General Manager

Leadership Role In Custom Machine Shop And Fabrication

This is a hands-on leadership role for an experienced operator who knows manufacturing from the inside out. You will run the full business day-to-day for a well-established custom machine shop and fabrication company in Dallas, TX, reporting directly to the President and Owner.

The business has been operating since 2006, built on a reputation for quality CNC machining, manual machining, welding, and fabrication. It serves regional industrial customers in a high-mix, low-volume environment where urgency, responsiveness, and precision are non-negotiable. Ownership is actively investing in the business, with growth coming through both organic and M&A channels.

You will own operations, scheduling, quoting, customer and vendor relationships, team leadership, financial performance, and continuous improvement. If you want a role where your decisions shape the direction of the business, this is it.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily machine shop and fabrication operations, including production planning, scheduling, and job prioritization.
• Maintain workflow efficiency, capacity utilization, and on-time delivery across a high-mix, fast-response environment.
• Coordinate communication between the office and the shop floor to keep both sides aligned and accountable.
• Respond decisively to urgent and rush work without losing control of the broader production schedule.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for key customers. Own communication, delivery expectations, and issue resolution.
• Oversee quoting discipline, turnaround, and job fit to ensure profitable and well-scoped work.
• Manage vendor coordination, material procurement, tooling readiness, and subcontractor relationships.

• Lead, coach, and develop both shop and office leaders and team members.
• Foster a culture of accountability, safety, urgency, and collaboration.
• Recruit, hire, and retain a skilled team. Build the leadership structure as the business grows.
• Establish a consistent communication rhythm that keeps the whole operation connected.

• Develop and manage budgets, job profitability, quoting accuracy, and cost control.
• Track and improve KPIs including revenue, gross margin, on-time delivery, DSO, backlog, and material costs.
• Communicate proactively with ownership on business performance and operational health.
• Identify and surface opportunities for profitable growth.

• Improve processes, documentation, and operating rhythm across quoting, scheduling, production, and invoicing.
• Lead practical continuous improvement efforts with a lean mindset.
• Support future ERP, digital workflow, and automation improvements as the business scales.

• Ensure full adherence to OSHA requirements and company safety policies.
• Maintain and improve quality control processes, including calibration of measuring equipment and machinery.
• Document and uphold specific quality control standards across the shop.

Ideal Qualifications

• 7-10+ years of leadership experience in a machine shop, fabrication shop, or similar manufacturing environment.
• Proven track record in a high-mix, low-volume job shop with significant exposure to urgent and emergency work.
• Hands-on experience with quoting, job costing, workflow management, customer communication, and operational leadership.
• Ability to analyze and finish work without prints, and to machine prototypes and replacements from samples or ideas rather than CAD drawings.

• Strong understanding of CNC machining, manual machining, welding, fabrication, and mechanical manufacturing processes.
• In-depth experience with mechanical repairs using machine shop and fabrication processes.
• Lean or process improvement exposure preferred.

• Able to move between the shop floor and customer-facing conversations without losing credibility in either setting.
• Leads with accountability, integrity, and clear communication.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to operate with independence, urgency, and sound judgment.
• Comfort working with both engineers and maintenance personnel.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and ownership mentality strongly preferred.

Work Environment

• Ability to work in both office and shop-floor environments with routine exposure to machining and welding noise, heat, and manufacturing equipment.
• Ability to lift up to 40 lbs. occasionally and stand/walk on the shop floor as needed.
• Ability to operate a forklift, drive a work truck, and pull a gooseneck trailer.

How To Apply

This search is being conducted by Adilstone Group on behalf of the hiring company. If your background reflects deep experience in machine shop or fabrication leadership and you're ready to own the full operation, we want to hear from you.

Please apply directly with a resume showcasing your background in machining, fabrication, and high-mix manufacturing leadership. We'll be direct with you about fit!