General Manager

General Manager

Salary: £190,000 + Bonus

Location: Manchester

Overview

Our client is a large, investor-backed organisation operating a significant network of regulated, customer-facing sites across the UK.

They are seeking an experienced General Manager to lead a major operational division, with full responsibility for strategy, operational performance and financial outcomes across a large multi-site portfolio.

This is a senior executive role requiring a commercially strong leader with experience managing complex, regulated service environments delivered through distributed site networks.

Working closely with the CEO and executive team, the General Manager will lead the division through its next phase of operational development and growth.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the long-term strategic direction for the division
• Contribute to executive-level decision making and strategic planning
• Identify opportunities to strengthen operational models and support growth

Operational Leadership

• Oversee delivery across a large network of geographically distributed sites
• Drive consistent operational standards through regional leadership structures
• Ensure services operate within regulatory and quality frameworks

Financial Leadership

• Hold full accountability for divisional P&L performance
• Lead budgeting, forecasting and financial planning processes
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and commercial performance

Leadership & Organisational Development

• Lead and develop a senior regional leadership structure
• Drive accountability, performance and operational discipline across the network
• Support organisational change, growth and site integration

Governance & Risk

• Ensure strong oversight of compliance, quality and operational risk
• Maintain effective governance frameworks across the division

What You’ll Bring

Essential

• Senior leadership experience in large multi-site service organisations
• Proven track record improving performance across distributed site networks
• Full P&L responsibility at divisional or regional level
• Experience operating within regulated service environments
• Strong experience leading large operational teams through change

Sector Background

Candidates are likely to come from sectors such as:

• Education or specialist education services
• Healthcare service networks
• Dental or optometry chains
• Other investor-backed multi-site service organisations

Leadership Profile

• Strong executive presence and credibility with senior stakeholders
• Comfortable challenging and contributing to strategic debate
• Commercially astute with strong operational judgement
• Able to drive alignment and performance across large distributed teams

Desirable

• Experience within private equity or investor-backed organisations
• Exposure to acquisitions, integrations or network expansion