General Manager – Conversion (Multi-Site)
Location: Flexible within the operating region | Regular travel across five sites
Reporting to: Business Unit Leader
Contract: Contract with a possibility of becoming permanent
Our client is an international industrial group with a strong position in flexible foam and converted products. Five standalone conversion sites currently operate as a collection of local businesses — each with its own habits, its own customers and its own economics. The opportunity is to turn them into one disciplined, scalable and profitable conversion platform.
This is a genuine leadership mandate with full P&L ownership, direct access to executive decision-makers, and a clear mandate to make strategic choices — invest, integrate, restructure or exit — rather than simply administer the status quo.
If you enjoy walking into a complex perimeter, building the fact base quickly and then delivering measurable change, this role will suit you.
What you will own
Full P&L accountability for five conversion sites: revenue, margin, EBITDA, cash and capital performance.
Strategy and execution for the standalone conversion perimeter — investment, integration, restructuring, optimisation and rationalisation decisions.
Commercial discipline: transparent costing and pricing, product segmentation, customer profitability and cost-to-serve.
Operational performance: safety, quality, OTIF, productivity, utilisation, yield, waste, lead time and customer complaints.
Growth: improved customer and product mix, disciplined pricing and sustainable external sales development.
People and governance: strong site leadership teams, common KPIs and monthly performance routines across the network.
Your first three years, in outline
Horizon
Expected outcome
First 90 days
A confirmed financial, commercial and operational fact base by site, customer and product — including the real causes of margin leakage.
Six months
Clear recommendations on where to invest, reorganise, integrate differently, reduce or exit.
Year one
Common costing, pricing governance, segmentation, KPIs and performance routines in place.
Years two to three
Measurable improvement in EBITDA, contribution margin, cash, service and productivity.
What you will bring
Senior leadership experience in foam conversion, bedding, furniture components, plastics or another make-to-order industrial environment.
Multi-site P&L ownership, with a track record of commercial and operational improvement.
Real experience of turnaround, transformation, restructuring or portfolio optimisation — building a fact base fast, challenging assumptions and delivering.
Strong financial acumen: costing, pricing, contribution margin, EBITDA, cash and investment appraisal.
The ability to influence in a matrix — aligning site leaders, Regional Sales Directors and central functions without adding complexity.
Executive credibility combined with genuine operational depth: as comfortable in a board review as on the shop floor.
A degree in engineering, operations or business is welcome; equivalent professional experience is equally valued.
Willingness to travel regularly across the site network.
Languages: Professional fluency in English is essential. Croatian is a distinct asset given the site footprint, and other regional languages are welcome.
Why this role
A visible, strategically important mandate with executive sponsorship.
Full autonomy over a defined perimeter — you set the agenda, not just the schedule.
The chance to create a scalable model that supports the wider Group strategy.
Competitive executive package, aligned to experience and to the value you create.
How to apply
Applications are handled in strict confidence. Please send your CV to
[email protected], . Only candidates matching the profile will be contacted, and no information will be shared with our client without your prior agreement.
Our client is an equal opportunities employer. All applications are considered on merit.