability.
- Hands-on purchasing experience, including personally sourcing material and negotiating vendor pricing and terms.
- Demonstrated project management ability, able to build a plan, sequence it, fund it, and finish it.
- Experience in a small-company environment where leaders do the work rather than simply delegate it.
- Willingness to have direct, fair performance conversations and hold standards consistently.
- Comfort with ERP systems; implementation experience is a significant plus.
- Ability to live within commuting distance of Jackson or Bradford, Tennessee, or willingness to relocate.
Nice-to-Haves
- Personal interest in machining, manufacturing, building, restoring, or making things.
- Bearing, bushing, compressor component, electroplating, or chemical-process manufacturing experience.
- Maintenance planning or reliability experience.
- ISO 9001, PPAP, or formal quality-system experience.
- Degree in mechanical engineering, industrial technology, or a related field.
Compensation & Benefits
- Base Salary: $150,000-$175,000, depending on experience
- Bonus: Performance-based bonus opportunity
- Relocation assistance available for the right candidate
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits
- 401(k) with company matching and paid time off
