Abbey Design Associates | Managing Director

The Job

ADA, part of the Lowe Group, are widely recognised as a leading national provider of refrigeration system design and installation project management throughout the retail sector. The Managing Director will lead the business, overseeing its strategic direction, operations, client relationships, and financial performance. This role will be responsible for achieving the company’s growth targets, maintaining high standards of service delivery, and driving innovation in refrigeration consultancy by providing strong leadership, industry expertise, and business acumen to steer the company to continued success. Key responsibilities will include:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement the company’s strategic plan in alignment with its vision, mission, and growth objectives.
• Demonstrate sound decision making, based upon excellent grasp of available data, analytical skills, industry knowledge, and awareness of related new technological developments within the sector.
• Provide business reporting to the Executive Board, to include formal board reports and associated documents as required.
• Develop relationships with all supporting functions, including sales and marketing, HR, Legal, IT and all other internal Lowe Group operations.
• Comfortably operate in the grey, pivoting when needed and demonstrating strong decision making and risk management capability.

Commercial:

• Identify new business opportunities across the UK and overseas (including Europe and USA), and provide insight into market trends within the refrigeration sector.
• Play an active role in contractual negotiation, ensuring the business is adequately protected and rewarded for delivery of a first class service.
• Provide industry knowledge and consultant with our international client base on opportunities to achieve this.
• Maintain strong relationships with existing clients and act as a key point of contact for major accounts, ensuring SLA’s are met and delivered.
• Ensure the consultancy delivers value-added services that meet or exceed client expectations.
• Ensure all new business meets projected profit targets for the business.

Team Leadership

• Lead and inspire a team of design engineers, project managers and account managers to achieve the company’s objectives.
• Ensure that staff are motivated, trained, and developed to meet professional standards and deliver high-quality service.
• Drive a culture of strong adherence to health and safety in line with the brand and legislative requirements.
• Blend business orientation and organisational wide perspective with a culture of open dialogue, empathy and motivation within your team.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability.

Financial Oversight

• Manage the company’s financial performance, including setting budgets, controlling costs, and ensuring profitability.
• Have a strong handle on margin and ensure any variance or creep in scope is appropriately costed and invoiced to the client.
• Monitor financial reports, identify risks and opportunities, and make informed decisions to drive growth.
• Report to the board on financial performance, strategic initiatives, and business health.

Essential Criteria:

• Strong leadership skills with experience managing multidisciplinary teams and driving business growth.
• Ability to develop and execute strategic commercial plans that align with business goals and market opportunities across multiple regions.
• Understanding of financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, and profit maximization.
• Previous P&L management experience.
• Demonstrable experience of strong change management.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with clients, partners, and stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills with the ability to solve complex business challenges.
• Demonstrable experience of strong solutions orientation.