General Manager - Overhaul & Repair

SMITHS TUBULAR SYSTEMS - LACONIA•Laconia, NH

11h

About The Position

The General Manager of Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) is responsible for the overall leadership, operational performance, and strategic growth of the MRO operation. This is a hands-on leadership role that may step into operational work to address gaps, remove bottlenecks, troubleshoot issues, cover staffing needs, or maintain workflow continuity, while also building capability, accountability, and engagement across the team. The role owns full P&L responsibility and leads daily operations to achieve safety, quality, delivery, cost, regulatory-compliance, and customer-performance objectives. The General Manager leads workforce development and staffing, oversees repair-station compliance and audit readiness, drives continuous improvement and capacity expansion, and serves as a senior customer and stakeholder contact. The position manages two subordinate supervisors overseeing 40–60 employees across Sales, Operations, Engineering, and manufacturing, and directly supervises 3–5 nonsupervisory employees.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aviation, Operations Management, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul, aviation, manufacturing, or a regulated industrial environment, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Proven experience leading teams through growth, change, and operational constraints.
Strong operational acumen and ability to move between strategic leadership and hands-on execution.
Demonstrated success developing inexperienced or early-career teams.
Exceptional people leadership and coaching skills.
Decisive, hands-on problem-solving ability.
Ability to thrive in a high-growth, labor-constrained environment.
Strong communication, influence, and stakeholder-management skills.
Results-driven approach with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.

Nice To Haves

FAA Repairman Certificate (preferred, not required).
Experience as a working or “player-coach” leader in an MRO or production environment.
Familiarity with Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies.
Strong understanding of aviation regulatory environments and repair-station operations.

Responsibilities

Own full P&L responsibility for the MRO operation, driving safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance.
Lead daily operations to ensure on-time delivery, regulatory compliance, and adherence to customer and contractual requirements.
Act as a working manager when needed to troubleshoot issues, cover staffing gaps, or accelerate critical work.
Identify, prioritize, and resolve production constraints in a high-growth environment.
Uphold Smiths Leadership Behaviors and organizational values of Passion, Integrity, Respect, Ownership, Customer Focus, and Ethics.
Be consistently, regularly, and predictably at work and on time.
Lead, coach, and develop a largely inexperienced workforce by establishing clear expectations, structured training, and mentorship.
Build bench strength through hiring, onboarding, cross-training, and succession planning.
Foster a strong safety culture, accountability, and continuous improvement orientation.
Partner with HR to address labor shortages and attrition.
Ensure compliance with 14 CFR Part 145, the Repair Station Manual (RSM), the Quality Control Manual (QCM), training program requirements, customer and regulatory standards, and applicable requirements such as FAA and EASA regulations.
Promote and enforce a zero-harm culture.
Train team members on safety rules and enforce safe behaviors; conduct safety meetings, safety observations, safety leadership tours, and incident investigations.
Serve as the senior site leader responsible for repair-station compliance, audit readiness, and effective corrective and preventive action (CAPA).
Ensure personnel authorization, training, and qualification requirements are met and documented in accordance with Part 145 and company procedures.
Develop and maintain a sound internal control structure for the business.
Implement Lean, continuous improvement, innovation strategy, and capacity-expansion initiatives to support market growth.
Develop and execute strategies to balance demand growth with labor, tooling, and facility limitations.
Collaborate with executive leadership on long-term growth planning, capital investments, and capability expansion.
Serve as a senior point of contact for customers, providing transparent communication and resolving issues.
Partner with supply chain, engineering, quality, and commercial teams to align priorities and drive results.
Promote the organization in industry, manufacturing, or trade associations.
Manage two subordinate supervisors and directly supervise 3–5 nonsupervisory employees; provide overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of the relevant units.
Interview, hire, and train employees; plan, assign, and direct work; appraise performance; reward and discipline employees; address complaints; and resolve problems.