General Manager Custom Manufacturing Business Unit

Mai Placement; Lebanon (Lebanon County); On-site; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Mai Placement in Lebanon, PA, seeks a General Manager to take full ownership of an established manufacturing business and lead its next stage of operational and financial performance.

This leader will integrate sales, production, purchasing, staffing, and capacity under one operating plan while building the leadership team, systems, and accountability needed for sustainable growth.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience within a manufacturing or similarly complex operational business.
• P&L ownership or meaningful accountability for profitability, budgets, and financial performance.
• Proven experience leading managers across multiple departments.
• Evidence of measurable operational, financial, or organizational improvement.
• Strong understanding of production planning, capacity, quality, labor, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to lead close to the operation while maintaining full-business perspective.

Responsibilities

• Own the overall performance, profitability, execution, and culture of the business.
• Lead manufacturing and supporting functions through accountable department managers.
• Connect customer demand, sales priorities, production capacity, materials, staffing, and financial goals.
• Establish clear KPIs, management rhythms, decision rights, and follow-through across the business.
• Improve margin, labor efficiency, throughput, quality, delivery, scheduling, and cost performance.
• Assess, develop, and strengthen the leadership team while addressing performance gaps directly.

Skills

Senior leadership experience

P&L ownership

Cross‑functional leadership

Operational improvement

Production planning

Strategic perspective

Tools

Lean

EOS

ERP systems

Job description

General Manager

Lebanon, PA - Full-Time, On-Site

Estimated Salary: $200,000 - $250,000

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Position Summary

We are seeking a General Manager to take full ownership of an established manufacturing business and lead its next stage of operational and financial performance.

This is not a traditional Plant Manager role. The General Manager will lead the entire business unit, with accountability for profitability, operational execution, customer performance, leadership development, and culture.

The mandate is to bring sales, production, purchasing, staffing, and capacity under one operating plan while building the leadership team, systems, and accountability needed for consistent performance and sustainable growth.

Responsibilities

• Own the overall performance, profitability, execution, and culture of the business.
• Lead manufacturing and supporting functions through accountable department managers.
• Connect customer demand, sales priorities, production capacity, materials, staffing, and financial goals.
• Establish clear KPIs, management rhythms, decision rights, and follow-through across the business.
• Improve margin, labor efficiency, throughput, quality, delivery, scheduling, and cost performance.
• Assess, develop, and strengthen the leadership team while addressing performance gaps directly.

Must-Haves

• Senior leadership experience within a manufacturing or similarly complex operational business.
• P&L ownership or meaningful accountability for profitability, budgets, and financial performance.
• Proven experience leading managers across multiple departments.
• Evidence of measurable operational, financial, or organizational improvement.
• Strong understanding of production planning, capacity, quality, labor, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to lead close to the operation while maintaining full-business perspective.

Preferred Background

• Custom, make-to-order, engineer-to-order, cabinetry, furniture, millwork, wood products, or building-product manufacturing.
• Experience improving or transforming an established operation.
• Experience connecting commercial demand with production and supply-chain capacity.
• Familiarity with Lean, EOS, ERP systems, or similar operating frameworks.

What Success Looks Like

Within the first 12 months, this leader will have:

• Established one operating plan, scorecard, and management cadence across the business.
• Improved visibility into profitability, capacity, labor, quality, and delivery.
• Strengthened alignment between customer demand and operational execution.
• Delivered measurable improvement in financial and operating performance.
• Built a management team that consistently owns commitments, decisions, and results.

Ideal Leadership Style

The right leader is a practical business operator who can move comfortably between the floor, the leadership team, the customer, and the financials.

They bring urgency without chaos, accountability without ego, and structure without unnecessary bureaucracy. They respect the history and people of an established business while having the judgment and decisiveness to raise standards, address difficult issues, and create lasting improvement.

A hands-on manufacturing business leader with turnaround capability, financial judgment, cross-functional ownership, and the ability to build leaders.

Compensation

Compensation:
$150,000-$225,000 per year