VP General Manager Motion Safety

Vice President / General Manager for Motion Safety Group (https://checkers.justrite.com)

The Motion Safety Group, under the brand Checkers, offers a variety of vehicle and motion safety equipment including wheel chocks, warning whips, barricade lights, industrial beacons and strobes, parking lot safety solutions, vehicle identification signs, and composite cribbing. Vehicle and motion safety products from Checkers' products are manufactured with high-quality material and feature innovative designs that make them ideal for creating a safe working environment.

The Vice President /General Manager for Motion Safety plays a pivotal role in overseeing and managing various aspects of the company's commercial operations developing and executing strategies for profitable growth and margin expansion. This role will be responsible for a $65 million revenue business with 160 total employees split between a field sales force and two manufacturing locations: Broomfield, CO and Titusville, PA. The GM will lead the business and supporting functions to achieve their annual operating plans (AOP) as well as execute on their strategic plans for growth by driving commercial/sales strategy, product management, new product development, engineering, and marketing, with matrix responsibilities for manufacturing strategy and sites (which direct report into Chief Operating Officer). This person will drive a talent and performance driven culture to exceed business results.

The GM is responsible for the overall financial, sales, and operational performance of the business. The successful candidate will be tasked to set a vision and a strategy and be able to articulate that vision and strategy throughout the organization and effectively rally the business around it. The new GM must be "forward thinking," while equally operationally engaged in a manner that helps the team build and accomplish its goals. The ideal candidate will be a business transformation leader with a proven ability to identify opportunities within a manufacturing business and implement measurable improvements.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership and Vision

• Provide the vision and leadership to everyone in the organization to foster a team-oriented environment, assuring the continued implementation of strategies to achieve long-term operating improvement.
• Develop the core capabilities of the company by succession planning through systematic acquisition of top talents and people development to serve today's customer needs and prepare for future growth.
• Drive the growth and business development strategy/execution to identify emerging business opportunities aggressively penetrating undeveloped markets and gaining market share in existing markets.
• Establish annual business plan and ensure business execution to meet or exceed annual revenue and EBITDA targets.

Sales and Market Share

• Direct the development and implementation of sales and service plans to drive the achievement of operating and financial plans and objectives for the Checkers Motion Safety business unit.
• Provide leadership and support to improve market share and increase sales through all channels of distribution for the Company's products.
• Evaluate the demand in the market to determine the key assets necessary and how to successfully supplement the existing assets.

Operational Improvement and Cost Management

• Drive substantial operational improvements and cost-out results through strategic initiatives, lean manufacturing processes, and VA/VE engineering.
• Ensure that an appropriate product differentiation roadmap is in place and being executed to exploit current and anticipated market opportunities.

Customer Relations

• Achieve the highest levels of customer satisfaction by meeting or exceeding performance, delivery, quality, service, and value expectations.

Key Priorities for the first 6-12 months:

The first 12 months the new GM will need to become grounded in the business but must get off to a fast start. Key priorities requiring the GM's leadership and attention include:

• Develop a product differentiation strategy which will enable brand loyalty among customers.
• Review and develop a manufacturing strategy that will enable the building of critical capabilities.
• Review the Operational Business Model to ensure that all parts of the organization have a strong degree of synergy.
• Review the business and Commercial Strategy to ensure the company/vision is aligned with future growth.

This leader will be ideally based in Broomfield, CO.

The GM will be a high-impact, commercially savvy business leader to enable the Motion Safety business unit's next wave of growth and execution of the overall business strategy for profitable growth. The ideal candidate will have a proven record of driving profitable growth, while setting aggressive yet realistic goals, ensuring clear accountabilities, and aligning the organization to deliver consistent and sustainable results. They will possess a high sense of urgency and be decisive in their actions, driving and supporting a culture of excellence. Financial acumen, including the ability to articulate and present P&L financials, is essential. Excellent business acumen, strategic mindset, organization development, hands on leadership, and communication skills are required, along with deep commercial experience and experience with managing distributor relationships.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a creative approach to problem resolution and the ability to influence individuals in implementing change. They will be skilled in aligning groups around a common goal/strategy and have proven analytical, evaluative, and problem-solving capabilities, with deep experience working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment. Excellent people management skills are crucial, as the candidate should be a motivating, decisive leader with a proven record of achieving excellence through people and building high-performance teams. Additionally, the candidate should be adaptable, equally skilled in both strategic planning and execution, and possess a high level of analytical thinking to ensure understanding and interpretation of business revenues, profit, and general performance trends. Private equity experience is a plus. P&L experience of at least $50 million is preferred.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE

Commercial Excellence and Results Orientation

• Demonstrates a strategic mindset by identifying emerging trends, market shifts, and customer needs to identify and prioritize opportunities and initiatives to achieve revenue targets and expand market share.
• Drives profitable growth by leading new product introductions, ensuring effective sales management, and building strong relationships with distributors and end-users.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams to develop and implement marketing strategies that effectively promote products and services, driving customer acquisition and retention.
• Monitors and analyzes key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the effectiveness of growth strategies and makes data-driven decisions to optimize performance.
• Proactively identifies and pursues partnership opportunities, strategic alliances, and potential acquisitions to enhance the company's competitive position and market reach.
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships with key stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, industry associations, and regulatory bodies.
• Proven background of setting clear commercial orientation for the business while setting aggressive yet realistic goals, ensuring clear accountabilities, and aligning the organization to deliver consistent and sustainable results. Must have pricing and value selling proficiency.
• Demonstrated track record of both improving and running a business in a profitable manner, including a superior track record of measurable accomplishments in leading a comparably sized organization.
• High sense of urgency, decisiveness in actions, and driving/supporting a culture of excellence.
• With excellent problem-solving skills and resourcefulness, the candidate should demonstrate resilience and adaptability in challenging situations.

Financial Acumen and Analytical Skills

• Ability to articulate and present the P&L financials.
• Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to understand and interpret business revenues, profit, and general performance trends.
• Proven analytical, evaluative, and problem-solving capabilities with extensive experience working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.

Leadership and People Management

• Fosters a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within the commercial team, encouraging creative thinking and exploring new business opportunities.
• Provides leadership and guidance to the sales team, setting clear objectives, and fostering a high-performance culture.
• Excellent organizational, strategic leadership, and communication skills.
• Deep commercial experience with a strong understanding of customer relationships and expertise in distributor management and cross-selling.
• Creative approach to problem resolution and ability to influence individuals in implementing change.
• Ability to align groups together around a common goal/strategy.
• Excellent people management skills, including motivating and leading high-performance teams.