General Manager, Sales & Operations

Sales Manager transition to General Manager

Location: (Portland Area toward Vancouver)

Travel: ~35%

Reports to: President, North America

Team: 7–9 sales and operations professionals

Industry: Industrial safety / engineered fabricated products

Starts as Sales Manager; will be General Manager within 4 months.

KEY THINGS

• Experience selling engineered manufactured products/solutions into construction, manufacturing, etc
• Experience with or accountable for a P&L in some way
• Saying twice: Selling things like engineered fabricated metal systems, custom rails, custom warehouse systems, custom fire protection systems, fall protection systems, etc
• Travel: probably 60% travel

Want to send me a question or cover letter? info@catalystrecruting.com. And make sure you indicate the job.

The role

A well-established international manufacturer of engineered/fabricated fall protection and safety-related products is hiring a General Manager to lead its West Coast business unit — sales, operations, and full P&L ownership — reporting directly to the President, North America.

This is a selling GM role. You carry the number for the unit and personally work the largest opportunities, while building and leading the team that carries the rest.

The current General Manager is moving into a different role; this is a friendly transition. He wil l stay on and will train the successful candidate into the position. You inherit an established book of business, a working team, and a predecessor who wants you to succeed.

The initial focus is the West Coast. The plan is to double the business over the next three years and build the platform for national expansion.

What you'll own

• Revenue, margin, and P&L performance for the business unit
• Leadership of an existing team of 7–9 in sales and operations, plus the hires that come with growth
• The West Coast growth strategy, and the groundwork for expanding it nationally
• Personally identifying, developing, and closing strategic opportunities
• Relationships with end users, general and specialty contractors, engineers, developers, and project owners
• Pipeline discipline — forecasting, CRM hygiene, accountability, follow-through
• Operational execution as volume scales: quoting, project delivery, service
• Coaching and performance management across a growing team
• Working with senior leadership and finance on margin, cost control, and profitable growth
• A visible, credible safety culture — it is the product

What we're looking for

We expect the right person will bring roughly 15+ years in technical, industrial, construction, or engineered solutions sales, including:

• 5+ years leading a sales team — hiring, coaching, and managing performance, not just holding the title
• Direct P&L or budget ownership — accountability for margin and cost, not top line alone
• A documented record of growing revenue and market share in a defined territory or business unit
• Personally sourcing, negotiating, and closing strategically significant deals — you can still carry a bag
• Experience building rather than inheriting: a team, a territory, a process, or a market
• The ability to understand a technical solution and translate it into clear customer value
• Comfort moving between strategy, the sales pipeline, and day-to-day operations

Experience in industrial safety, fall protection, or specialty contracting is highly valuable. Candidates from adjacent technical industries with complex B2B, project-driven sales experience are equally of interest.

Compensation and benefits

Base salary: $130,000 – $150,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications.

In addition, this position is eligible for an incentive program tied to the profitability and P&L performance of the business unit.

Benefits offered include: [medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) with employer match; paid time off and paid holidays; life and disability insurance; vehicle or mileage allowance].

Catalyst Recruiting will review applications with human eyes and brain - no ATS screening.

[Client] is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.