📍 Location: Riverside, Missouri (Kansas City Area)
🚚 Relocation Assistance: Provided for the right candidate
💼 Employment Type: Full-Time | Executive Leadership
Lead a High-Performing Tier 1 Automotive Manufacturing Operation
Our client, a well-established Tier 1 automotive supplier, is seeking an exceptional General Manager to lead its manufacturing facility located in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
This is a confidential executive search for a dynamic manufacturing leader who combines outstanding operational leadership with exceptional financial acumen. The successful candidate will assume full responsibility for plant performance while leading the next phase of growth for the operation.
The facility manufactures precision metal components through advanced processes including:
- Laser Cutting
- Metal Bending & Forming
- Manual Welding
- Robotic Welding
- Fabrication & Assembly
The plant supplies some of North America's most recognized manufacturers, including General Motors, John Deere, and Volvo Trucks.
This opportunity is ideal for a proven executive who enjoys building high-performing teams, driving operational excellence, and growing a profitable manufacturing business.
Key Responsibilities
📊 Executive Leadership
- Lead all aspects of plant operations, performance, profitability, and strategic growth.
- Develop and execute the long-term vision for the facility.
- Build a culture of accountability, engagement, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.
- Mentor and develop an emerging leadership team into a world-class manufacturing organization.
- Partner closely with Human Resources to strengthen leadership capabilities, succession planning, technical development, and employee engagement.
💰 Financial Leadership (P&L Ownership)
- Maintain full accountability for the plant's Profit & Loss.
- Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, and capital planning.
- Monitor labour, manufacturing costs, inventory, maintenance, scrap, productivity, and operating expenses.
- Drive profitability through continuous improvement initiatives and sound financial decision-making.
- Develop business strategies that improve margins while supporting sustainable growth.
- Evaluate capital investments and ensure maximum return on investment.
🏭 Manufacturing Operations
- Oversee all manufacturing functions including Production, Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, Supply Chain, Materials, Logistics and Continuous Improvement.
- Improve plant efficiency, productivity, quality, safety and on-time delivery.
- Drive Lean Manufacturing and Operational Excellence initiatives.
- Ensure effective production planning, preventive maintenance, capacity utilization and customer satisfaction.
🤝 Customer & Business Growth
- Build strong executive-level relationships with key automotive customers.
- Support commercial growth and future business opportunities.
- Participate in customer reviews, program launches and strategic planning.
- Ensure world-class performance in quality, delivery and customer service.
👥 Leadership & People Development
One of the most important aspects of this role will be developing people.
The facility has a talented, energetic leadership team looking for a General Manager who enjoys coaching, mentoring and building future leaders.
The ideal candidate believes leadership is about developing people—not simply managing operations.
Qualifications
Required Experience
✅ Minimum 10 years of experience in a senior manufacturing leadership role such as:
- General Manager
- Plant Manager
- Director of Operations
- Vice President of Operations
- Assistant General Manager
✅ Tier 1 Automotive Manufacturing experience is REQUIRED
This requirement is non-negotiable.
Required Skills
- Outstanding P&L management experience
- Strong budgeting and financial planning expertise
- Proven record of improving profitability
- Strategic business planning
- Operational Excellence / Lean Manufacturing
- Continuous Improvement
- Customer relationship management
- Executive leadership
- Team development & mentoring
- Change management
- Capital planning
- Manufacturing KPI management
- Excellent communication and leadership skills
Preferred Background
Candidates with experience in one or more of the following manufacturing environments are highly preferred:
- Automotive Metal Stamping
- Welding Operations
- Laser Processing
- Fabrication
- Structural Components
- Chassis Components
- Heavy Manufacturing
- Metal Forming
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business or a related discipline is preferred.
MBA is considered an asset.
Why This Opportunity?
⭐ Executive-level leadership position
⭐ Highly visible role with significant influence
⭐ Opportunity to grow and transform the operation
⭐ Lead a motivated leadership team ready for mentorship
⭐ Strong executive support
⭐ Long-term career growth
⭐ Relocation assistance available