General Manager

A confidential, industry-leading manufacturer is seeking an experienced General Manager in Clark County, IL area to lead a high-performing sheet metal manufacturing operation in the Agriculture Industry. This executive leadership position offers the opportunity to drive operational excellence, lead business growth, and develop world-class manufacturing teams in a highly engineered fabrication environment.

We are looking for a proven manufacturing executive with extensive experience in sheet metal fabrication, manufacturing engineering, CNC machining, metal forming, welding, fabrication, paint systems, and operational leadership. The successful candidate will possess strong business acumen, exceptional people leadership skills, full P&L Ownership, and a demonstrated history of improving manufacturing performance through Lean principles and strategic execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership for all manufacturing operations with full P&L responsibility
• Lead Production, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Human Resources, and Continuous Improvement teams
• Drive Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement (CI), Operational Excellence, and KPI management
• Improve productivity, throughput, OEE, OTIF delivery, inventory accuracy, quality, and profitability
• Partner with Engineering to improve manufacturability, product launches, automation, and manufacturing processes
• Develop high-performing leadership teams through coaching, accountability, and succession planning
• Champion employee engagement, workplace safety, quality systems, and operational discipline
• Manage budgets, forecasting, capital expenditures, cost reduction initiatives, and strategic planning
• Build scalable systems to support company growth over the next 3–5 years
• Serve as executive contact for major customer issues and strategic business initiatives

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent executive manufacturing experience
• 10–20+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership
• 5–10+ years leading managers across multiple functional departments
• Proven success managing manufacturing facilities with 100+ employees (or equivalent)
• Full P&L ownership and financial management experience
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, inventory control, and cost management skills
• Demonstrated change management and organizational growth experience

Non-Negotiable Manufacturing Experience

Candidates must have significant experience in sheet metal manufacturing and engineered fabrication environments, including:

• Sheet Metal Fabrication
• CNC Machining
• Metal Forming
• Welding/Fabrication
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Process Engineering
• Paint Line Operations
• Powder Coating
• Lean Manufacturing
• Continuous Improvement
• Fabrication Shop Leadership

Preferred Industry Background

• Agricultural Equipment Manufacturing
• Heavy Industrial Manufacturing
• Metal Fabrication
• Structural Steel

Why You'll Want This Opportunity

• Executive leadership role with significant influence on company strategy
• Competitive compensation of $160,000–$190,000 plus bonus
• Strong benefits package
• Stable, growing manufacturing organization
• Opportunity to lead expansion and operational growth
• Collaborative executive leadership team
• High-impact role with visibility across the organization

Interested?

For confidential consideration or to learn more, please contact:

Alana Seddon
Executive Search Consultant | Manufacturing
gpac (Growing People and Companies)

Email: alana.seddon@gogpac.com

All inquiries and candidate information will be held in the strictest confidence.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable laws or regulations.

GPAC (Growing People and Companies) is an award-winning search firm specializing in placing quality professionals within multiple industries across the United States since 1990. We are extremely competitive, client-focused and realize that our value is in our ability to deliver the right solutions at the right time.