Our client is an established national distributor with thousands of SKUs, an extensive international supplier base and 14 company run distribution centres.

The challenge is to balance product availability against disciplined investment in stock. You will bring structure to decision-making, develop the team and work closely with commercial and operational leaders to improve performance.

• Lead purchasing, replenishment, demand planning and inventory management (a peer to the role manages warehousing and distribution).
• Improve stock availability while reducing excess inventory and working capital requirements.
• Strengthen forecasting and planning across a broad product range sourced primarily from Asia and Europe.
• Partner with product managers and sales teams to align purchasing decisions with demand and commercial priorities.
• Support decisions around product range, stock positioning and the national distribution footprint.

You are a commercially minded supply chain leader with experience in distribution, importing and complex inventory requirements. You can demonstrate improvements in inventory performance, purchasing and planning, and understand the trade-offs between service, stock investment and supplier lead times. You are comfortable working with data, but equally effective building relationships and bringing people with you.

Experience leading and developing a team is essential. You will also bring a practical approach, sound judgement and the confidence to challenge established processes constructively. Experience driving changes through technology and good skills with S&OP.

This is a great opportunity for a seasoned supply chain leader ! Please apply via the link or call Adam from Harding & Drougas on 0421 590 240

Our client is an established national distributor supplying materials and equipment to the sign and display sector. Following significant growth and a recent acquisition, the business is seeking a commercially astute sales leader to bring its combined NSW team together and lead its next stage of development.

Reporting to the General Manager, you will lead eight salespeople across a business generating approximately $40 million in NSW revenue. You will build a cohesive team, strengthen accountability and identify opportunities to recover market share and grow customer relationships.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You will spend time in the field, coach through joint customer calls and support key accounts, maintaining a clear understanding of customer needs and competitor activity. Strong judgement across pricing, margin and customer profitability will be essential.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Setting clear sales priorities and developing effective account and territory plans.
• Coaching and developing the team, while addressing underperformance constructively.
• Driving profitable growth through customer retention, new business and cross-selling.
• Working closely with technical specialists and other sales teams to develop opportunities.
• Providing visible leadership and contributing to a positive culture across the NSW site.

We are seeking a proven B2B sales leader from a distribution or related physical-products business. Signage, print or packaging experience would be valuable, but candidates from adjacent sectors are encouraged to apply.

You will bring strong commercial understanding, a practical leadership style and evidence of improving team performance. You must be comfortable getting close to customers and working collaboratively across the business.

The appointment has been designed with succession in mind. Depending on your experience, national product or sales responsibilities may be included from commencement or added over time, with potential progression towards General Manager level.

A solid package will be on offer, commensurate with your experience including a strong base plus superannuation, STI and either a company vehicle or car allowance plus toll tag.

For a confidential discussion, contact Ben Drougas at Harding & Drougas Executive Search on 0439 968 031 or ben@hardingdrougas.com.au.

This organisation is seeking to identify a seasoned General Manager Manufacturing to drive significant change across this large manufacturing footprint. It is likely this individual will have started their career in smaller site production leadership roles and progressed into a senior executive leader with experience managing multiple sites.

The successful candidate will bring a highly pragmatic, hands-on leadership style, with the ability to operate effectively within ambiguity while progressively introducing discipline, alignment, and accountability. This will require deep engagement with frontline teams, strong visibility across manufacturing sites, and the ability to build credibility quickly with an experienced and technically capable workforce.

This is a leadership-first appointment and needs an individual who can demonstrate a genuine strength bring the team along with them. They will have a track record of leading in complex, mid-scale Industrial manufacturing environments where structure is evolving rather than established.  These environments will likely be more manual than automated.

The role requires a leader who can bridge the gap between the current state and future ambition, elevating capability without over-engineering the environment, and driving performance through people rather than process alone.

