Full job descriptionManaging Director – Small Manufacturing & Automotive Aftermarket Business
About the Business
We are a small, specialist manufacturing business supplying safety-related products into the automotive aftermarket. We operate with a compact team, a hands-on workshop environment, and close relationships with our customers.
This is a real SME business - practical, fast-moving, and built on people doing things properly rather than layers of process.
The Role
We are looking for a hands-on Managing Director to take day-to-day responsibility for running and growing the business.
This role suits someone who enjoys being close to the detail, improving how things work, and steadily building a business rather than maintaining the status quo. It is not a corporate MD role.
There will be an initial handover period working alongside the current interim Managing Director to ensure continuity and a smooth transition before full responsibility transfers.
What You’ll Be Responsible For
*Running the business day to day
*Driving revenue growth, pricing discipline and margin improvement
*Improving operational efficiency across production, stock and delivery
*Leading, supporting and developing a small team
*Making sound commercial decisions within tight budgets
*Using financial information and simple reporting to guide actions
*Improving organisation, workflow and standards on the shop floor over time
*Introducing better systems, tools and ways of working where they add value
*Taking ownership of outcomes, not just activity
Technology, Systems & AI
You do not need to be technical or write code, but you must be comfortable using modern tools.
This includes:
*Using systems and dashboards to understand performance
*Improving reporting and visibility through simple technology
*Being curious about automation and AI tools that can help reduce admin and improve:
*Sales follow-up
*Stock control
*Reporting and visibility
*Internal processes
This role suits someone who enjoys making a business run better through smarter ways of working.
The Environment (Important to Understand)
This is a working manufacturing environment, not a polished corporate operation.
The shop floor and processes are functional but require structure, discipline and ongoing improvement. We are looking for someone who:
*Is not put off by this
*Sees it as an opportunity
*Enjoys steadily raising standards and improving how the business operates
This is a hands-on, close-to-operations role.
Who This Role Suits (Persona)
This role suits someone who is:
*A small-business practitioner, not a corporate manager
*Commercially sharp – understands pricing, margins, cash and trade-offs
*Hands-on – comfortable being close to operations, people and the shop floor
*Solution-first – instinctively moves from problem to action
*Decisive – able to make calls without perfect information
*Hungry to grow – wants to build and scale a business, not just maintain one
*Comfortable working with tight budgets and finding creative solutions
*Tech-comfortable – curious about systems, automation and AI (not technical, but open and capable)
*Operationally creative – finds better ways to serve customers and organise work
*Able to lead a small team, delegate effectively, build confidence and help others grow
*Adaptable – willing to change approach when something isn’t working
This is not a caretaker role.
Background & Experience
*Experience running or helping run a small business or division
*Automotive aftermarket, manufacturing, engineering or similar SME background preferred
*Experience with safety-related or regulated products is a plus, not essential
*Direct seatbelt or automotive safety experience is not required
*Commercial or sales background is helpful, but not mandatory
*Must understand how financial reports inform day-to-day decisions
Salary & Incentives
*Base salary of £50,000
*Performance-related bonus linked to business results
*Opportunity for short and and longer term incentives for the right person, based on delivery and retention
In Summary
This role is for someone who wants to own a small business environment, make real decisions, improve how things work, and grow alongside the company.
Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:
*Company pension
*Free parking
*Sick pay