Position Overview
Peterson Europe, a leading pan-European supplier of lighting products for the commercial vehicle market, is seeking a dynamic, experienced and commercial Managing Director to succeed the co-founder.
Backed by new owners, the business is positioned to execute a rigorous 3-5 year growth strategy to transition from a successful c. £5m turnover SME into a dominant player in UK and European specialist vehicle lighting markets.
The role requires an experienced, commercial and ambitious leader to successfully drive the business forwards, whilst developing the team and supporting infrastructure as the business scales. Proven experience in a leadership role is essential, with direct experience in automotive lighting or related sectors selling to automotive OEMs preferred.
Over the next 3-5 years, the incoming MD will take responsibility for the performance of all parts of the business, lead and develop a high-performance team, and work closely with actively engaged owners to ensure the ongoing success of the company.
Key Responsibilities
* Business leadership: Assume overall financial and operational responsibility for the day-to-day running of the business.
* Team leadership: Nurture a strong collaborative culture across the excellent and well-established office and technical teams, whilst embedding modern operational structures and commercial accountability, and developing the team as appropriate.
* Relationship management: Cultivate and strengthen our relationships with our existing OEM and aftermarket customer base. Work collaboratively with customers to develop new products and provide new solutions.
* Commercial growth: Take primary responsibility for driving commercial growth in the business. Design, implement and manage a structured framework for a long-cycle, relationship-driven B2B sales model. Provide clarity of strategy and role delineation, and implement a data driven approach to monitoring, accountability and KPIs.
* Supply chain: Oversee the international supply chain, engaging as required with global suppliers to ensure quality is maintained, cost/time efficiency is optimised.
* Board reporting: Engage with the owners to deliver transparent financial, operational and pipeline metrics.
Candidate Requirements
* Leadership style: You should be personable, driven, self-motivated, and well organised.
* Location: Residing within (or willing to relocate) to an area that enables a comfortable daily commute to Aylesbury.
* Leadership experience: Proven experience as an autonomous MD or business unit leader within a £2m–£30m UK B2B distribution or manufacturing SME.
* Sector experience: Experience within automotive lighting or related sectors preferred (e.g. component manufacturing, specialist vehicle supply chains, industrial B2B lighting).
* Commerciality: Ability to navigate complex, long-cycle OEM procurement and engineering processes where business is won via long term relationship development and management, technical expertise and tailored solutions provision, rather than mass-marketing campaigns.
* Financial Literacy: Ability to manage a P&L and to oversee the accounting and finance functions, and to develop detailed annual budgets.
Remuneration
* Base Salary: Commensurate with performance and experience.
* Performance Bonus: Structured annual bonus.
* Equity: Meaningful equity upside incentives aligned with capital growth.
Process
* Application by cover letter specifically setting out how you are well suited to this role, together with CV. Applications only based on CVs will not be considered.
* Strong applicants that are well-matched to the opportunity will be invited to interview.
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