Executive & General Management Recruiters
Manufacturing Headhunters recruits manufacturing professionals nationwide.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
Executive and general management searches in manufacturing start with a question the board rarely writes down: who does this person have to be on the shop floor at six in the morning and in the lender meeting at four? A CEO or president, a chief operating officer, an EVP or SVP of operations, a VP of operations or manufacturing, a regional VP over several plants, a general manager, a division general manager, a director of operations or manufacturing, and an integration or transformation leader all sit in this family. The titles overlap constantly. The scope underneath them does not. We search by the P&L, the plants and the owner's expectations, not by the letters on a business card. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
- No upfront fee
- Pay only if you hire
- Manufacturing only
- We reach people who aren't on job boards
- Replacement guarantee on standard searches
What should you know about positions we recruit in Executive & General Management?
CEO / President (Manufacturing)Check Size and type of P&L (owner-led, PE-backed, public subsidiary). Chief Operating Officer (COO)Check Multi-site P&L. VP of OperationsCheck Number of sites and headcount led. VP of ManufacturingCheck Plant managers reporting in. Regional VP of OperationsCheck Standardizing practices across plants.
- CEO / President (Manufacturing)Check Size and type of P&L (owner-led, PE-backed, public subsidiary).
- Chief Operating Officer (COO)Check Multi-site P&L.
- VP of OperationsCheck Number of sites and headcount led.
- VP of ManufacturingCheck Plant managers reporting in.
- Regional VP of OperationsCheck Standardizing practices across plants.
- General Manager (Manufacturing)Check Full P&L including sales and pricing.
- Director of OperationsCheck Plants or lines owned.
- EVP / SVP OperationsOwns an operating division's plant leaders and capital priorities.
- Division / Business Unit General ManagerOwns a business unit's margin, customer commitments and operating capacity.
- Director of ManufacturingOwns production performance and manufacturing standards across assigned plants.
- Integration / Transformation LeaderOwns operating changes after an acquisition or business separation.
- Senior Director of OperationsOwns a larger or more difficult operating remit than the site's director role.
Combined executive & general management titles share a page where the work is the same; each link opens the relevant hiring brief.
What should you know about matching the responsibility, not only the title?
An owner-led shop, a sponsor-backed platform and a subsidiary reporting to a public parent need different presidents. We ask whether the candidate has sold a business, integrated an acquisition or turned around a plant under a sponsor, and whether their background is operations-led or commercial-led.
CEO and president: whose thesis is it
An owner-led shop, a sponsor-backed platform and a subsidiary reporting to a public parent need different presidents. We ask whether the candidate has sold a business, integrated an acquisition or turned around a plant under a sponsor, and whether their background is operations-led or commercial-led. That has to match what the board believes will create value.
COO, EVP and SVP operations: operating system builders
Many chief operating officers inherit a system. The ones worth meeting built or deployed one, whether lean daily management or a formal operating cadence, across more than one site. We look at footprint consolidation or expansion they personally ran, and how they handled the plant managers who did not want to change.
VP of operations versus VP of manufacturing
A VP of operations often owns S&OP, capex and an ERP rollout alongside the plants. A VP of manufacturing usually has plant managers reporting in and is judged on safety, quality, cost and delivery. We confirm which job you actually have, then check union and non-union experience, because that changes who can walk into your plants.
Regional VP and multi-site leaders
A regional operations leader standardizes practice across plants while leading plant managers who are not in the room. We probe how they did that remotely, how they decided which plant gets the capital, and whether the travel the role demands is something they have already lived with rather than imagined.
General manager, division GM and director
A true general manager holds the full P&L including sales and pricing, and has a customer-facing record. A director of operations or manufacturing may own lines or plants and the KPIs on the wall: OEE, scrap, on-time delivery, safety. We separate the two so you do not interview a plant operator for a business-owner seat, or the reverse.
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
Where we find this experience?
The strongest executive candidates are rarely looking. They are sitting presidents and general managers of peer divisions, chief operating officers who are ready for the top seat, VPs at larger competitors, and directors of operations who have outgrown a single site. We also work the networks around private equity operating partners, where operators are known by what they fixed.
For a first VP role we look at multi-site plant managers with a deep bench behind them. For transformation seats we look at corporate operational excellence leaders who have owned results rather than slides. Multi-site companies in your sector, and the manufacturing excellence community, are where scope is easiest to verify through people who watched the work.
How this manufacturing search runs?
Outreach is direct and confidential, and we qualify every name against the scope of the role before you see it. You meet fewer people than you expect, with a written view of how each one's record compares to what you need.
We open with a conversation about the business, not a job description: ownership, where the plants stand, what the last leader got right and wrong, and what the next three years must deliver. That conversation sets the scope, reporting line and the real cost of a miss, and it decides whether we are looking for a builder, a fixer or a steward.
