SVP / General Manager - Mapping Division

The Senior Vice President/General Manager will have full P&L and leadership responsibility for our client's Mapping Division in Colorado Springs, CO. This position reports directly to the COO. The Senior Vice President’s mission is to continue the growth and drive efficiency into the Mapping Division. The mandate of the Senior Vice President is to drive growth and profitability by transforming the operations into a highly efficient service center factory that stresses schedule, quality and accuracy.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibility of the Senior Vice President will be to establish the leadership and vision necessary to enable Mapping Division to continue significant growth and become the industry’s leading service provider. The major accountability is profit and loss for the Mapping Division. To achieve this objective, he/she will need to:

• Build upon the company’s strong reputation and provide the vision and leadership for its continued growth for this key operating location and to achieve industry leading margins to produce and exceed targeted return on the significant capital investments required.
• Oversee revenue development efforts with Sales and Business Development. Broaden our client's capabilities and product offerings to achieve an appropriate balance of revenue across market segments and technologies.
• Develop and execute strategic and operating plans to target profitability goals and year-on-year growth forecasts. Critical elements of the plan execution are increases in operating efficiency and aggressive implementation of new technologies.
• Institute a disciplined, analytical management approach. Implement a 12-month rolling resource plan. Redesign the metrics concerning completion and delivery model, along with publishing objective project completion information. Improve the continuous quality program., Enhance the training for the workforce. Develop metrics for constantly measuring performance and progress. Proactively manage capacity (people, sensors, aircraft, infrastructure, etc.) and utilization in a high growth environment, set realistic project schedules and deliver on time and within budget.
• Make operational improvements with minimal disruption to the customers and with minimal negative impacts to the overall health of the business.
• Create a culture that rewards excellence at all levels. Recruit and develop outstanding people and provide the training and tools that will result in an efficient, effective, and highly motivated workforce.
• Ensure that the Divisions’ commitment to product quality is understood and actively practiced at all levels of the organization.
  
  

Ideal Experience

• Management Experience – Minimum of 15 years of experience and at least 5 years’ experience in senior leadership positions. The ideal candidate has experience in both large company and smaller, entrepreneurial environments.
• Functional Experience – Significant experience as an operations leader in a company recognized for world class operations capabilities. Focus in a services factory model or a labor-intensive manufacturing environment is preferred.
• Industry Background – Has led teams in an industry sector that is characterized by complex, high performance systems. Relevant industry sectors include aerial survey, geodetics, and GIS services.
• Education – Likely possess a technical undergraduate degree in operations, sciences, or engineering.
  
  

Critical Competencies For Success

• Demonstrated competency in operations improvement – The ideal candidate has successfully grown and matured an existing operation to the point where it is scalable, industrial strength and world class. Proven ability to establish and roll out operating methods, processes and procedures. Drives these into all aspects of operations, trains his/her staff, relentlessly measures performance, and makes adjustments as necessary. Able to balance capacity in a high growth environment by understanding workload impacts at the individual program level as well as across programs.
• Strong team building skills – This individual is not content with the status quo and has a track record of leading his/her team to superior results. Brings deep experience in building cross-functional and cross-organizational teams to support overall operations. Relishes leading on the front line and excels in a fast paced, professional environment. Develops people through coaching and mentoring, provides constructive feedback and transfers skills to employees. Communicates clearly in a 360-degree manner to superiors, peers and subordinates. Proactively identifies and addresses issues, empowers people to solve problems yet does not hesitate to get personally involved. Hands-on and partnership oriented.
  
  

Other Personal Characteristics

The successful candidate should possess many of the following characteristics:

• Strong leadership characteristics. A person who can quickly earn the respect and support of the company’s employees and peer group.
• A results-oriented manager, able to handle complex problems and make tough decisions.
• Strong interpersonal skills. A good communicator who can articulate and rally employees around a common, strategic vision converting ideas to action.
• An executive with a sense of urgency and the personal energy and drive to achieve results.
• A confident, straightforward and “down-to-earth” style.
• A “hands-on” executive who knows where he/she is going and what is required to get there.
• An individual that possesses a track record of accomplishment in managing a growing P&L and has the personality to establish immediate or very rapid leadership credibility and acceptance with the management team.