Industry Experienced - General Manager

Tennessee Sign Company
Location: Tennessee
Employment Type: Full-Time
Department: Executive / Operations
Reports To: Owner / President

Lead the Business. Build the Team. Drive Growth.

Tennessee Sign Company is a growing regional sign company specializing in the design, fabrication, printing, installation, and service of commercial signage and graphics throughout Tennessee.

We are seeking an experienced, results-driven General Manager to take responsibility for the day-to-day performance and continued growth of the company.

This is a senior leadership position for an individual who understands that a successful business requires more than managing today’s workload. The General Manager will be responsible for people, sales, operations, customer satisfaction, profitability, accountability, and growth.

We are looking for a leader who can build a strong team, establish accountability, improve systems, and help take Tennessee Sign Company to the next level.

Position Summary

The General Manager will oversee the company’s overall operations and work closely with the Owner/President to establish and execute the company’s strategic objectives.

The General Manager will coordinate the activities of:

·       Sales

·       Inside Sales

·       Project Management

·       Design

·       Production

·       Installation

·       Purchasing

·       Customer Service

·       Administration

The successful candidate will create alignment between these departments and ensure that the company operates as one team with one set of goals.

The General Manager will be accountable for achieving company objectives related to:

Revenue • Gross Profit • Customer Satisfaction • Production • Schedule Performance • Employee Performance • Cash Flow • Growth

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Management

·       Lead the day-to-day operations of Tennessee Sign Company.

·       Establish clear expectations for managers and employees.

·       Develop a culture of accountability, professionalism, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

·       Conduct regular management meetings and performance reviews.

·       Establish departmental goals and performance standards.

·       Hold managers accountable for achieving their objectives.

·       Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high-performing employees.

·       Identify underperformance and implement corrective action when necessary.

·       Build a leadership team capable of operating effectively without constant owner involvement.

·       Serve as the primary leader responsible for coordinating the company’s departments.

Financial Performance

The General Manager will have significant responsibility for the company’s financial performance.

Responsibilities include:

·       Establish and manage annual and departmental budgets.

·       Monitor revenue and gross profit.

·       Monitor operating expenses.

·       Review financial statements and key performance indicators.

·       Identify opportunities to improve profitability.

·       Control unnecessary expenses.

·       Monitor labor costs and productivity.

·       Improve estimating and pricing discipline.

·       Reduce project overruns and unbilled work.

·       Monitor accounts receivable and cash flow in coordination with administration.

·       Ensure that growth produces profitable revenue—not simply increased sales volume.

Key Financial Focus

Revenue Growth + Gross Margin + Expense Control = Profitability

The General Manager will be expected to understand the numbers and use them to make business decisions.

Sales & Business Development

The General Manager will work closely with the sales team to drive profitable growth.

Responsibilities include:

·       Establish company-wide sales goals.

·       Monitor sales pipeline and sales performance.

·       Develop sales accountability systems.

·       Support sales recruiting, training, and development.

·       Review sales conversion rates.

·       Monitor average project size and gross margin.

·       Identify new markets and customer segments.

·       Develop strategies to increase repeat and referral business.

·       Help establish key-account and strategic-customer programs.

·       Ensure sales commitments are realistic and achievable by operations.

The General Manager should be comfortable discussing sales numbers, pipeline performance, closing ratios, pricing, margins, and customer acquisition costs.

Operations Management

Oversee the company’s operating departments to ensure projects move efficiently from sale through completion.

Responsibilities include:

·       Establish efficient workflows.

·       Monitor production capacity.

·       Monitor installation capacity.

·       Improve scheduling.

·       Reduce bottlenecks.

·       Improve communication between departments.

·       Establish standard operating procedures.

·       Identify operational inefficiencies.

·       Implement systems that allow the company to scale.

·       Ensure projects are completed accurately and on time.

·       Monitor project profitability from sale through completion.

Project Management

The General Manager will ensure the project-management function maintains control of the company’s active workload.

This includes:

·       Monitoring project schedules.

·       Reviewing major and high-risk projects.

·       Identifying potential project problems early.

·       Ensuring change orders are captured and billed.

·       Reducing project delays.

·       Improving communication with customers.

·       Ensuring sold projects are properly handed off to operations.

·       Reviewing completed projects for profitability and performance.

Production & Installation

The General Manager will oversee the performance of the production and installation departments through their respective managers.

Key objectives include:

·       Improve production efficiency.

·       Improve installation efficiency.

·       Reduce rework.

·       Reduce material waste.

·       Improve on-time completion.

·       Maintain high quality standards.

·       Maintain strong safety performance.

·       Properly maintain equipment and facilities.

·       Ensure production and installation capacity supports sales growth.

Customer Experience

The General Manager is responsible for ensuring Tennessee Sign Company delivers a professional customer experience from the first sales contact through project completion.

Responsibilities include:

·       Establish customer-service standards.

·       Monitor customer satisfaction.

·       Address significant customer issues.

·       Identify recurring service problems.

·       Develop systems to prevent customer issues.

·       Encourage repeat and referral business.

·       Protect the company’s reputation in the marketplace.

Strategic Planning & Growth

The General Manager will work with ownership to develop and execute the company’s growth strategy.

Responsibilities may include:

·       Establish annual business objectives.

·       Develop growth plans.

·       Evaluate new markets.

·       Evaluate new products and services.

·       Analyze equipment and facility requirements.

