Company:
Company Confidential
Position:
President – Precision Machine Shop
Location:
New Haven Area, CT
Reporting:
Chief Operating Officer - Parent Company (Confidential)
Compensation:
Excellent Base and Bonus (performance bonus tied to EBITDA growth
Relocation:
Considered for exceptional candidates
Company Profile
Our confidential client is a precision CNC machine shop serving aerospace, defense, and medical device customers with 5-axis milling, CNC turning, and complex part machining.
The company holds AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certifications, demonstrating its commitment to quality and regulatory compliance. With approximately 20 employees, it combines deep technical expertise with a reputation for tight tolerances, complex parts, and responsive customer service.
As part of a larger parent company known as one of this nation’s premier precision machining holding companies, our confidential client benefits from access to capital and shared best practices across a growing network of advanced machining companies.
Why Join Our Client’s Company
- Operate like an owner. Real P&L authority and shop-level bonus participation.
- Permanent horizon. No forced exit clock; the parent company builds and perfects its shops for the long run.
- Autonomy plus support. Local decision rights with platform resources in talent, continuous improvement, capex, and systems.
- Lead Lean transformation. Drive measurable gains in Safety, Quality, Cost, and Delivery to elevate operational competitiveness.
- Be part of a mission. Be a part of one of this nation’s premier precision machining businesses.
Position Description and Responsibilities
This position reports directly to the parent company’s Chief Operating Officer. It requires a hands-on, “A” type leader with a solid track record of small-company P&L leadership in precision machining. The key to success in this role is a leader who can stabilize operations, sustain customer relationships, and drive operational excellence while building a high-performing leadership team.
This position requires an entrepreneurial thinker with an ownership mindset, a President who will partner directly with the parent company to position the business for disciplined growth. It will require a strong blend of strategic and tactical approaches to operational objectives, leveraging his or her background and experience to drive results via credibility, influence, and leadership by example.
This position requires an action-oriented leader who enjoys working hard, engaging directly with operators, and demonstrating energy and drive in tackling challenging goals. The leader should not be fearful of acting with minimal planning and direction, seizing more opportunities than others
This position requires an organized leader who can marshal resources (people, funding, material, support) to get things done and orchestrate multiple activities at once while using resources effectively and efficiently.
This position will:
- Learn shop operations quickly, shadowing the retiring President, and execute a pre-agreed leadership hiring plan within the first 60 days.
- Build trust and relationships with all employees; target zero attrition of critical staff post-close.
- Sustain relationships with top customers, ensuring no lost customers and smooth handover of key accounts.
- Own full P&L responsibility, pricing discipline, staffing and key hires, and execution of ongoing capex budgets.
- Implement tiered daily/weekly management, KPI dashboards, and visibility into JobBOSS for scheduling, job costing, and WIP tracking.
- Address constraints, including outside processing and operator shortages, to activate idle machines and improve utilization.
- Develop and execute a comprehensive manufacturing strategy aligned with company growth goals, emphasizing tight tolerances, complex parts, and high-mix CNC operations.
- Lead a robust Lean/Continuous Improvement initiative to drive measurable improvements in Safety, Quality, Cost, and Delivery (SQCD) performance—deploying 5S, standard work, visual management, SMED, TPM, and daily management systems to establish a culture of problem solving and sustainable improvement.
- Use Lean principles to enhance workforce cross-training, equipment utilization, and throughput, increasing competitiveness and customer responsiveness.
- Oversee and foster a culture of safety, quality, on-time delivery, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
- Propose ROI-positive capex and drive the execution of the agreed post-acquisition capex plan.
- Maintain periodic executive-level customer touchpoints while the sales manager handles daily account interaction.
- Work with the parent company’s CFO/Controller to manage budgets, forecasts, inventory, and working capital
- Partner with local schools, technical colleges, and workforce programs to build operator pipelines and cross-training opportunities.
- Lead and mentor front-line leaders, installing clear processes, expectations, and accountability to drive daily operational performance.
- Report regularly to the parent company's COO, initially daily/weekly and later weekly/monthly, providing real-time visibility on key metrics.
Position Critical to Quality + Success (CTQ+S): Technical Requirements
- BS degree in Engineering, Technical, or Business discipline (MBA a plus).
- 10–20+ years of increasing responsibility in precision machining with site-level P&L ownership.
- Demonstrated success stabilizing and growing small to mid-sized machine shops (~20–100 employees).
- Strong knowledge of tight-tolerance CNC machining, complex parts, and exotic materials; familiarity with AS9100/ISO required.
- Proven ability to implement ERP/MES job-shop systems (preferably JobBOSS) for scheduling, job costing, and KPI dashboards.
- Advanced training in Lean Manufacturing/Continuous Improvement, including 5S, SMED, TPM, standard work, and visual management—and a track record of using Lean to improve Safety, Quality, Cost, and Delivery metrics.
- Strong financial acumen, including pricing, quoting, job costing, and ROI-based capex planning.
- Ability to work with local government, colleges, and workforce initiatives to build pipelines.
Position Critical to Quality + Success (CTQ+S): Skill/Ability Behavioral Requirements
- Hands-on floor leader who engages directly with operators and leads by example.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; strong interpersonal skills with the edge and energy to lead and energize others.
- Demonstrated ability to manage change, align teams, and bring resistant workforces “on the bus.”
- Proven track record of building and mentoring leadership teams, strengthening operational bench strength, and instilling accountability.
- Ability to orchestrate multiple priorities and deliver results under pressure.
- High level of personal energy and motivation to take on a career-enhancing challenge.
- Commitment to the parent company’s culture of Transparency + Collaboration + Teamwork.
- Passion for embedding Lean thinking into culture—seeing Lean as a leadership system rather than a set of tools.
- Deep alignment with the parent company’s mission to further grow the nation’s premier precision machining business with a permanent horizon and owner mindset.
