General Manager (Aerospace)

Acara Solutions, Inc.; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 275,000 - 285,000; Full time

Job summary

Acara Solutions, Inc. seeks a dynamic general manager to lead a fast-moving aerospace tooling business unit, aligning people, systems, and finances to achieve growth and client satisfaction.

The role requires extensive international experience, strategic vision, and a track record in operations excellence, change management, and talent development within a global organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or business.
• Minimum 5 years of aerospace manufacturing experience.
• Minimum 10 years of manufacturing/business management experience.
• Minimum 3 years of international operations experience.
• Up to 20% travel domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of strategic plans for tooling unit.
• Drive KPI-based performance and continuous improvement.
• Oversee day-to-day tooling unit operations and vendor relations.
• Lead change initiatives and manage budgets/forecasts.
• Mentor senior leadership and build high-performing teams.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic Planning

Change Management

Operations Management

Business Development

Education

Bachelor's in engineering or business

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Compensation:$275K - $285K plus disc bonus up to 35% of base

About the Opportunity:

Our international aerospace client is seeking a dynamic, strategic general manager (with extensive international experience) to lead their organization's daily operations and drive sustainable growth. The general manager will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the tooling business unit's strategic vision, ensuring operational excellence, and fostering a high-performance culture. This energetic leader will oversee multiple departments, optimize processes, and implement innovative solutions to enhance efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction. The ideal candidate is a seasoned senior leader within the aerospace tooling or similar industry with a passion for management, change management, growth, and business development, ready to inspire teams and propel the organization forward.

The general manager will foster a culture of safety, staff development, product and process quality, customer and OEM development, and continuous improvement while collaborating with the organization's Leadership Team to leverage growth opportunities domestically and internationally.

The successful candidate will take operational ownership of a fast-moving business unit with a strong reputation for responsiveness and quality execution. You'll be responsible for aligning people, systems, and financial performance to meet growth goals and deliver to client expectations.

What You'll Do

• Lead the development and execution of strategic plans to deliver performance across our business tooling unit initiatives.
• Foster a high-performance and results-driven culture through KPIs, key metrics, and goals.
• Develop and implement comprehensive strategic plans that align with organizational goals, fostering long-term growth and operational excellence.
• Oversee the day-to-day of the tooling business unit, ensuring seamless coordination and efficiency on customer engagement, OEM relationships, and suppliers' development and quality.
• Lead change management initiatives to adapt to evolving market conditions and drive continuous improvement.
• Manage budgets, forecasts, and financial planning to support sustainable business development.
• Supervise senior leadership teams, providing mentorship and guidance to cultivate leadership talent.
• Develop and implement best practices to drive efficiency, reduce cost, and improve quality with vendors and logistic partners, and overall business unit operations.
• Provide strong partnership and communication to the Business leadership, supporting brand growth and delivering efficient service to the customer.
• Participates in the overall enhancement of the global supply chain.
• Foster a high-performance and results-driven culture through KPIs (example, customer and quality rating), key metrics, and goals.
• Leverage analytics to identify areas of opportunity and to deliver measurable results that align with our strategy.
• Set and manage resources and expense budgets with the finance team to ensure budgets are aligned and develop staffing models.
• Build and lead a top-talent product management organization that sets operating standards and drives transformation across the Business Unit.
• Build and manage the Tooling Business Unit Roadmap, ensuring regular updates, transparency, and alignment with the overall enterprise organization strategy.
• Develop a deep understanding of current business processes and gaps to inform product delivery and process improvement.
• Create, improve, and scale business processes to support transformation and operational excellence and establish and maintain strong relationships with business leaders and cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and optimization

Job Requirements

What You'll Bring (Requirements)

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or business - preference with a master's degree.
• Min 5 years of aerospace manufacturing experience
• Min 10 years of Manufacturing/Business management experience
• Min 3 years of recent international operations experience
• The position requires up to 20% travel as required domestically and internationally
• Min 3 years of experience dealing with overseas suppliers, tariffs, manufacturing plants

What Set's You Apart (Preferred)

• Aerospace Tooling experience
• Ideally experience with an operation with sales in excess of $50M - $100M
• Proven experience in operations management with a strong background in strategic planning and business development
• Demonstrated success in supervising teams and leading large-scale change management initiatives
• Extensive knowledge of process improvement methodologies and project management best practices
• Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to motivate diverse teams and influence stakeholders at all levels
• Excellent communication skills with a transparent approach to managing organizational change
• Minimum of ten years of senior leadership experience in a complex organizational setting.
• Recruit, develop, and retain high-caliber talent through succession planning and performance management.
• Demonstrates deep understanding of cultural transformation.
• Foster a culture of engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Aleron companies (Acara Solutions, Aleron Shared Resources, Broadleaf Results, Lume Strategies, TalentRise, Viaduct) are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Race/Color/Gender/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Veteran.

Applicants for this position must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position does not meet the employment requirements for individuals with F-1 OPT STEM work authorization status.