General Manager

Are you an experienced leader with strong commercial acumen ready to take the helm of a high-precision manufacturing business on the brink of rapid growth.

The Company, is a world leader with a 70-year history in manufacturing high-precision optics and optical instrumentation for global clients. Driven by significant project wins and near-term opportunities, The Company is entering a massive growth phase that presents both an extraordinary opportunity and an operational challenge.

We are seeking a General Manager focused on operational excellence and scaling the business. Your primary mission will be to successfully deliver on a significant increase in operations and revenue over the next two years by rapidly developing our capacity, capability, staffing, and processes. You will position The Company as the leading provider in its sector.

Key Responsibilities: Your Mission

This is a critical, hands-on operational leadership role. You will apply your technical, program management and leadership expertise to:

• Operational & Growth Management: Oversee the delivery of products and services, ensuring they meet quality standards, contractual obligations, and agreed timelines/budgets. You will develop the capacity, capability, staffing, and processes to support a major increase in operations and revenue.
• Commercial Focus & Financial Oversight: Drive a customer-centric culture and maintain strong customer relationships. You will manage the financial performance of The Company, overseeing operational budgets, forecasting, and understanding the key revenue, cost, profit, and cash drivers in a technical/manufacturing setting.
• Team Leadership: Lead, inspire, and mentor a high-performing, engaged, and aligned multidisciplinary team (scientists, technicians, engineers, and sales professionals). This includes critical talent acquisition and retention efforts.
• Stakeholder & Strategy: Actively contribute to The Division's leadership team. Represent The Company and The Division in New Zealand, advocating for the company to government and local authorities, and fostering relationships with corporate teams.
• Continuous Improvement: Stimulate and encourage continuous improvement at all levels within The Company and the broader group.

What You Bring:

• Strong Commercial Acumen: Proven ability to understand and manage the financial affairs of the organisation, identifying the key drivers in a technical/manufacturing setting.
• Leadership Experience: Minimum 10 years' supervision experience leading a multi-disciplinary team in a project role.
• Hands-on Approach: Must have a "hands-on" approach to designing, building, testing, packaging, and delivery of technical solutions.
• Program & Project Delivery: Demonstrated ability to drive complex technical programs to successful completion.
• Mentorship: Proven experience mentoring multidisciplinary teams, including scientists, technicians, engineers, and sales professionals.

Highly Advantageous:

• Industry Knowledge: Experience within the optics sector or similar advanced manufacturing businesses is preferred.
• Transferable Sectors: Experience in Space or Defence sectors is also highly advantageous.
• Systems Understanding: A basic understanding of Systems Engineering as a discipline is useful.

Why Join The Company?

• Be the operational leader transforming a 70-year-old high-tech manufacturer during its most significant growth phase.
• Work with a world leader in advanced technology products and services for the global defence and space domains.
• Lead a technical business guided by core values: Respect, Safety, Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork, and Leadership.

At Randstad, we are passionate about providing equal employment opportunities and embracing diversity to the benefit of all. We actively encourage applications from any background.