·       Evaluate additional locations or expansion opportunities.

·       Develop organizational structure required for growth.

·       Identify acquisition or strategic partnership opportunities when appropriate.

·       Develop succession and leadership-development plans.

Systems & Process Improvement

A major responsibility of the General Manager will be helping Tennessee Sign Company move from an owner-dependent operation toward a systems-driven organization.

The General Manager will:

·       Establish written procedures.

·       Improve workflow between departments.

·       Implement accountability systems.

·       Improve use of CRM and project-management software.

·       Establish dashboards and KPIs.

·       Standardize recurring processes.

·       Document responsibilities and expectations.

·       Identify bottlenecks and eliminate unnecessary steps.

·       Continuously improve the company’s operating systems.

People & Culture

The General Manager will establish and maintain a high-performance culture.

We want a workplace where:

·       People know what is expected of them.

·       Employees understand how their performance is measured.

·       Good performance is recognized.

·       Poor performance is addressed.

·       Problems are communicated rather than hidden.

·       Managers lead rather than simply supervise.

·       Employees take ownership of their responsibilities.

·       Safety and quality are non-negotiable.

·       Team members understand how their work contributes to company success.

Required Qualifications

·       7+ years of progressive management experience preferred.

·       Previous General Manager, Operations Manager, Regional Manager, or similar leadership experience strongly preferred.

·       Proven experience managing people and departments.

·       Demonstrated financial and business-management experience.

·       Strong understanding of P&L management.

·       Strong sales and customer-service understanding.

·       Excellent organizational and communication skills.

·       Strong problem-solving and decision-making ability.

·       Demonstrated ability to establish accountability.

·       Strong computer and business-system skills.

·       Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Experience

Experience in one or more of the following industries is highly desirable:

·       Sign industry

·       Construction

·       Manufacturing

·       Commercial contracting

·       Printing

·       Graphics

·       Architectural products

·       Building materials

·       Commercial services

·       Multi-location operations

Sign-industry experience is strongly preferred, but an exceptional business leader with relevant operational experience will be considered.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal General Manager is:

·       A strong leader who leads by example.

·       Highly accountable and results-oriented.

·       Financially disciplined.

·       Comfortable making difficult decisions.

·       A strong communicator.

·       Highly organized.

·       Proactive rather than reactive.

·       Comfortable managing managers.

·       Capable of holding people accountable without creating unnecessary conflict.

·       Customer-focused.

·       Sales-minded.

·       Operationally disciplined.

·       Comfortable using data to make decisions.

·       Focused on continuous improvement.

·       Able to balance short-term priorities with long-term strategy.

We Are Looking for a Leader Who Will:

Build the Team.
Grow the Business.
Improve the Systems.
Protect the Culture.
Increase Profitability.

Performance Expectations

The General Manager will be accountable for measurable improvements in:

Financial Performance

·       Revenue growth

·       Gross profit

·       Net operating profit

·       Expense control

·       Cash flow

Sales Performance

·       Sales volume

·       Closing percentage

·       Average project size

·       Sales pipeline

·       Customer retention

Operations

·       On-time project completion

·       Production efficiency

·       Installation efficiency

·       Labor utilization

·       Material waste

·       Rework

Customer Experience

·       Customer satisfaction

·       Complaints

·       Repeat business

·       Referral business

Team Performance

·       Employee retention

·       Employee productivity

·       Manager accountability

·       Employee development

·       Safety performance

Key Performance Indicators

The General Manager will be expected to establish and maintain a company dashboard covering the most important business metrics.

At a minimum, this should include:

Sales Revenue
Gross Profit & Gross Margin
Net Profit
Sales Conversion Rate
Backlog
Accounts Receivable
On-Time Completion
Production Efficiency
Installation Efficiency
Rework
Customer Satisfaction
Employee Turnover

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive executive-level compensation based on experience, leadership ability, and demonstrated results.

The compensation package may include:

·       Competitive base salary

·       Performance-based bonus

·       Profit-based incentive opportunity

·       Paid time off

·       Company benefits

·       Professional development

·       Advancement opportunities

A significant portion of compensation may be tied to company performance and achievement of established financial and operational objectives.

Specific compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Career Opportunity

This is an opportunity for an experienced business leader to become a key part of the continued growth of Tennessee Sign Company.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to help build the systems, leadership team, and organizational structure required to grow the company into a leading regional sign and graphics organization.

The General Manager will work directly with ownership and will have a meaningful influence on the company’s future.

Why Join Tennessee Sign Company?

·       Growing regional company with significant opportunity.

·       Diverse commercial customer base.

·       Strong product and service capabilities.

·       Opportunity to build and lead a high-performing team.

·       Direct influence on company strategy and profitability.

·       Performance-based compensation opportunity.

·       Opportunity to build a scalable organization.

·       Potential for significant long-term career growth.

How to Apply

If you are an experienced business leader who is ready to take ownership of people, performance, operations, and profitability, we want to hear from you.

Please submit your resume and a brief description of:

1.       The size and type of organizations you have managed.

2.       The number of employees you have directly or indirectly managed.

3.       Your experience managing a P&L.

4.       Your experience growing revenue and profitability.

5.       The most significant operational improvement you have implemented.

6.       Why you believe you would be successful as General Manager of Tennessee Sign Company.

Tennessee Sign Company
Building Signs. Building Brands. Building Careers.