RHH202206

President

Automotive Plastic Manufacturing

THE COMPANY

Our client is a full-service, Tier 1 supplier of engineered plastic assemblies located in Northern Michigan.  Founded over 40 years ago, our client has built and maintains strong customer relationships through their commitment to superior customer service and quality in the products they deliver.  With a dedicated and team-focused company culture, our client has grown to over 130 employees and three (3) manufacturing facilities.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Our client is looking for a dynamic and innovative leader that will play an integral part in managing the accelerating growth of the company.  This position will be a critical focal point to impact strategic decisions and lead a high performing team.  The President will be responsible for the leadership and day-to-day operations of the company.  This highly autonomous President position will be essential for the future growth and competitiveness of the company by bringing best-practices and succession planning to ensure business continuity.  This leader’s responsibilities will be broad and include managing all operations either directly or through internal department heads.  The successful candidate must be a hands-on, “roll up your sleeves” leader with a can-do attitude and passionate about building trusting relationships internally and externally.

This position reports to the Board of Directors with ten (10) direct reports.

JOB DEFINITION

As a growing company in an expanding industry, the President should be comfortable to lead, provide solutions, build team consensus, and manage growth. The President must be strategically minded taking the lead to create, drive, and execute near and long-term strategy. The ideal candidate will have values of integrity, hard work, empathy and doing the right thing.  An intellectually curious individual who must think on their feet, manage “upstream and downstream” communication while seeking to understand first then be understood.  A successful leader who will be patient, thick skinned and calm in high stress situations with an ability to inspire the Management Team.  Comfort with, or experience around, commercial and business development responsibilities is highly valuable.

SKILLS

This position will work closely with the Board of Directors and Management Team as the “liaison” to build consensus and bring all stakeholders together ensuring alignment.  This position will help evolve/grow the company while retaining the close-knit culture of small company values.

  • Possess impeccable integrity and ethics. Respectful of others and respected by peers.
  • Plans, directs, and manages the entire operation, ensuring the development and implementation of cost-effective and efficient processes to meet current and future business requirements.
  • Must be able to communicate job expectations internally; plan, monitor, appraise, and review job contributions; plan and review compensation actions; enforcing policies and procedures. ​
  • Set operational and/or performance goals for each department which are aggressive, achievable, tied to long-term goals and contribute to the growth of the team.  Monitor department performance against goals to ensure that progress is being made.  Ability to retrieve and analyze data from the current Information Systems.  Must have a passion for meaningful analysis and reporting.
  • Ability to create Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) that maintain and maximize the overall operations. This is a solutions-minded culture, team of doers.
  • Overall responsibility for the successful launch of significant new program awards.
  • Monitor and manage activities in the areas of revenue and sales growth; expense, cost, and margin control; monthly, quarterly, and annual financial goal management.

Leadership and Management:

  • Trusted partner to both the Board of Directors and Management Team. Advise the Board of Directors on key planning issues and make recommendations on important business decisions.
  • Supreme diplomat and sounding board to the Management Team to help take to the business to the next level. Promotes healthy debate on issues but is comfortable making the final decision.
  • Proven ability to inspire team with an approachable style that creates confidence within the Management Team. Empower team to solve issues creatively.
  • Lead by example; Direct, honest, dependable, authentic, and trustworthy. Coach and develop the Management Team to assist in their growth and potential.
  • Lead and run Board presentations while being prepared to articulate issues and answer questions.
  • As a decisive and empathetic leader, s/he will understand the importance of effectively communicating “the why” a team is to do something to build trust and create buy-in.
  • Passionate about building relationships with people and a key point (face) of management to employees; have good relations and represent management with encouragement and professionalism.
  • Ensure all department heads are fully informed of operational objectives and that priorities are clear. Gain understanding of challenges and empower them to find solutions.

BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE

  • Senior management experience within the automotive industry involving full P&L, sales and marketing, and growth responsibilities.
  • Proven track record as President, Chief Operations Officer, Vice President of Operations, or Vice President/General Manager.
  • Must have plastic injection molding experience.
  • Multi-site experience is required. Proven track record of leading an organization that achieved successful revenue growth while maintaining required profitability metrics.
  • Ability to manage a family-oriented environment and to function effectively at both the strategic and tactical levels in the performance of this role.
  • Merger & Acquisition exposure and ERP Implementation experience is a plus.
  • Financial acumen and related analytical skills, including P&L, budget planning, understanding pricing strategies and the ability to create highly accurate revenue forecasting models.
  • Personable and flexible to new ideas and new directions.  Positive thinker, enthusiastic, optimistic team player with contagious desire that uses sound business practices to focus on the bottom-line.
  • Must be a good listener, articulate, resourceful and focused. One who exhibits personal integrity.
  • Strongly demonstrated leadership and communication skills involving ownership, employees, customers, peers, and suppliers.  Direct, low ego and proactive with a proven “take-charge” record.

 

Education:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Economics, Manufacturing and/or Engineering (or related business experience) is required; Master’s degree is preferred.
If you have these qualifications and are looking for a challenging career, please submit your Resume using the button below.
Sam Frank
Vice President, Executive Search & Lead Consultant
Nicole Regula
Director, Executive Recruitment
Eric Hohauser
President