Chief Executive Officer

SF Recruitment; East Hampshire; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A growing manufacturing business in the UK is seeking an exceptional Chief Executive Officer to lead its next phase of expansion and journey towards Private Equity investment. This role requires a visionary leader with a proven track record in driving growth and innovation, a deep understanding of production and supply chain management, and strong cultural leadership skills. The CEO will shape the business's future while ensuring operational excellence and expanding its international presence.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of leading a business through a significant growth journey.
• Deep understanding of production and supply chain processes.
• Experience in international markets, particularly the US.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership while managing operational details.
• Drive performance and culture for continued excellence.
• Expand the company's international footprint.

Skills

Leadership in growth environments

Understanding of production and supply chain

Cultural leadership skills

Strategic planning experience

Relationship building

Job description

The Role

We are seeking an exceptional Chief Executive Officer to lead a successful and growing UK manufacturing business through its next phase of expansion, and journey towards Private Equity investment.

The CEO will provide strategic leadership while remaining hands‑on with the operational details, ensuring continued excellence in manufacturing and innovation. With revenues on a strong upward trajectory, this role requires a leader capable of driving both performance and culture while expanding the company's international footprint.

Key Requirements

• Proven track record of leading a business through a significant growth journey, ideally within manufacturing.
• Deep understanding of production, supply chain, and operational scaling.
• Exposure to international markets (ideally including the US).
• Strong cultural leadership skills - able to inspire, engage, and develop teams, fostering a high‑performance environment.
• Commercially astute with experience of strategic planning and execution.
• Highly collaborative, approachable, and resilient, with the ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders.

The Candidate

We are looking for an experienced and inspirational leader with both vision and pragmatism. You will understand the world of Private Equity and play a key role in shaping the business' future. You will combine commercial acumen with operational depth, be comfortable in the detail while setting a clear long‑term direction, and bring the passion and resilience required to build on an already successful foundation.