Lead a long-established industrial SME, bringing together its people, manufacturing operations, customers and commercial performance.

- Hands-on General Manager role within a long-established Australian SME

- Ideally suited to a leader from transport and/or heavy manufacturing

- Work closely with an experienced owner and lead a loyal, technically skilled team

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

This is an opportunity to take a central leadership role within a long-established Australian specialist industrial equipment manufacturer serving the road infrastructure sector.

Based in Melbourne’s western suburbs, the company has built an excellent reputation over generations through its technical expertise, product quality, strong customer relationships and deep understanding of Australian operating conditions.

The General Manager will become the senior day-to-day leader of the business, working with the Managing Director to bring together its operational, commercial, technical and people functions.

This is a broad and practical SME leadership role. It requires someone who is equally comfortable discussing production on the workshop floor, working through commercial and financial performance, supporting customers and providing clear direction across the business.

THE ROLE

The General Manager will provide coordinated leadership across operations, production, sales, engineering, finance, service and supply chain.

Key responsibilities will include:

- Over time, taking overall responsibility for the day-to-day performance of the business

- Providing leadership oversight of manufacturing, production planning, scheduling, capacity and delivery

- Coordinating priorities across sales, engineering, production, purchasing, finance and service

- Developing accountability, communication and cooperation across the functional team

- Maintaining visibility of workload, customer commitments, commercial priorities and operational risks

- Working with finance to understand revenue, margins, profitability, expenditure and cash flow

- Providing leadership and accountability across sales and key customer activity

- Supporting major quotations, commercial negotiations and escalated customer matters

- Ensuring quality, safety and regulatory requirements are respected in operational decision-making





- Identifying practical opportunities to improve workflow, systems, productivity and business performance

- Developing the capability of managers, technical employees and emerging leaders

- Providing the Managing Director with clear, concise information about performance, priorities and matters requiring escalation

The Managing Director will remain actively connected to the business, its employees and selected customers. The General Manager will work alongside them to ensure communication remains open while operational priorities, responsibilities and decisions are properly coordinated.

Authority within the role will develop as the General Manager builds an understanding of the business and earns the confidence of the Managing Director and the wider team. The expectation is that, through sound judgement and consistent delivery, the successful person will progressively assume genuine authority for routine operational, commercial and people decisions.

ABOUT YOU

Ideally, you will bring leadership experience within transport equipment, heavy manufacturing or a closely related industrial environment.

You will have sufficient technical understanding to engage credibly with engineers, experienced tradespeople, customers and suppliers. An engineering qualification would be well regarded but is not essential where it is supported by strong practical and industry experience.

Exposure to heavy vehicles, transport equipment, dangerous goods, regulated manufacturing or related quality and compliance requirements would be particularly valuable.

You will also demonstrate:

- Experience leading manufacturing or operational teams in a practical, hands-on setting

- The ability to maintain oversight across several business functions rather than operating within a single discipline

- Sound commercial and financial judgement, including an understanding of margins, costs and operational trade-offs





- Confidence working with customers and managing important or difficult commercial situations

- The ability to introduce greater structure and accountability without unnecessary bureaucracy

- Experience working within an SME, privately owned or owner-led business environment

LEADERSHIP STYLE

The right person will be calm, approachable and quietly confident. They will not need to rely on title or hierarchy to establish authority.

They will be visible and engaged, able to set clear expectations and hold people accountable while maintaining respectful relationships. They will know how to redirect an issue, resolve tension and keep work moving without creating unnecessary confrontation.

This is a business with considerable experience and specialist knowledge within its workforce. The successful person will be humble and curious enough to learn from that knowledge while providing the leadership required to bring people and functions together.

They will be practical, commercially aware and well organised, with the judgement to recognise when to act independently and when to consult the Managing Director. Above all, they will understand that lasting authority in an established SME is earned through credibility, consistency and trust.

WHY CONSIDER THIS ROLE?

This is an opportunity to lead a respected Australian business with a long history, an established market position and a loyal, technically capable workforce.

The role offers broad responsibility and the ability to influence how the entire business operates. You will work closely with an owner who cares deeply about the company and its employees, while progressively becoming the trusted day-to-day leader of the organisation.

It will suit someone who values the variety and direct impact of an SME environment and takes satisfaction from bringing people, operations and commercial priorities together to make a good business perform even better.

APPLICATIONS

How to Apply

To apply, please click the Apply button and submit your resume. All applications will be treated in strict confidence.

If you have a specific question about the opportunity before applying, please email Matt Johnson at ••••@eserecruitment.com.au. Matt will respond by email or arrange a confidential conversation at a mutually convenient time.

📌 GENERAL MANAGER – Specialist Industrial Manufacturing (Seventeen Mile Rocks)
🏢 ESE Recruitment
📍 Seventeen Mile Rocks