General Manager North America

We are currently recruiting a General Manager North America for our client, a European technology company specializing in highly engineered products and precision manufacturing for customers in medical technology, life sciences, industrial applications and other advanced technology markets. The organization is entering an exciting growth phase focused on expanding its U.S. manufacturing footprint.

Position Summary

The General Manager North America will lead the transformation of the North American organization from a highly engineering-focused operation into a scalable manufacturing and operations business. The role carries full responsibility for the U.S. organization, including manufacturing, operations, engineering, quality, finance, and administration, while partnering closely with commercial and engineering leadership.

Reporting directly to the Group CEO in Europe, the General Manager will lead a small North American organization and play a key role in scaling the business over the coming years. The position combines operational leadership, manufacturing expansion, organizational development, and full P&L responsibility within a highly technical, engineering-driven environment.

Why This Role Is Attractive

• Executive leadership role with full responsibility for the North American organization
• Opportunity to build and scale a manufacturing operation almost from the ground up
• Significant influence on organizational structure, culture, and long-term growth strategy

Opportunity to play a key role in expanding the company’s North American manufacturing footprint and long-term growth strategy.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead the overall North American organization, including Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Administration
• Execute the expansion of local manufacturing and assembly capabilities to support future business growth.
• Build organizational structures, processes, KPIs, and operational discipline to support rapid growth
• Assume full P&L responsibility, budgeting, forecasting, and operational performance management
• Develop and implement the North American operational growth strategy in close alignment with headquarters
• Build and develop a high-performing leadership team while recruiting additional talent to support future expansion
• Drive manufacturing excellence, continuous improvement, Lean initiatives, and operational scalability
• Ensure compliance with quality systems and regulatory requirements, including ISO 13485
• Act as the primary operational interface between the U.S. organization and the European headquarters
• Foster strong collaboration between Engineering, Manufacturing, and Corporate functions while supporting strategic customer programs
• Build trusted relationships with key customers and represent the organization at an executive level

Candidate Profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or another relevant technical discipline; Master’s degree and/or MBA preferred.
• Proven leadership experience with full operational responsibility
• Strong background in manufacturing, operations, and organizational leadership within precision manufacturing or other highly engineered industries
• Experience scaling manufacturing organizations and leading operational growth
• Demonstrated P&L responsibility with strong financial and operational management capabilities
• Background in precision manufacturing, medical technology, photonics, industrial automation, scientific instrumentation, semiconductor equipment, or other advanced manufacturing environments is strongly preferred.
• Experience working within international organizations; exposure to European corporate culture is considered a strong advantage
• Experience with ISO 13485 and regulated manufacturing environments is highly desirable
• Hands-on, transparent, pragmatic leader with strong communication skills and the ability to balance strategic thinking with day-to-day operational execution