Job Title: General Manager

Industry: Hardware/Building Materials

Location: County Carlow

Job Type: Permanent

Working Model: Monday to Friday (Opening hours 8.00am – 5.30pm) + 1 Saturday per month

Reporting to: Owner/Board of Directors

The Client

Our client is a well-established, independently owned hardware and builders’ merchant serving both trade and DIY customers across the South East.

With a strong local reputation built on service, product knowledge and reliability, the business operates a busy, multi-departmental site including retail, trade counter, yard and administration. The company is now entering a structured growth and succession phase and is seeking an experienced General Manager to take full executive responsibility for day-to-day performance.

This is a senior, hands-on leadership appointment with real authority and influence over how the business operates.

The Role

Reporting directly to the business owners, the General Manager will take full accountability for operational and commercial performance on site.

Key responsibilities include:

• Full P&L responsibility and operating performance oversight
• Leading and developing a team of approximately 20–25 employees across retail, yard, trade counter and administration
• Driving sales growth across both trade and DIY segments
• Margin management, pricing discipline and cost control
• Stock control, stock turn improvement and working capital management
• Supplier negotiation and commercial oversight
• Labour planning, rota management and productivity optimisation
• Oversight of health & safety and operational compliance
• Preparing and presenting monthly operating performance reviews
• Developing second-tier supervisory capability and succession depth
• Supporting category expansion initiatives, including seasonal and garden ranges
• Contributing to ongoing systems, reporting and process improvements

This is a visible leadership role. A strong presence on the shop floor and yard is essential. The successful candidate will lead from the front while introducing structure, accountability and commercial discipline across the organisation.

The Person

The ideal candidate will come from a hardware, builders’ merchant or home improvement background and understand the realities of running a busy trade-facing operation.

You are likely to have:

• Proven experience running a hardware or merchant operation with full commercial responsibility
• Strong understanding of P&L performance, margins and cost control
• Experience managing teams of 15–30 staff
• A practical, hands-on leadership style with strong floor presence
• The confidence to make decisions and take ownership of outcomes
• Experience introducing structure, reporting discipline and accountability
• Commercial credibility with trade customers and suppliers
• The maturity to operate as the senior executive on site

This role would suit an experienced Store Manager, Branch Manager or Operations Manager ready to step into a broader General Manager role, or an established General Manager seeking a stable, independently owned business with long-term leadership opportunity.

The Package

• Up to €80k basic salary (DOE)
• Performance-related bonus linked to operating performance (% of salary)
• Monthly Car allowance
• Pension scheme
• Healthcare scheme
• Long-term leadership opportunity within a stable and growing independent business

How to Apply

This appointment is being managed on a confidential basis by Tactical Talent Recruitment.

If you would like to explore the opportunity further, please apply in confidence or contact us directly for an initial, discreet discussion.

Tactical Talent is Ireland’s only specialist recruiter to the Hardware and Building Materials Industry.