General Manager (Aftermarket Performance Trucks)

General ManagerLocation: Harbor Beach, MichiganReports to: OwnerEmployment Type: Full-time, on-sitePosition OverviewKingfisher Recruiting has been hired to find a General Manager for a well established automotive service and sales company. The company operates an online/phone product catalog and an array of services including assembly, machining and installation of automotive parts.The General Manager will have overall responsibility for operating performance, profitability, leadership development, inventory and purchasing controls, and cross-functional execution. This person will lead the Production, Service, and Sales managers while building the systems needed for the company to operate successfully without the Owner managing daily activity.This is a dynamic role looking for a disciplined business leader who can read a P&L, challenge unreliable data, develop managers, improve workflows, enforce standards, and turn problems into measurable corrective action.Key ResponsibilitiesBusiness and Financial LeadershipOwn company operating performance, profitability, cash awareness, budgeting, and execution against the annual business plan.Review P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, accounts receivable, accounts payable, gross margin, job-costing, and operating trends.Provide the Owner with a concise weekly dashboard covering performance, risks, exceptions, and decisions requiring ownership approval.Translate financial results into specific operating actions.Develop staffing, capital, equipment, and facility plans supported by measurable business cases.Protect the bottom line through pricing discipline, expense control, inventory management, and improved productivity.Operational ManagementLead the Production, Service, Sales, Fabrication, Shipping/Receiving, Engine, and Transmission functions through their respective managers and department leads.Establish clear decision rights, performance expectations, accountability, and escalation procedures.Improve work-in-process flow, scheduling, repair-bay utilization, order fulfillment, quality control, and on-time completion.Strengthen coordination among Sales, Service, Production, Shipping/Receiving, and Accounting.Ensure work orders, parts requests, customer updates, due dates, and quality-control steps are consistently completed.Identify bottlenecks, determine root causes, and ensure corrective actions are completed.Leadership and Organizational DevelopmentCoach and develop managers, supervisors, department leads, and future company leaders.Conduct quarterly performance reviews and maintain individual development plans.Build cross-training and two-deep coverage for critical positions.Hold family and non-family employees to consistent, objective performance standards.Delegate meaningful responsibility while maintaining accountability for results.Develop the company’s leadership bench and support long-term succession planning.Address performance, attendance, communication, and accountability issues promptly and professionally.Systems and Process ImprovementReduce duplicate entry, paperwork, errors, and unnecessary manual processes.Map and improve service, e-commerce, shipping, inventory, and accounting workflows.Define which system serves as the official source of record for each major business process.Lead technology and software decisions based on operational value, control, ease of use, and return on investment.Oversee the transition from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, including cleanup, testing, training, reconciliation, and final implementation.Coordinate workflows involving WinWorks, Website Manager, ShipStation, QuickBooks, and any selected inventory platform.Ensure integrations are tested and controlled before implementation.Inventory and PurchasingEstablish one reliable inventory system of record.Improve SKU accuracy, purchasing authorization, purchase-order compliance, receiving verification, returns, cycle counting, and monthly reconciliation.Monitor stockouts, excess inventory, obsolete inventory, reorder levels, inventory turns, and vendor performance.Prevent unauthorized or off-system purchasing.Evaluate and implement the appropriate long-term inventory platform.Ensure inventory and accounting records remain aligned.Management Cadence and Continuous ImprovementLead weekly management meetings and departmental operating reviews.Require managers to submit accurate performance metrics on schedule.Assign every major problem an owner, baseline, target, financial impact, due date, and corrective action.Maintain current standard operating procedures and verify that employees follow them.Measure whether process improvements produce actual financial, operational, or customer-service results.Reduce routine operating interruptions reaching the Owner.First-Year PrioritiesAssume leadership of the company’s daily operating cadence.Establish effective weekly management meetings and departmental reporting.Stabilize financial, purchasing, inventory, and operating controls.Complete a documented plan for reconciling and cleaning QuickBooks Desktop data.Select and begin implementing the company’s long-term inventory platform.Reduce duplicate data entry between service, e-commerce, shipping, inventory, and accounting systems.Strengthen inventory accuracy and address excess and obsolete stock.Develop managers and department leads through measurable goals and quarterly reviews.Improve workflow, on-time completion, quality, and cross-department communication.Prepare the company for a controlled QuickBooks Online conversion no later than September 2027.Required QualificationsFive or more years of progressive leadership experience in operations, general management, or a comparable business leadership role.Experience managing multiple departments or operating functions.Strong financial literacy, including the ability to understand P&L statements, balance sheets, cash flow, budgets, margins, and operating metrics.Demonstrated success implementing accountability, operating procedures, and measurable performance standards.Experience improving inventory, purchasing, production, service, distribution, or order-fulfillment processes.Strong leadership, coaching, conflict-resolution, and decision-making skills.Ability to move comfortably between strategic planning and hands-on problem-solving.Strong written and verbal communication skills.High personal integrity and the ability to handle confidential financial and personnel information.Proficiency with business software, reporting tools, and data-driven decision-making.Preferred QualificationsLeadership experience in diesel, automotive, aftermarket performance, manufacturing, service, distribution, e-commerce, or a related technical business.Experience with QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online.Experience leading an accounting, ERP, inventory, or business-system conversion.Familiarity with inventory-management, shop-management, shipping, or e-commerce platforms.Experience working in an entrepreneurial or family-owned business.Bachelor’s degree in business, operations, finance, accounting, or a related field; equivalent operating experience will be considered.Ideal Leadership ProfileHands-on, decisive, and comfortable taking ownership.Financially disciplined and skeptical of incomplete or unreliable data.Fair and consistent when managing family and non-family employees.Able to earn credibility with technical employees and experienced department leaders.Organized enough to create structure without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.Persistent about follow-through and unwilling to let recurring problems remain unmanaged.Comfortable challenging existing practices while respecting the company’s history and customer relationships.Focused on building capable leaders—not becoming the only person who can solve problems.Measures of SuccessProfitability, cash management, gross margin, and budget performance.Timeliness and reliability of financial and operating reporting.Inventory accuracy, purchasing compliance, stock levels, and inventory reduction.Reduction in duplicate entry, manual processing, errors, and rework.Manager development, quarterly reviews, delegation, and leadership coverage.Timely completion of corrective actions and operating priorities.Improvements in workflow, quality, order accuracy, WIP aging, and on-time completion.Successful preparation for and execution of the QuickBooks Online conversion.Measurable reduction in the Owner’s daily operating involvement.CompensationCompetitive compensation based on experience, including a performance-based incentive opportunity tied to agreed financial, operational, systems, and leadership objectives.