General Manager

The General Manager is responsible for the overall operating and financial performance of EverLights and EL Design Group, with direct accountability for P&L, revenue growth, gross margin, operating expenses, people, processes, and execution.

This position serves as the senior day-to-day business leader across both organizations, translating company strategy into measurable operating results. The General Manager will work closely with executive leadership to establish annual goals and will have the authority and accountability necessary to deliver them.

The successful candidate will combine financial discipline, operational leadership, commercial judgment, and people management. This is not solely an operations position. The General Manager must understand how sales, estimating, purchasing, project management, inventory, vendor relationships, logistics, and customer experience work together to drive profitable growth.

Key Responsibilities

P&L Ownership & Financial Performance

• Own and manage the P&L for EverLights and EL Design Group.
• Develop annual operating plans, budgets, forecasts, and financial targets with executive leadership.
• Drive performance against revenue, gross-margin, operating-expense, EBITDA, and working- capital objectives.
• Regularly review financial and operating results and take corrective action when performance falls below plan.
• Establish departmental accountability for financial and operational performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability through pricing, purchasing, productivity, inventory, freight, and operating efficiencies.
• Ensure managers understand the financial impact of their decisions.
• Maintain visibility into backlog, pipeline, bookings, revenue, margin, and cash-flow drivers.
  

Business Leadership

• Provide day-to-day leadership for EverLights and EL Design Group.
• Translate strategic priorities into clear operating plans.
• Establish annual, quarterly, and monthly objectives for each functional area.
• Create a culture where expectations, ownership, deadlines, and results are clearly defined.
• Lead regular management and operating reviews.
• Identify business risks early and develop corrective plans.
• Build scalable processes capable of supporting continued growth.

Sales & Commercial Performance

• Partner with sales leadership to achieve revenue and gross-margin objectives.
• Maintain visibility into major opportunities, strategic accounts, pipeline, backlog, and customer concentration.
• Ensure discipline around quoting, pricing, margins, and sales follow-up.
• Participate in strategy for major customers and significant projects.
• Strengthen coordination between sales, estimating, purchasing, project management, and operations.
• Expand opportunities within key accounts across lighting, electrical materials, recycling, sustainability solutions, and EL Design Group.
• Balance revenue growth with profitability and risk.

Operations & Execution

• Oversee performance from quote through procurement, project management, delivery, invoicing, and closeout.
• Establish consistent processes, responsibilities, and service standards across departments.
• Improve communication and handoffs between sales, estimating, purchasing, project management, warehouse/logistics, accounting, and customer service.
• Ensure projects are properly assigned, tracked, and executed.
• Monitor project profitability and identify margin erosion early.
• Improve forecasting of materials, purchasing, inventory, and delivery schedules.
• Develop operating systems and reporting that provide clear visibility into business performance.

Purchasing, Vendor & Supply Chain

• Ensure purchasing strategies support competitive pricing and targeted gross margins.
• Strengthen vendor management and negotiation practices.
• Monitor vendor performance, lead times, rebates, freight, payment terms, and purchasing concentration.
• Leverage the combined purchasing power and vendor relationships of EverLights and EL Design Group where appropriate.
• Develop strategic manufacturer and supplier relationships that create competitive advantages.
  

EL Design Group

• Provide executive operating oversight while maintaining EL Design Group's distinct market position and customer experience.
• Drive profitable growth of the design/showroom business.
• Establish clear revenue, margin, expense, and productivity expectations.
• Improve coordination between EL Design Group and EverLights where shared customers, vendors, purchasing, projects, or resources create value.
• Develop EL Design Group as a stronger source of specifications, design relationships, project opportunities, and profitable revenue.

People & Organizational Leadership

• Lead, coach, and hold department leaders accountable for performance.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority.
• Develop measurable goals and KPIs for managers and departments.
• Conduct regular performance reviews with direct reports.
• Identify organizational gaps and recommend hiring, restructuring, training, or development.
• Develop future leaders and reduce dependency on individual employees or institutional knowledge.
• Build a culture centered on accountability, urgency, teamwork, customer service, and profitability.

