General Manager Operations

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey. Aspect Technical Recruitment – Bay of Plenty Our Client is a well-established heavy engineering and fabrication business with more than half a century of history supporting industrial customers across the Central North Island and beyond. The business works across heavy fabrication, structural steel, pressure systems, jobbing, shutdowns, maintenance, installation work and general engineering projects. Every project is different. Jobs need to be scoped clearly, priced accurately, scheduled realistically and delivered well. The team is experienced, practical and straight-up. The Directors remain close to the business and are now looking for a senior operational leader who can take ownership of the day-to-day running of the operation. The Role: as General Manager Operations, you will take responsibility for the operational performance of the business. This is not a role where you sit in an office reading reports all day. You’ll spend time walking the workshop, talking with supervisors, understanding the jobs in progress, meeting customers, supporting estimating and scheduling decisions, and identifying issues before they turn into bigger problems. You will work closely with the Directors, but you will also be expected to get on with it. This is a role with real autonomy. You’ll be trusted to make decisions and keep the business moving, it will suit someone who has previously run a smaller engineering business or business unit, the breadth of the role will feel familiar. Overall leadership of workshop, fabrication, machining and site operations Managing project flow, scheduling, resourcing and delivery Working with supervisors to keep jobs moving and teams aligned Supporting estimating, pricing, scoping and technical decision-making Meeting customers and building long-term commercial relationships Managing operational budgets, productivity, profitability and performance Leading recruitment, succession planning, performance and team development Maintaining strong safety, quality and operational standards Contributing to business strategy, growth and future planning with the Directors About You: This role will suit someone who has progressed from an engineering background into senior operational or business leadership, ideally within a smaller to mid-sized fabrication, general engineering or project-based engineering business. You will understand what it takes to run an engineering business where every job is different from estimating and customer relationships through to workshop capacity, scheduling, margins and final delivery. The important thing is that you can move naturally between the workshop floor, customer conversations and director-level commercial discussions. You will ideally have: A degree qualification in Mechanical, Industrial or similar Engineering Senior operational or business leadership experience within fabrication, general engineering, heavy engineering or project-based engineering Strong workshop credibility and the ability to earn respect from experienced tradespeople Experience leading through supervisors, managers or team leaders Strong commercial understanding across estimating, job costing, margins, budgets, customer relationships and overall business performance Confidence supporting estimating, scheduling, resource planning and project delivery A practical, calm and visible leadership style The ability to make decisions, solve problems and take ownership You do not need to be the technical expert in every discussion, but you do need to understand the work, the people and where operational issues can develop. What Will Succeed Here: The person who succeeds here will be technically credible, commercially aware and operationally sharp. You will be someone who notices when a job is starting to drift, when a customer needs attention, when a supervisor needs support, or when a small issue is about to become an expensive one. You’ll enjoy solving problems, backing your people, building customer relationships and taking real ownership of the operation. Why This Role: This is an opportunity to become one of the key leaders of a long-established engineering business with genuine influence over its future. If you enjoy practical engineering, operational leadership and making decisions that matter, we’d like to hear from you. #J-18808-Ljbffr