General Manager

Pet Meadow•Decatur, GA

18d•$100,000 - $120,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The General Manager is a leadership role expected to embody and promote core values such as being reliable, empathetic, customer-focused, dedicated, and detail-oriented. This position requires leading by example to foster a culture that reflects the organization's mission and values, with a commitment to operational excellence, outstanding customer service, employee development, and compassionate care. The role involves leading all operational functions, ensuring excellence in safety, quality, service, cost, and delivery, and driving customer acquisition and retention. Financial leadership includes full operational ownership of each site's financial performance, including P&L, labor management, budget management, expense control, and profitability strategies. The General Manager will also serve as the regional EOS Champion, leading the execution of EOS disciplines and ensuring site managers successfully implement these practices. A strong focus on Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies is expected, along with developing a culture of employee participation in operational improvement. Leadership and Talent Development are key, with responsibility for hiring, coaching, performance management, succession planning, and creating future leaders. Quality Excellence is paramount, ensuring compliance with SOPs, chain of custody, packaging accuracy, and leading weekly Quality Excellence Reviews. Safety and Environmental Compliance are critical, maintaining industry-leading safety performance and ensuring compliance with OSHA, EPA, and other relevant regulations, while championing a Zero Harm Safety Culture. Production & Capacity Planning involves managing production schedules, staffing models, capacity planning, and ensuring facilities are positioned for future growth. Customer Experience with veterinary partners, pet families, and referral partners is essential, monitoring turnaround time, customer satisfaction, and on-time delivery. The role involves KPI ownership for regional operational scorecards and partnering with Sales, Marketing, and Corporate Leadership for strategic growth initiatives, including new facility openings, acquisition integration, and market development. The General Manager must demonstrate strong leadership competencies including operational excellence, financial acumen, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, accountability, coaching, data-driven decision making, conflict resolution, change leadership, executive communication, and cross-functional collaboration.

Requirements

7–10 years of progressive operations leadership.
Minimum 5 years leading multi-site operations.
Experience managing multiple departments.
Demonstrated P&L ownership.
Experience leading managers and supervisors.
Experience implementing Lean transformations.
EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), including Level 10 Meetings, Rocks, Scorecards, IDS, Accountability Charts, and Quarterly Planning.
Lean Manufacturing principles and continuous improvement tools.
Six Sigma methodologies.
Experience using KPIs and operational dashboards to drive accountability and decision-making.
Strong understanding of labor planning, budgeting, forecasting, and operational financial management.
Ability to work in industrial production facilities, crematories, warehouses, transportation environments, and office settings.
Availability for occasional evenings, weekends, and emergency operational support.

Nice To Haves

Six Sigma Green Belt certification preferred.
Six Sigma Black Belt considered a strong advantage.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (Highly Preferred).
EOS Integrator or EOS leadership experience (Preferred).
OSHA 30
Project Management certification

Responsibilities

Lead all operational functions including Cremation/Aquamation Operations, Packaging, Memorial Products, Special Services, Transportation & Logistics, Customer Service, Witness Services, Production Planning, Inventory Control, Fleet Operations, Facility Maintenance, and Environmental Compliance.
Ensure every operation consistently achieves excellence in Safety, Quality, Service, Cost, and Delivery.
Maintain full operational ownership of each site's financial performance, including Site Profit & Loss (P&L), Labor Management, Budget Management, Expense Control, Break-Even Planning, Cost Reduction Initiatives, Capital Planning, Inventory Optimization, Productivity Improvement, Equipment Utilization, Labor Efficiency, Overtime Reduction, and Operational Forecasting.
Partner with the Regional Operations Director on Annual Budget Development, Monthly Financial Forecasting, Capital Requests, Profitability Strategies, Growth Planning, and Capacity Planning.
Serve as the regional EOS Champion and lead the execution of Level 10 Meetings, Quarterly Rocks, Annual Business Planning, Scorecards, Accountability Charts, IDS (Identify • Discuss • Solve), Quarterly Conversations, Company Vision Execution, and Department Priorities.
Ensure every Site Manager successfully executes EOS disciplines and develop accountability throughout every department.
Lead Operational Excellence using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, championing Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen Events, Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work, Visual Management, 5S Workplace Organization, Root Cause Analysis, A3 Problem Solving, DMAIC Methodology, Waste Elimination, Process Standardization, and Continuous Improvement.
Develop a culture where every employee actively participates in operational improvement.
Develop high-performing leaders throughout the region, responsible for Hiring, Coaching, Performance Management, Succession Planning, Leadership Development, Employee Retention, Training Programs, Cross Training, Accountability, and Employee Recognition.
Create future Site Managers and Regional Leaders.
Ensure operational excellence throughout every process, responsible for SOP Compliance, Chain of Custody, Packaging Accuracy, Memorial Quality, Pet Identification Accuracy, Customer Experience, CAPA Management, Internal Audits, Quality Scorecards, and Corrective Action Plans.
Lead weekly Quality Excellence Reviews.
Maintain industry-leading safety performance and ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, State Environmental Agencies, Air Permits, Water Permits, DOT Regulations, Biohazard Standards, Crematory Regulations, and Environmental Best Practices.
Champion a Zero Harm Safety Culture.
Manage production across all facilities, responsible for Production Scheduling, Staffing Models, Capacity Planning, Equipment Utilization, Facility Throughput, Route Optimization, Volume Forecasting, and Resource Allocation.
Ensure facilities are positioned for future growth.
Maintain exceptional service to Veterinary Partners, Pet Families, Referral Partners, and Internal Customers by monitoring Turnaround Time, Customer Satisfaction, Service Recovery, Complaint Resolution, and On-Time Delivery.
Partner with Sales, Marketing, and Corporate Leadership to support growth, supporting New Facility Openings, New Clinic Onboarding, Capacity Expansion, Market Development, Operational Readiness, and Acquisition Integration.
Own regional operational scorecards and monitor and improve Financial (Revenue, EBITDA, Site Profitability, Cost Per Pet, Labor %, Overtime %, Inventory Costs), Operational (Production Volume, Turnaround Time, Packaging Quality, Route Efficiency, Capacity Utilization, Equipment Downtime), Quality (Customer Satisfaction, Defect Rates, Rework, Chain of Custody Accuracy, Memorial Accuracy), Safety (OSHA Incidents, Near Misses, Training Compliance, Safety Audits) KPIs.