General Manager (West Coast)

YER USA; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 300,000 - 450,000; Full time

Job summary

Klaus Multiparking is seeking an experienced General Manager to lead its Berkeley, CA branch. You will drive leadership across technical, sales, service, and operations, with full P&L responsibility and close coordination with the German HQ.

The role combines strategic business oversight with hands-on project execution, budget control, and KPI-driven performance in a U.S. context. Strong English skills and travel within the U.S. are expected.

Qualifications

• Several years of leadership experience in a technical, project-based business.
• Proven P&L responsibility for a business unit above $10M revenue.
• Strong budgeting, cost control, and risk management skills.
• Experience stabilizing or turning around a unit is advantageous.
• Excellent English communication and cross-functional coordination.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for the U.S. branch in Berkeley, including team management.
• Lead service technicians and installation teams across projects.
• Oversee sales planning, forecasting, revenue performance, and KPI control.
• Coordinate day-to-day with Sales Director and local sales teams.
• Assume full P&L responsibility for the U.S. operation and corrective actions.
• Oversee accounting activities at the Berkeley location.
• Ensure coordination between installation, service, sales, and admin.
• Manage complete project execution from order to customer acceptance.
• Develop and optimize service organization, parts, tickets, and escalation handling.
• Serve as main contact for customers, partners, and German HQ.
• Plan budgets, staffing, and resource allocation.
• Establish KPIs and reporting for orders, pipeline, revenue, and liquidity.
• Drive cash-flow planning, invoicing, AR, collections, and liabilities with HQ.
• Lead organizational change and process standardization across functions.
• Ensure ERP, CRM, and reporting systems are used effectively.

Skills

Leadership

P&L management

Strategic planning

Change management

Budgeting

Travel

English fluency

US compliance

Team development

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

ERP systems

CRM systems

Reporting tools

Job description

Our client, KLAUS Multiparking, provides parking systems and space-saving parking solutions. The General Manager will be responsible for the operation of the branch in Berkeley, CA and will serve as a key interface to the company’s headquarters in Germany.

About the Role

Our client, KLAUS Multiparking, is seeking an experienced and entrepreneurial General Manager to lead its branch in Berkeley, CA.

This is a broad leadership position with responsibility for the sustainable stabilization, development, and commercial, operational, financial, and organizational performance of the U.S. business. The General Manager will oversee sales planning, service and installation operations, project execution, financial performance, accounting oversight, compliance, and the development of the team.

The ideal candidate combines strong business leadership with an understanding of technical, project-based operations. Experience in a technical environment, installation/service organization, construction, machinery, capital equipment, building systems, or a related industry would be particularly relevant.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership for the U.S. branch in Berkeley, including technical and disciplinary management of the team.
• Lead and coordinate service technicians and new-installation technicians.
• Oversee the sales organization with responsibility for sales planning, pipeline management, forecasting, target achievement, revenue performance, and sales controlling.
• Work closely with the Sales Director and sales team. Day-to-day customer acquisition and proposal activities will remain with the sales organization within clearly defined areas of responsibility.
• Assume full P&L responsibility for the U.S. operation, including revenue, margin, profitability, and liquidity, and implement appropriate corrective measures when performance deviates from targets.
• Oversee accounting activities at the U.S. location in Berkeley.
• Ensure effective coordination and communication between installation, service, sales, and administration.
• Oversee the complete project execution process from order handover through final customer acceptance, including schedule, cost, quality, change, and escalation management.
• Ensure an effective and customer-focused service organization, including technician scheduling, spare-parts availability, ticket and complaint management, and further development of the service business.
• Serve as a key point of contact for customers, business partners, and headquarters in Germany.
• Plan and control budgets, staffing, and resource allocation.
• Establish and continuously manage meaningful KPIs and reporting covering areas such as order intake, sales pipeline, revenue, margin, fixed costs, liquidity, project progress, service performance, and outstanding receivables.
• Manage cash-flow planning, timely invoicing, accounts receivable, collections, payment approvals, and coordination of liabilities with headquarters.
• Drive the sustainable stabilization and further development of the U.S. operation, creating clear structures, accountability, reliable processes, and a strong foundation for profitable growth.
• Ensure compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state legal, tax, employment, safety, and internal company requirements in coordination with external advisors and headquarters.
• Oversee local permits, insurance matters, product-liability and contractual risks, and appropriate documentation.
• Provide regular and transparent reporting to management and the Board in Germany and elevate significant financial, legal, personnel, or operational risks when necessary.
• Lead, develop, and manage employees, including goal setting, capacity planning, recruiting, onboarding, and succession planning.
• Lead organizational change and continuous improvement initiatives, including the standardization and digitalization of business processes, while ensuring effective communication, employee engagement, and sustainable implementation.
• Ensure consistent and effective use of the company's ERP, CRM, service, and reporting systems.

Your Profile

• Several years of leadership experience, ideally within a technical environment involving service, installation, construction, machinery, capital equipment, building systems, or a related project-driven business.
• Experience managing sales and/or technical teams.
• Strong entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to take ownership of a business operation and translate strategic objectives into action.
• Proven P&L responsibility for a business or business unit with more than $10M in annual revenue, including responsibility for budgets, profitability, cash flow, and operational KPIs, combined with strong cost and risk awareness.
• Experience stabilizing, restructuring, or turning around a business unit, subsidiary, branch, or underperforming operation would be highly advantageous.
• Demonstrated change-management experience, with the ability to establish new structures, processes, and ways of working while bringing employees along through periods of organizational change.
• Solid understanding of project management, contract management, accounts receivable and collections, and financial/business reporting.
• Proven ability to identify and manage commercial, operational, financial, and project risks, resolve escalations, and implement effective corrective actions.
• Strong commercial understanding combined with the ability to effectively manage technical and operational functions.
• Experience working within a U.S. business environment and familiarity with U.S. employment, business, and compliance requirements, or the ability to quickly develop a sound understanding of these areas.
• Strong leadership and organizational skills with the ability to coordinate multiple functions and priorities.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with demonstrated ability to work effectively across geographic, organizational, and cultural boundaries, particularly within a U.S. subsidiary reporting to or closely collaborating with a European headquarters organization.
• Strong English communication skills, both written and verbal.
• German language skills are preferred but not required.
• Proficiency with ERP, CRM, and reporting systems.
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and execution skills.
• Willingness to travel within the United States.
• Existing U.S. work authorization is required.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a hands-on, entrepreneurial General Manager who combines operational leadership with the ability to stabilize and further develop an organization. This individual is equally comfortable discussing financial performance, sales strategy, customer relationships, project execution, and operational challenges, while establishing clear structures, accountability, and sustainable processes. Experience leading through organizational change, resolving complex escalations, and stabilizing or improving a business operation would be particularly valuable.

This individual understands how to lead a technical, project-based organization and can create structure while remaining close enough to day-to-day operations to identify issues and make effective decisions. A background in industrial machinery, capital equipment, automation, construction-related equipment, building systems, installation and field service, material handling, manufacturing technology, or other engineered products would be particularly relevant.

Experience working within the U.S. subsidiary of a European or German-speaking company, including collaboration with leadership and functional teams across different locations and cultures, would be highly valuable.

What Our Client Offers

• A highly responsible leadership position with significant autonomy and opportunity to shape the U.S. business.
• Broad responsibility across commercial, operational, financial, and organizational functions.
• The opportunity to lead and further develop the U.S. organization of an internationally active company.
• Close collaboration with the company's management and headquarters in Germany.
• Performance-based compensation components tied to clearly defined goals and KPIs.