Job Description
Managing 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