General Manager

Location: G&H Phoenix, Denbighshire, UK. Regular travel to G&H Ilminster, customer sites, suppliers, and other G&H locations as required.

About the role

We are seeking an exceptional General Manager to lead G&H Phoenix; a technically sophisticated, high‑growth business serving Commercial, Aerospace & Defence, and Industrial markets. The General Manager will be responsible for executing business strategy, optimizing processes, and building a culture of high performance and continuous improvement. This is a pivotal leadership role with full accountability for P&L, commercial development, production capabilities, quality, and delivery. We are looking for a strong leader who commands respect, thrives in boardroom environments, and can drive operational excellence in a fast‑paced, agile business environment.

Key responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and overall accountability for site performance across Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Financial commitments.
• Drive profitability through cost reduction, operational efficiency, and working capital optimisation.
• Lead Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Engineering functions, with dotted‑line responsibility for Finance and HR.
• Establish and monitor KPIs to identify performance trends and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Build a culture of customer focus, ensuring commitments are met across all markets served.
• Champion operational and design excellence, leveraging best practices internally and externally.
• Drive new product development aligned with corporate strategy and global market trends.
• Lead capital expenditure planning, organisational capacity building, and talent development.
• Foster a performance‑driven culture with clear goals, accountability, and regular reviews.
• Ensure compliance with ISO/AS standards and uphold G&H values and brand integrity.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or Master’s in Engineering/Sciences, or significant experience in a highly technical organisation.
• Proven track record of delivering strong financial results with P&L responsibility in a manufacturing business.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in senior operations leadership, ideally within defence or industrial sectors.
• Knowledge of ISO & AS Quality standards, AS9000/9100, Telcordia, DFARS, ITAR (defence experience highly desirable).
• Strong business acumen with the ability to link operational KPIs to financial performance.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence at all levels in a matrixed organisation.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong relationships with customers, including domestic prime contractors and international organisations.
• Highly organised, detail‑oriented, and execution‑focused.
• Inspirational leader with excellent team‑building, motivation, and interpersonal skills.

Why join us

This is a unique opportunity to lead a high‑growth business within a global PLC, shaping its future direction and driving operational excellence. You will be at the forefront of innovation in optical technologies, working with world‑class teams and customers across defence, industrial, and commercial sectors. If you are a proven leader with the vision, resilience, and drive to thrive in a growth environment, we want to hear from you.

Benefits

• Participation in competitive Management and Long‑Term Incentive Plans
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Competitive employer pension contribution with salary exchange facility
• Private Health Insurance offered
• Enhanced employee assistance programme

The Company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunity or practices on the grounds of gender, race, religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by national laws under which the Company operates.

Potential candidates should be aware that many of the employment roles at G&H are subject to government security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities that you may have previously held and your place of birth, could restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All UK applicants must, as a minimum, be able to successfully complete security vetting to the UK government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard, which includes a criminal record check. Many roles may also require higher levels of security vetting to be completed, where applicants must typically have been continuously resident within the UK for the past five to ten years.