Managing Director

Elevation Recruitment Group; West Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Elevation Recruitment Group is seeking a commercially-driven Managing Director to lead a long-established precision engineering business. You will report to the Board, own the growth agenda, and shape the company’s future across Aerospace, Defence and high-value markets.

You will win new business, expand strategic accounts with OEMs and Tier One suppliers, build a high-performing leadership team, protect margins, and drive investments with the operations group while pursuing select acquisitions

Qualifications

• Proven track record of growing multi-million-pound order books in aerospace/defence or precision manufacturing.
• Existing relationships with OEMs and Tier One suppliers.
• Strong commercial credibility in leading high-value engineering programs.
• Board-level experience in precision engineering or advanced manufacturing.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort in boardroom and shop floor.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a long-term commercial growth strategy.
• Win new business and expand strategic accounts across aerospace, defence, and precision manufacturing.
• Build relationships with OEMs, Tier One suppliers and key industry decision-makers.
• Lead and inspire an experienced senior leadership team.
• Protect margins, drive operational excellence and support investment decisions.
• Identify future acquisition, partnership and market development opportunities.

Job description

Precision Engineering | Aerospace & Defence

Our client is a highly respected, privately-owned precision engineering business with a proud manufacturing heritage spanning more than 60 years. Operating from a well-invested UK facility, alongside an established overseas manufacturing presence, the business supplies mission-critical components into some of the world's most demanding industrial sectors, including Aerospace, Defence, Power Generation, Oil & Gas and Heavy Off-Highway equipment.

With a loyal blue-chip customer base, exceptional engineering capability and an outstanding reputation for quality, the business is entering an exciting new phase of growth and is now seeking an entrepreneurial, commercially-driven Managing Director to lead it there.

The Opportunity

This is not a turnaround, and it is not simply an operational leadership role.

It is a rare opportunity to take the helm of an established, profitable engineering business and shape its future, growing the order book, developing new strategic accounts and expanding its footprint across Aerospace, Defence and other high-value markets.

A future Management Buy Out (MBO) opportunity is genuinely on the table for the right individual, offering a route to long-term ownership and value creation, not just a salary.

The Role

Reporting directly to the Board, you will take full responsibility for the commercial and operational performance of the business, with a clear mandate: grow the business.

• Develop and execute a long-term commercial growth strategy.
• Win new business and expand strategic accounts across Aerospace, Defence and precision engineering markets.
• Build relationships with OEMs, Tier One suppliers and key industry decision-makers.
• Lead and inspire an experienced senior leadership team.
• Protect margins, drive operational excellence and support investment decisions alongside the existing operational team.
• Identify future acquisition, partnership and market development opportunities.

About You

You are likely to be an experienced Managing Director, General Manager, Sales Director, Commercial Director or senior Business Leader with:

• A proven track record of winning business and growing multi-million-pound order books within Aerospace, Defence or precision/advanced manufacturing.
• Existing relationships across major OEMs and Tier One suppliers.
• Strong commercial credibility, having led complex, high-value engineering programmes.
• Experience leading precision engineering or advanced manufacturing businesses at Board level.
• An entrepreneurial mindset as comfortable in the boardroom as on the shop floor.