General Manager - Apparel Manufacturing

About the role

An established Sri Lankan apparel manufacturer producing specialised export products from its Panadura factory is recruiting a General Manager via ArchipelagoHR. Reporting to the Board, the GM focuses on factory operations and merchandising for the first 12 months, within a Board-approved budget and delegation of authority. The immediate priority is to bring the plant under control and build a management team that can run day-to-day operations without director involvement. After 12 months the role may be upgraded to CEO with broader commercial responsibilities, and the position includes a quarterly profit share.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and develop heads of department across production, merchandising, finance and HR.
• Own the P&L, cash flow and working capital, including USD/LKR exposure.
• Propose the quarterly budget with the Head of Finance and deliver a monthly board pack.
• Deliver factory performance: costs within budget, production at capacity, on-time delivery and quality.
• Manage subcontractors on capacity, pricing, quality and compliance.

Required profile

• Has run a factory at USD 1-5m revenue scale and knows what a small team and budget can achieve.
• Second-in-command or above in apparel or garment manufacturing, ideally risen through the ranks in small and mid-sized businesses.
• Fluent Sinhala and English, able to work full-time on-site at the Panadura factory.
• Strongly preferred: experience in a USD 5-20m business, board-ready reporting and budgets, turnaround experience, defence/tactical/uniform/outdoor product exposure, ERP or IMS rollout experience, and comfort with a family-owned board.

Required skills

• Industrial engineering, SMV, line balancing and quality systems
• End-to-end ownership of a standalone P&L
• Commercial experience winning and keeping FOB export customers

What we offer

• General Manager title with a defined pathway to CEO after 12 months on delivery
• Competitive salary and company car
• Performance incentives and profit share on NPBT with annual true-up

Applications are made through ArchipelagoHR on LinkedIn and are handled in strict confidence.