General Manager

Nichols Portland, Inc.

$110K — $130K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, Operations, Business, or a related field.
  • 10+ years of progressive leadership in manufacturing, especially MIM, powder metallurgy, or additive manufacturing.
  • Demonstrated P&L ownership with experience running a business unit or division.
  • Strong background in customer relations with a record of growing accounts.
  • Solid understanding of MIM and additive manufacturing processes and applications.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and implement short- and long-term strategies for MIM and Additive Manufacturing aligned with corporate goals.
  • Identify growth opportunities in existing and adjacent markets.
  • Represent the business at key industry events and customer meetings.
  • Build strong, trust-based relationships with key customers as the executive point of contact.
  • Collaborate with sales and engineering on quoting and new product introductions.
  • Lead full P&L responsibility including revenue growth and cost control.
  • Drive operational excellence through Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement efforts.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to lead and shape strategic direction in advanced manufacturing.
  • Collaborative environment with high levels of customer interaction.
  • A chance to build and develop a high-performing leadership team.
  • Exposure to cutting-edge technologies in MIM and additive manufacturing.
  • Focus on safety, integrity, and a culture of continuous improvement.
Full Job Description
Description

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership
  • Develop and execute the short- and long-term strategy for the MIM and Additive Manufacturing businesses aligned with overall corporate objectives.
  • Identify growth opportunities in existing and adjacent markets, including new customers, applications, alloys, and technologies.
  • Representing the business at key industry events, customer meetings, and technical forums.

Commercial & Customer Focus
  • Serve as the executive point of contact for key customers, building strong, trust-based relationships.
  • Partner with sales and engineering to support quoting, design-for-manufacturability, and new product introductions.
  • Drive customer diversification while maintaining strong performance with existing strategic accounts.
  • Support pricing strategies, contract negotiations, and long-term agreements to improve margin and volume stability.

Operational Excellence
  • Own full P&L responsibility, including revenue growth, margin expansion, cost control, and capital planning.
  • Lead manufacturing operations to achieve best-in-class results in safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and scrap reduction.
  • Champion Lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision making.
  • Ensure equipment, capacity, and workforce planning align with forecasted demand.

Technical & Engineering Oversight
  • Provide leadership and direction to engineering teams supporting MIM and additive processes.
  • Drive innovation in materials, tooling, process capability, and qualifications to meet evolving customer requirements.
  • Oversee new technology adoption and capital investments related to advanced manufacturing.

People & Culture
  • Build, lead, and develop a high-performing leadership team across operations, engineering, and support functions.
  • Establish clear goals, accountability, and performance expectations.
  • Promote a culture of safety, integrity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Compliance & Risk Management
  • Ensure compliance with quality systems, customer certifications, environmental regulations, and safety standards.
  • Manage operational and commercial risk, including supply chain resilience and contingency planning.


Requirements

Required
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, Operations, Business, or a related field.
  • 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, with significant exposure to MIM, powder metallurgy, and/or additive manufacturing.
  • Demonstrated P&L ownership and experience running a business unit or division.
  • Strong customer-facing background with proven success growing accounts and markets.
  • Solid understanding of MIM and additive manufacturing processes, materials, and end-use applications.

Preferred
  • Experience in highly regulated or precision manufacturing environments (automotive, defense, medical, aerospace, industrial).
  • Proven track record of leading changes, scaling operations, and integrating new technologies.

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