Acting Managing Director

Acting Managing Director

Telford

Permanent

Monday to Friday - 9am - 5pm

Salary: £70,000 - £80,000

Travel: UK and international travel required

The Opportunity

An established and successful business is entering an exciting new chapter; and is looking to appoint an experienced Acting Managing Director to lead the business through its next phase of development. The business has a strong heritage, established supplier relationships and an international customer base, and is now looking to strengthen its senior leadership team with an experienced, commercially driven individual who can take responsibility for the overall direction and performance of the organisation.

The initial appointment will be on an Acting Managing Director basis, with the intention that the successful candidate will transition into a permanent Managing Director position following a successful initial period, anticipated to be within approximately 6–12 months.

This is an opportunity for an ambitious senior leader to take genuine ownership of a business, assess its current position and develop a clear strategy for sustainable growth.

The Role

Reporting initially to the current owner, the Acting Managing Director will take responsibility for the overall commercial and operational performance of the business, with full P&L responsibility and significant autonomy to shape its future direction. The successful candidate will be expected to bring energy, commercial focus and fresh thinking to the organisation, identifying opportunities to strengthen existing revenue streams while developing new markets and customer relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Take overall responsibility for the day-to-day leadership and performance of the business.

• Assume full commercial and P&L responsibility, monitoring revenue, profitability, costs and overall business performance.

• Review the existing business strategy and identify opportunities to improve performance and support sustainable growth.

• Develop and implement a clear commercial strategy focused on increasing turnover and profitability.

• Strengthen relationships with key suppliers, ensuring the business maximises its commercial opportunities and maintains strong partnerships.

• Develop new relationships with major wholesale customers and distributors across the UK and international markets.

• Identify and develop opportunities across existing and emerging international markets, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa and other territories where there is strong commercial potential.

• Develop a structured approach to identifying high-volume wholesale opportunities, with a particular focus on bulk and container-level orders.

• Re-engage with existing customers and markets where there is an opportunity to increase sales and develop stronger commercial relationships.

• Identify new revenue streams, products, markets and routes to market.

• Represent the business at relevant exhibitions, trade shows and industry events, using these opportunities to develop new relationships and understand emerging market trends.

• Build a strong network of international wholesalers, distributors and commercial partners.

• Provide clear commercial leadership to the existing management team, setting objectives and ensuring accountability for performance.

• Establish appropriate KPIs and reporting mechanisms to monitor progress against the company's strategic and financial objectives.

• Ensure the business remains commercially agile, responsive to market changes and proactive in identifying new opportunities.

• Work closely with the wider leadership team to ensure the business operates efficiently and effectively.

• Lead the organisation through its next phase of development, creating a positive, ambitious and commercially focused culture.

The Person

This role would suit an experienced Managing Director, General Manager, Commercial Director or senior business leader who has a proven track record of taking ownership of a business and delivering commercial growth.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Commercially astute, entrepreneurial and highly results driven.

• Experienced in full P&L responsibility and business leadership.

• Confident developing and implementing commercial strategy.

• A strong relationship builder who is comfortable dealing directly with major customers and suppliers.

• Experienced in developing B2B, wholesale or distribution relationships.

• Internationally minded, with the confidence and willingness to develop overseas markets.

• Proactive and visible, with a genuine appetite for getting out into the market, attending exhibitions and meeting potential customers.

• Comfortable identifying opportunities rather than simply managing an existing customer base.

• A strong negotiator with excellent commercial and communication skills.

• Able to analyse a business objectively, identify where improvements can be made and then turn strategy into action.

• An inspirational leader who can bring energy, accountability and a positive commercial culture to the organisation.

• Comfortable working within an established business while having the vision to evolve and modernise its approach.

The application process:

Our mission is to support our clients in their creation of an equal, diverse and inclusive workforce. We are committed to providing a barrier-free recruitment process, so if you require any reasonable accessibility adjustments within the application process, then please make it known at the earliest opportunity.

We will carefully consider your details and advise you if we're able to progress with your application within 72 working hours. If you do not hear from us within this time your details won’t be retained. So, if you're not successful on this occasion, do continue to respond to future roles we advertise. In the meantime, all good wishes and continued success with your search for employment.

About Us

Prince Personnel are an employment agency working on behalf of our client. Whether you’re seeking a new permanent position, temporary assignment or contract you’ll find us easy to deal with. Located in thriving Telford, we focus on jobs in Shropshire, Staffordshire and North Wales. Prince Personnel specialise in commercial, accounts and finance and technical recruitment. With the best jobs around we are an independent agency working hard for you.

Reference: DE27055