General Manager

HR Staff n' Stuff; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Permanent position

Competitive remuneration package

Job summary

HR Staff n' Stuff is seeking a General Manager to lead overall business performance in a well-established Australian manufacturing environment. You will oversee Operations, Finance, and Commercial functions, aligning strategy with execution and driving profitability, cash flow, and growth.

Reporting to the Board, you will build a high-performance Leadership Team, manage risk, and ensure reliable systems and data to support decision-making.

Qualifications

• Substantial senior manufacturing leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of Board-approved business plans, budgets and strategic priorities.
• Own overall financial, operational and commercial results, addressing performance gaps early.
• Oversee profit, cash flow and working capital, including inventory and customer commitments.
• Lead and develop functional managers, setting clear expectations and accountability.
• Align sales opportunities and customer agreements with margin, risk, capacity and delivery requirements.
• Drive measurable improvements in safety, quality, service, manufacturing efficiency and cost.
• Evaluate growth and capital investment opportunities and ensure approved initiatives deliver benefits.
• Maintain effective risk, compliance and business continuity arrangements with reliable systems and data.
• Provide clear Board reporting and recommendations, operating within delegated authority and escalating material risks.

Job description

About us

Our client is a well-established Australian manufacturer with a proud history of delivering high-quality packaging solutions to customers across a range of industries. Built on strong family values, operational excellence and a commitment to continuous improvement, they have earned a reputation as a trusted partner to their customers.

About the role

We are seeking a practical, commercially astute General Manager to lead overall business performance and turn strategy into sustainable results.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, you will lead the Operations Manager, Finance and Business Operations Manager and National Sales Manager. You will be accountable for profitability, cash flow, operational performance and growth, delivering results through capable managers with clear responsibilities.

As the Integrator within the Gamsee Operating System (GOS), you will align customer commitments, manufacturing capability and financial resources. You will build an accountable Leadership Team, resolve competing priorities and strengthen the people and systems that support reliable performance.

Key responsibilities

In this role, you will:

• Lead delivery of Board-approved business plans, budgets and strategic priorities.
• Own overall financial, operational and commercial results, addressing performance gaps early.
• Oversee profit, cash flow and working capital, including inventory and customer commitments.
• Lead and develop functional managers, setting clear expectations and following through on accountability.
• Align sales opportunities and customer agreements with margin, risk, capacity and delivery requirements.
• Drive measurable improvements in safety, quality, service, manufacturing efficiency and cost.
• Evaluate growth and capital investment opportunities and ensure approved initiatives deliver their intended benefits.
• Maintain effective risk, compliance and business continuity arrangements, supported by reliable systems and data.
• Provide clear Board reporting and recommendations, operating within delegated authority and escalating material risks.

About you

• You are an experienced manufacturing business leader who understands how commercial decisions, operational performance and cash fit together. You lead through managers, stay close enough to understand the business and turn information into practical action.
• You set clear expectations, address issues constructively and build teams that deliver on their commitments.
• To be successful, you will bring:
• Substantial senior manufacturing leadership experience, with proven accountability for overall business performance.
• Demonstrated profit and loss responsibility, including budgeting, forecasting, cash flow and working capital.
• Experience leading managers across operations, finance and commercial activities in a multi-shift manufacturing business.
• Sound commercial judgement across pricing, customer profitability, contract risk and growth opportunities.
• The ability to translate strategy into practical plans, measurable priorities and accountable execution.
• Experience reporting to a Board or business owners and presenting clear recommendations.
• A strong understanding of Australian workplace health and safety responsibilities.
• Clear communication, sound judgement and the ability to coach managers and resolve cross-functional issues.

Experience in plastics manufacturing, injection moulding, in-mould labelling, food-grade manufacturing or FMCG supply would be highly regarded. Relevant tertiary qualifications, lean manufacturing experience and familiarity with EOS or a comparable business operating system would also be advantageous.

What we offer

• Overall business leadership responsibility with direct reporting to the Board.
• The opportunity to shape sustainable growth, improve performance and strengthen management capability.
• A permanent position with an established Australian manufacturer.
• A competitive remuneration package based on experience and capability.