Systems, Processes & Continuous Improvement

• Standardize critical business processes.
• Improve the quality and consistency of management reporting.
• Use technology and automation to reduce manual work and improve visibility.
• Establish dashboards and scorecards that provide actionable information.
• Continuously evaluate workflows to improve speed, accuracy, customer experience, and profitability.

Key Performance Indicators

The General Manager will be evaluated based on measurable business results, including:

• Revenue vs. budget
• Gross profit dollars and gross-margin percentage
• EBITDA / operating profit
• Operating expenses vs. budget
• Sales pipeline and backlog
• Quote conversion and follow-up
• Project profitability
• Purchasing savings and vendor performance
• Inventory levels and turns
• Accounts receivable / working capital
• On-time project execution and delivery
• Customer retention and share-of-wallet growth
• Employee productivity and accountability
• EL Design Group revenue and profitability
• Achievement of annual strategic initiatives

Leadership Expectations

The General Manager is expected to operate with an owner's mentality. This means:

• Knowing the numbers and understanding what drives profitability.

• Addressing problems quickly rather than allowing them to linger.
• Making decisions based on what is best for the overall business.
• Holding people accountable while developing strong leaders.
• Using company resources responsibly.
• Maintaining high standards for customer service and execution.
• Creating visibility so executive leadership is informed without managing day-to-day operations.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in distribution, electrical, lighting, construction-related products, project-based distribution, or a comparable industry.
• Demonstrated experience managing a business unit or significant operation with P&L responsibility.
• Strong understanding of revenue, gross margin, operating expenses, budgeting, forecasting, and working capital.
• Experience leading multiple functional departments.
• Strong commercial instincts and understanding of sales and customer relationships.
• Experience improving operational processes and organizational accountability.
• Strong analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to move comfortably between high-level business strategy and detailed operational issues.
• Proven ability to develop teams and hold leaders accountable for measurable results.

Reporting Structure

Reports to: President / CEO
Direct Reports: Department and functional leaders across EverLights and EL Design Group, which may include:

• Sales
• EL Design Group
• Estimating
• Project Management
• Purchasing / Procurement
• Warehouse & Logistics
• Customer Service / Inside Sales
• Finance / Accounting
• Other operational functions as assigned

Decision-Making Authority

The General Manager will have meaningful authority to run the business within the annual operating plan approved by executive leadership.

This includes authority over:

• Day-to-day operating decisions
• Department priorities
• Personnel management
• Pricing and margin management within established parameters
• Purchasing and vendor strategy
• Resource allocation
• Process and organizational improvements
• Performance management

Major capital expenditures, significant compensation changes, senior-level hiring or termination decisions, acquisitions, major strategic commitments, and material deviations from the approved annual plan remain subject to executive approval.

What Success Looks Like

Within the first year, the General Manager should create an organization where:
The numbers are visible. Leadership knows where revenue, margin, expenses, backlog, pipeline, and profitability stand.

Managers own results. Department leaders understand their responsibilities and are measured against defined KPIs.

Execution is consistent. Projects move smoothly from quote to order to procurement to delivery and invoicing.

Margins are protected. Pricing, purchasing, freight, project management, and change orders are actively managed rather than reviewed after the fact.

EverLights and EL Design Group operate as stronger businesses together. Shared resources and capabilities are leveraged where they create value while maintaining the strengths and identity of each business.

Executive leadership can focus on strategy, major customers, growth opportunities, partnerships, and the future of the company rather than managing routine operating issues.

This is an opportunity to build the organization, leadership team, and operating discipline needed to take EverLights and EL Design Group to their next level of growth.

Job Type: Full-time
Location: Elk Grove Village, Illinois
Travel: Some travel required to visit various jobsites and East Coast Branch