General Manager

Location: G&H Phoenix, Denbighshire, UK. Regular travel to G&H Ilminster, customer sites, suppliers and other G&H locations as required. G&H is a world leader in optical designing, testing and manufacturing. The company provides optical systems, assemblies and components for demanding applications across life sciences, industrial, aerospace and defence. G&H Phoenix is a key part of the Optical Systems Division, delivering a full in‑house service from raw glass to finished optical parts and assemblies. About the Role The General Manager will provide strategic leadership, full P&L accountability and drive operational excellence across safety, quality, delivery and finance. This pivotal leadership role will oversee manufacturing, quality, supply chain, engineering and, with dotted‑line responsibility, finance and HR. 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. Ensure order coverage for FY26 to support resource planning and revenue forecasting. 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. Benefits Package 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. Enhanced employee assistance programme. Notes: This job description is not intended to be exhaustive in every respect, but rather to clearly define the fundamental purpose, responsibilities and dimensions for the role. Therefore, this job description does not describe any individual role holder. In addition to the contents of this job description, employees are expected to undertake all other reasonable and related tasks allocated by their line manager. 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 Gooch & Housego 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 being performed. 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr