Corporate General Manager

Our team includes project managers, site managers, quantity surveyors, designers, licensed building practitioners and administrative staff, enabling us to provide comprehensive services from project planning and design through to construction and delivery.

We are seeking an experienced Corporate General Manager to provide overall leadership and management of the company's operations and support the continued growth and development of the business. The Corporate General Manager is responsible for planning, directing, controlling and reviewing the overall operations and major business functions of Shield Group.

The position provides company-wide leadership across construction and project delivery, commercial management, design, administration and business development, and coordinates managers and senior staff to achieve the company's strategic, operational and financial objectives.

Key Responsibilities

1. Corporate Strategy and Business Planning

• Develop and implement the company's short-term and long-term business strategies in consultation with the Director.
• Prepare annual operating plans, financial targets, operational priorities and business development objectives.
• Assess the company's existing operations, capabilities, market position and project pipeline when developing future business plans.
• Identify opportunities for sustainable business growth, operational improvement and diversification.
• Translate strategic objectives into measurable operational and financial targets for relevant managers and business functions.
• Review business plans periodically and recommend adjustments in response to market conditions, project performance and business results.

2. Overall Business Operations

• Direct, coordinate and review the overall day-to-day operations of the company.
• Oversee the effective integration of construction, project management, commercial, design, administration and business development activities.
• Establish operational priorities and ensure managers and senior staff understand the company's business objectives and performance expectations.
• Resolve significant operational issues involving multiple departments, projects or business functions.
• Ensure business activities are appropriately planned, coordinated and resourced.
• Monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of operational processes and implement improvements where required.

3. Leadership and Management of Staff

• Provide leadership and direction to managers, senior staff and key operational personnel.
• Establish clear areas of responsibility, reporting lines, performance expectations and decision-making authority.
• Conduct regular management meetings to review operational performance, project status, financial results, staffing requirements and business risks.
• Monitor the performance of managers and senior employees and address performance or capability issues where necessary.
• Identify staffing and management capability requirements arising from changes in workload or business growth.
• Participate in the recruitment, appointment and performance review of key management and senior positions.
• Promote effective communication and coordination between different operational functions.

4. Financial Management and Business Performance

• Oversee the preparation and management of company operating budgets and financial forecasts.
• Monitor overall revenue, expenditure, operating costs, project margins and business profitability.
• Review periodic financial and management reports and identify significant variances against budgets and forecasts.
• Work with relevant staff and professional advisers to address financial, cost or cash-flow issues affecting the business.
• Set appropriate financial and operational performance indicators and monitor results against agreed targets.
• Review significant expenditure commitments and resource requirements before approval or recommendation to the Director.
• Identify opportunities to improve cost efficiency, productivity and profitability without compromising operational quality.

5. Project Portfolio Oversight

• Maintain senior management oversight of the company's overall construction and project portfolio.
• Review project pipelines, major project milestones, commercial performance, resourcing requirements and significant risks.
• Work with project managers and other responsible personnel to ensure projects are progressing consistently with contractual, financial and operational objectives.
• Review significant project delays, cost overruns, resource constraints, contractual issues or client concerns escalated by project managers.
• Facilitate management-level decisions where issues affect more than one project or require substantial company resources.
• Ensure appropriate senior management reporting systems are maintained for major projects.
• Monitor overall project performance without assuming the day-to-day technical responsibilities of project managers or site managers.

6. Resource Planning and Allocation

• Determine company-wide requirements for management, operational staff, contractors, consultants and other resources.
• Coordinate the allocation of resources across projects and business functions according to commercial priorities and operational requirements.
• Review workforce capacity against confirmed and anticipated project workloads.
• Identify resource shortages, operational bottlenecks and capacity risks and implement appropriate solutions.
• Ensure company resources are deployed efficiently and in accordance with business priorities.
• Review requirements for additional personnel, external contractors or specialist professional services.

7. Commercial Management

• Provide senior oversight of the company's commercial activities and major contractual commitments.
• Review the commercial implications of significant projects, client arrangements and business opportunities.
• Participate in or lead negotiations for significant commercial agreements, strategic contracts and key business relationships.
• Work with project, commercial and management personnel to monitor contractual performance and commercial exposure.
• Review major variations, commercial disputes or contractual issues escalated to senior management.
• Ensure significant commercial decisions are consistent with the company's financial and strategic objectives.
• Recommend major commercial commitments to the Director where approval is required.

8. Business Development and Growth

• Identify and evaluate new construction, development and project opportunities consistent with the company's capabilities and strategic direction.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key clients, property developers, consultants, contractors, suppliers and other industry stakeholders.
• Oversee significant tender, proposal and business development activities from a senior management perspective.
• Assess proposed business opportunities with reference to commercial viability, operational capacity, resource requirements and risk.
• Support negotiations with prospective clients and strategic business partners.
• Monitor market conditions, competitor activity and emerging opportunities relevant to the company's operations.
• Develop strategies to strengthen the company's market position and maintain sustainable business growth.

9. Client and Stakeholder Management

• Maintain senior-level relationships with important clients, consultants, suppliers, contractors and business partners.
• Represent the company in significant commercial and operational discussions.
• Address major client concerns or disputes escalated beyond project management level.
• Ensure the company maintains professional and commercially sustainable stakeholder relationships.
• Facilitate communication between clients, internal management and relevant external parties on significant matters.
• Protect the company's reputation and commercial interests when managing sensitive stakeholder issues.

10. Policies, Procedures and Management Systems

• Develop, implement and periodically review company-wide operational policies and management procedures.
• Establish appropriate systems for management reporting, operational accountability and performance monitoring.
• Ensure policies and procedures provide clear responsibilities and appropriate internal controls.
• Review existing business processes and identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency and consistency.
• Standardise appropriate management practices across projects and business functions.
• Ensure significant operational decisions and management actions are appropriately documented and communicated.

11. Risk Management

• Identify significant strategic, operational, commercial and financial risks affecting the company.
• Maintain appropriate processes for managers to identify, escalate and address material business risks.
• Review significant project or operational risks that require senior management intervention.
• Develop mitigation strategies and allocate responsibility for implementing risk controls.
• Monitor emerging risks arising from business growth, contractual commitments, staffing, market conditions or operational changes.
• Provide the Director with appropriate reporting on major business risks and recommended responses.

12. Compliance and Corporate Governance

• Ensure the company's operations are managed in accordance with applicable legislation, contractual obligations, company policies and relevant industry requirements.
• Maintain senior management oversight of health and safety, employment, contractual and operational compliance.
• Ensure managers understand their responsibilities for implementing relevant policies and compliance requirements.
• Review material compliance issues or incidents escalated by operational managers.
• Coordinate with external accountants, legal advisers, consultants and other professional advisers where specialist advice is required.
• Ensure appropriate records, reporting systems and management controls are maintained across the business.

13. Health and Safety Leadership

• Provide senior management leadership in relation to the company's health and safety obligations.
• Ensure appropriate health and safety systems, responsibilities and reporting procedures are established and maintained.
• Review significant health and safety matters reported by project managers, site managers or other responsible personnel.
• Monitor management-level health and safety performance and ensure material issues are appropriately addressed.
• Support a company-wide culture of health, safety and operational accountability.
• Ensure sufficient resources are available to support the company's health and safety systems.

14. Organisational Development

• Review the company's organisational structure as the business develops and recommend changes where appropriate.
• Determine whether existing management and operational structures remain appropriate for the company's workload and strategic objectives.
• Define reporting relationships and areas of management responsibility.
• Identify opportunities to improve management capability, succession planning and organisational efficiency.
• Support the development of managers and key employees to strengthen internal capability.
• Ensure the company's management structure is capable of supporting future business growth.

15. Performance Monitoring and Reporting

• Establish and monitor key financial, operational and commercial performance indicators.
• Review management reports covering project progress, financial performance, workloads, staffing, commercial matters and operational risks.
• Analyse business performance against budgets, forecasts and strategic objectives.
• Identify underperformance and require appropriate corrective action.
• Prepare or oversee regular management reports for the Director.
• Provide recommendations to the Director regarding business strategy, investment, staffing, major projects, financial performance and operational improvement.

16. Continuous Business Improvement

• Regularly review the effectiveness of the company's operational and management systems.
• Identify opportunities to improve productivity, communication, accountability and commercial outcomes.
• Implement changes to systems, procedures and organisational arrangements where required.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of implemented improvements and make further adjustments where necessary.
• Encourage managers to identify and implement practical improvements within their areas of responsibility.
• Support the adoption of appropriate technologies and management tools that improve business efficiency.

Requirements

To be successful in this position, you should have:

• A relevant tertiary qualification in business, management or a related discipline and at least five years of relevant senior management experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing business operations, projects, budgets and staff.
• Experience within construction, property development, project-based businesses or a comparable operational environment is preferred.
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to manage budgets, costs and business performance.
• Proven leadership, planning, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple business functions and establish effective operational systems and processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Relevant experience should include responsibility for a combination of:

• business or operational management;
• project management;
• staff and team leadership;
• budgeting and cost control;
• commercial negotiations;
• business planning; and
• stakeholder management.

Experience in construction, property development, project-based operations or a comparable commercial environment is preferred.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong leadership and organisational management capability.
• Sound commercial and financial judgement.
• Strong strategic and operational planning skills.
• Ability to manage multiple functions and competing business priorities.
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder relationship management skills.
• Effective decision-making and problem-solving capability.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.