Outreach is direct and confidential, and we qualify every name against the scope of the role before you see it. You meet fewer people than you expect, with a written view of how each one's record compares to what you need. We stay involved through offer and resignation, because executives are most likely to wobble at that stage.
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
What should you know about questions about Executive & General Management searches?
What does an executive search cost?
Our fee is a percentage of the first-year base salary of the person hired, agreed in writing before we begin. There is no upfront fee and no retainer to open the search.
When do we pay?
Only when you hire someone we introduced. If no one is hired, you owe nothing, so our effort is tied to your outcome.
How confidential is an executive search?
Very. We can run a search without naming your company until a candidate has been qualified and agrees to a conversation. Sitting leaders and your own team are protected the same way.
Do you only talk to people who are applying?
No: Most senior operators are not on job boards, so we approach employed leaders directly, with a clear and discreet reason for the call.
Can you find leaders who will relocate to a smaller town?
Yes, and we raise it early. We ask candidates about family, schooling, spouse careers and travel before they interview, so relocation does not surface after an offer.
Can a plant manager become a general manager?
Sometimes: If they have owned pricing, customers or a full P&L, they can. We test that evidence directly and tell you honestly when a title is bigger than the scope behind it.
What replacement guarantee applies?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What should you know about start your Executive & General Management search?
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
What should you know about related role families?
- Plant & Production Management
- Manufacturing, Process & Industrial Engineering
- Automation, Controls & Electrical
- Product Design, R&D & Program Management
- Quality, Food Safety & Regulatory
- Maintenance, Reliability & Facilities
- EHS & Sustainability
- Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
- Supply Chain, Procurement & Planning
- Logistics, Distribution & Warehouse
- Technical Sales, Applications & Field Service
- Manufacturing Finance & Accounting
- Machining & Toolroom
- Welding, Fabrication & Metal Finishing
- Industrial Maintenance & Plant Technicians
- Production Operators, Setup & Line Leads
- Assembly, Electronics & Composites
- Process Operators & Process Technicians
- Quality Inspection, Metrology & Lab Technicians
- Packaging Line & Sanitation Technicians
- Warehouse, Materials & Shipping
What should you know about hiring guidance for this work?
What should you know about open jobs?
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
The Six-Step Search
What do you get before interviewing?
1. Search CalibrationYou get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone. 2. Market MappingYou get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy.
1. Search Calibration
You get a hiring brief that separates the work, reporting authority and non-negotiable requirements. We agree what would make a candidate worth an interview before contacting anyone.
2. Market Mapping
You get a defined search pool, not a reposted vacancy. We identify the kinds of plants and teams where people already handle comparable equipment, processes and operating demands.
3. Professional Contact Intelligence
You get a way to reach working people directly. We check professional contact routes and approach candidates discreetly, without making your plant or vacancy public unless you approve.
4. Persistent Personalized Outreach
You get individual conversations about the actual opening. We explain the work, shift and location, ask whether a move makes sense, and follow up without pretending every person is interested.
5. Live Candidate Qualification
You get evidence of fit before spending interview time. We talk through decisions, equipment, results and reasons for moving, then distinguish direct experience from skills that would need support.
6. Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a focused short list with the information behind it. We explain motivation, practical constraints and concerns, support interviews, and keep offer decisions with your hiring team.
What should we discuss first?
What should we settle first about Executive & General Management?
Executive and general management searches in manufacturing start with a question the board rarely writes down: who does this person have to be on the shop floor at six in the morning and in the lender meeting at four? A CEO or president, a chief operating officer, an EVP or SVP of operations, a VP of operations or manufacturing, a regional VP over several plants, a general manager, a division general manager, a director of operations or manufacturing, and an integration or transformation leader all sit in this family. The titles overlap constantly. The scope underneath them does not. We search by the P&L, the plants and the owner's expectations, not by the letters on a business card.
Ready to start? Tell us the seat.
What should you know before sending executive & general management?
When do you pay a recruiting fee?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. The signed recruiting agreement sets the fee basis and payment terms. Sending an opening does not itself commit you to a fee or an exclusive arrangement.
How long does it take to see a short list?
We discuss the search conditions before describing a realistic next step. Shift, location, equipment match and the candidate's reasons for moving all matter. We do not promise a shortlist date before understanding the opening.
How do you handle counteroffers?
We ask what is driving the move before introducing a candidate. We discuss what might change if the current employer offers more money or a different job. Your team still decides whether that person's motivation fits the opening.
What replacement terms apply?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What do you not do?
We do not bill hourly for a standard permanent search, repost a job-board ad as a search, or supply high-volume general labor. Retainers are not the default. Any different arrangement must be agreed in writing.
Read the contingency fee terms · Review Executive & General Management
What did the last empty seat cost you?
How long did your last search take? How much did the empty seat cost while you waited?
Put your own cover costs and lost production into the Cost-of-Vacancy calculator. It uses your numbers, not a claim about what another plant loses.