General Manager

• Successful 35+ year business entering a new phase of development.
• Work alongside the owner through a planned leadership transition.
• Strengthen commercial focus, leadership capability & focus on business growth.

The Opportunity

Our client is a successful New Zealand manufacturing business with more than 35 years of operating history.

The business has a loyal customer base, experienced people, established products and a strong technical foundation.

The opportunity now is to build on that success.

The long-serving owner is looking to progressively reduce his day-to-day involvement and focus more time on international business and specialist projects. This creates the need for a General Manager who can work alongside him through a controlled transition, while progressively taking greater responsibility for the overall business.

A key focus will be re-energising the organisation, strengthening the sales and customer service focus, developing the management team, embedding better business systems and preparing the company for sustainable future growth.

The Role

Reporting to the owner, you will take responsibility across the commercial, operational, financial and people aspects of the business.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading overall business performance and day-to-day management.
• Working with the owner to translate strategy into clear priorities and action.
• Supporting and directing the Sales Manager to grow sales and strengthen customer relationships.
• Developing a capable and accountable management structure.
• Improving business planning, reporting and financial discipline.
• Implementing and embedding the new ERP system.
• Strengthening customer service, operational performance and internal systems.
• Supporting supply chain, procurement, inventory and supplier management.
• Leading health and safety, compliance and business risk.
• Identifying opportunities for growth, efficiency and improved profitability.
• Building a business that can operate increasingly independently of the owner.

The role has broad responsibility across strategy, commercial performance, operations, leadership and business improvement.

Skills & Experience

We are looking for an experienced General Manager or senior business leader with a strong commercial and operational background.

You will ideally bring:

• Senior leadership experience within manufacturing or a related industrial environment.
• Broad responsibility across operations, people and commercial performance.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen.
• Experience leading and developing managers.
• A strong customer and sales orientation.
• Experience improving systems, processes and business performance.
• Confidence working with owners, Boards, customers and suppliers.
• The ability to lead change while retaining what already works.
• Strong judgement, communication and relationship management skills.

Previous General Manager experience would be advantageous, although a senior Operations, Manufacturing or Business Unit leader with the breadth to step into a GM role may also be considered.

Experience within an owner-managed business would be particularly relevant.

How to Apply

This is an opportunity to take a central role in the next chapter of a successful New Zealand business.

You will work alongside an experienced owner, inherit a solid platform and have the mandate to strengthen leadership, commercial focus and business capability for the future.

Apply online, or contact Theo Lawson on 021 710 743 or John Lawson on 021 922 930 for a confidential discussion.

Who is Lawson Williams?

At Lawson Williams, we have supported New Zealand's manufacturing, supply, engineering and wider technical businesses for over 30 years.

We work alongside some of the country's most respected companies to connect them with leaders, technical specialists, and operational professionals who drive performance across operations, manufacturing, supply chain, engineering, quality, and technical sales functions.

For the professionals we work with, a career move through Lawson Williams means joining businesses where you can make a real impact, contribute to business improvement, and continue to grow your career over the long term.

We do not shout about what we do, but the relationships we build and the trust we earn speak for themselves.

We look forward to working with you when the time is right.