Knoxville Sign

Benefits

• 401(k)
• Bonus based on performance
• Competitive salary
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Training & development

General Manager

Tennessee Sign Company Location: Tennessee Employment Type: Full-Time Department: Executive / Operations Reports To: Owner / President

Lead the Business. Build the Team. Drive Growth.

Tennessee Sign Company is a growing regional sign company specializing in the design, fabrication, printing, installation, and service of commercial signage and graphics throughout Tennessee.

We are seeking an experienced, results-driven General Manager to take responsibility for the day-to-day performance and continued growth of the company.

This is a senior leadership position for an individual who understands that a successful business requires more than managing today's workload. The General Manager will be responsible for people, sales, operations, customer satisfaction, profitability, accountability, and growth.

We are looking for a leader who can build a strong team, establish accountability, improve systems, and help take Tennessee Sign Company to the next level.

Position Summary

The General Manager will oversee the company's overall operations and work closely with the Owner/President to establish and execute the company's strategic objectives.

Activities Coordinated

• Sales
• Inside Sales
• Project Management
• Design
• Production
• Installation
• Purchasing
• Customer Service
• Administration

The successful candidate will create alignment between these departments and ensure that the company operates as one team with one set of goals.

Company Objectives

• Revenue
• Gross Profit
• Customer Satisfaction
• Production
• Schedule Performance
• Employee Performance
• Cash Flow
• Growth

Key ResponsibilitiesLeadership & Management

• Lead the day-to-day operations of Tennessee Sign Company.
• Establish clear expectations for managers and employees.
• Develop a culture of accountability, professionalism, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct regular management meetings and performance reviews.
• Establish departmental goals and performance standards.
• Hold managers accountable for achieving their objectives.
• Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high-performing employees.
• Identify underperformance and implement corrective action when necessary.
• Build a leadership team capable of operating effectively without constant owner involvement.
• Serve as the primary leader responsible for coordinating the company's departments.

Financial Performance

The General Manager will have significant responsibility for the company's financial performance.

Responsibilities include

• Establish and manage annual and departmental budgets.
• Monitor revenue and gross profit.
• Monitor operating expenses.
• Review financial statements and key performance indicators.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability.
• Control unnecessary expenses.
• Monitor labor costs and productivity.
• Improve estimating and pricing discipline.
• Reduce project overruns and unbilled work.
• Monitor accounts receivable and cash flow in coordination with administration.
• Ensure that growth produces profitable revenue—not simply increased sales volume.

Key Financial Focus

Revenue Growth + Gross Margin + Expense Control = Profitability

Sales & Business Development

The General Manager will work closely with the sales team to drive profitable growth.

Responsibilities include

• Establish company-wide sales goals.
• Monitor sales pipeline and sales performance.
• Develop sales accountability systems.
• Support sales recruiting, training, and development.
• Review sales conversion rates.
• Monitor average project size and gross margin.
• Identify new markets and customer segments.
• Develop strategies to increase repeat and referral business.
• Help establish key-account and strategic-customer programs.
• Ensure sales commitments are realistic and achievable by operations.

Operations Management

Oversee the company's operating departments to ensure projects move efficiently from sale through completion.

Responsibilities include

• Establish efficient workflows.
• Monitor production capacity.
• Monitor installation capacity.
• Improve scheduling.
• Reduce bottlenecks.
• Improve communication between departments.
• Establish standard operating procedures.
• Identify operational inefficiencies.
• Implement systems that allow the company to scale.
• Ensure projects are completed accurately and on time.
• Monitor project profitability from sale through completion.

Project Management

The General Manager will ensure the project-management function maintains control of the company's active workload.

Responsibilities include

• Monitoring project schedules.
• Reviewing major and high-risk projects.
• Identifying potential project problems early.
• Ensuring change orders are captured and billed.
• Reducing project delays.
• Improving communication with customers.
• Ensuring sold projects are properly handed off to operations.
• Reviewing completed projects for profitability and performance.

Production & Installation

The General Manager will oversee the performance of the production and installation departments through their respective managers.

Key objectives include

• Improve production efficiency.
• Improve installation efficiency.
• Reduce rework.
• Reduce material waste.
• Improve on-time completion.
• Maintain high quality standards.
• Maintain strong safety performance.
• Properly maintain equipment and facilities.
• Ensure production and installation capacity supports sales growth.

Customer Experience

The General Manager is responsible for ensuring Tennessee Sign Company delivers a professional customer experience from the first sales contact through project completion.

Responsibilities include

• Establish customer-service standards.
• Monitor customer satisfaction.
• Address significant customer issues.
• Identify recurring service problems.
• Develop systems to prevent customer issues.
• Encourage repeat and referral business.
• Protect the company's reputation in the marketplace.

Strategic Planning & Growth

The General Manager will work with ownership to develop and execute the company's growth strategy.

Responsibilities may include

• Establish annual business objectives.
• Develop growth plans.
• Evaluate new markets.
• Evaluate new products and services.
• Analyze equipment and facility requirements.
• Evaluate additional locations or expansion opportunities.
• Develop organizational structure required for growth.
• Identify acquisition or strategic partnership opportunities when appropriate.
• Develop succession and leadership-development plans.

Systems & Process Improvement

A major responsibility of the General Manager will be helping Tennessee Sign Company move from an owner-dependent operation toward a systems-driven organization.

Responsibilities include

• Establish written procedures.
• Improve workflow between departments.
• Implement accountability systems.
• Improve use of CRM and project-management software.
• Establish dashboards and KPIs.
• Standardize recurring processes.
• Document responsibilities and expectations.
• Identify bottlenecks and eliminate unnecessary steps.
• Continuously improve the company's operating systems.

People & Culture

The General Manager will establish and maintain a high-performance culture.

We want a workplace where:

• People know what is expected of them.
• Employees understand how their performance is measured.
• Good performance is recognized.
• Poor performance is addressed.
• Problems are communicated rather than hidden.
• Managers lead rather than simply supervise.
• Employees take ownership of their responsibilities.
• Safety and quality are non-negotiable.
• Team members understand how their work contributes to company success.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive management experience preferred.
• Previous General Manager, Operations Manager, Regional Manager, or similar leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Proven experience managing people and departments.
• Demonstrated financial and business-management experience.
• Strong understanding of P&L management.
• Strong sales and customer-service understanding.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making ability.
• Demonstrated ability to establish accountability.
• Strong computer and business-system skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Experience

Experience in one or more of the following industries is highly desirable:

• Sign industry
• Construction
• Manufacturing
• Commercial contracting
• Printing
• Graphics
• Architectural products
• Building