In practical terms, this is a highly visible, high-impact leadership role that will directly influence the success of the broader business. It demands a balance of operational grip, cultural leadership, and strategic thinking, with the credibility to operate at both executive and shop-floor levels.

To express an interest or find our more, please apply via the link or call Adam from Harding & Drougas on 0421 590 240

Our client is a long-established Australian manufacturer supplying essential engineered products into the infrastructure, building, mining, industrial and agricultural sectors.

Backed by a major global group, the business operates an extensive national manufacturing network and is entering an important phase of operational transformation. There is a clear focus on improving safety, developing leadership capability and driving greater commercial performance from its existing manufacturing footprint.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Based at Coopers Plains, this position will initially lead manufacturing operations across two Queensland sites, Coopers Plains and Townsville, with responsibility for approximately 100 employees.

This is not a traditional manufacturing role focused solely on production output. The successful candidate will be expected to lead the sites as commercially accountable operating units, improving conversion costs, material utilisation, safety, asset performance and workforce capability.

The role offers genuine scope to expand over time. A high-performing leader could assume responsibility for all four Northern Region manufacturing sites and become an important part of the organisation’s broader succession planning.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide visible leadership across the Coopers Plains and Townsville operations

• Strengthen safety standards, systems, accountability and site culture

• Develop the capability of production, maintenance and site leadership teams

• Improve material yield, scrap, recycling, product weight and conversion costs

• Increase asset and production-line utilisation across the two facilities

• Establish clear operating rhythms, performance measures and accountability

• Drive continuous improvement and embed consistent manufacturing practices

• Manage site budgets and provide strong financial and commercial oversight

• Partner with sales, supply chain, safety and other central functions

• Challenge established practices while bringing experienced teams through change

ABOUT YOU

You will be an experienced manufacturing leader with a strong track record across complex industrial or process manufacturing environments.

Ideally, you will have led multiple manufacturing sites. However, applications are also encouraged from exceptional Plant Managers or Site Managers who have successfully led a large, complex operation and are ready to step into broader multi-site responsibility.

You will bring:

• Demonstrated manufacturing or operations leadership experience

• A strong and credible approach to safety leadership

• Commercial and financial understanding, including conversion-cost accountability

• Experience improving yield, waste, productivity and asset utilisation

• Continuous improvement, Lean or operational transformation capability

• The ability to develop leadership teams and engage long-tenured workforces

• A practical, visible and collaborative leadership style

• The confidence to challenge existing thinking and drive sustainable change

Relevant backgrounds may include industrial manufacturing, packaging, building products, metals, chemicals, automotive or other complex process environments. Previous PVC or PE manufacturing experience is not essential.

THE OFFER

This is an opportunity to join a substantial Australian manufacturing business at an important point in its transformation journey. The position offers meaningful operational autonomy, exposure to senior leadership and a clear pathway into broader regional responsibility.

The remuneration package will be competitive and will include a solid base, super, car allowance, strong STI and a relocation package if you are interstate 

For further information, please apply via SEEK or contact Ben Drougas on 0439 968 031 for a confidential discussion.

A substantial Australian construction business is seeking an accomplished Chief Operating Officer to lead its operational performance across New South Wales and the ACT.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, this is a critical executive appointment with accountability for a large, geographically dispersed operation. The successful candidate will lead an experienced operations team and work closely with regional and functional leaders to improve delivery, productivity, customer outcomes and financial performance.

The business has an established market position, recognised brands, experienced people and access to significant operational data. The opportunity is to bring greater consistency, visibility and discipline to the operating model while building a strong, respectful and accountable leadership culture.

This is not simply a business-as-usual leadership position. The incoming COO will be expected to identify constraints, challenge existing practices constructively and translate strategy into practical operational improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead operational performance across a complex, multi-site construction environment
• Establish a clear and consistent operating rhythm across regional teams
• Improve scheduling, programming, capacity planning and workflow
• Identify bottlenecks and address emerging performance issues before they become systemic
• Strengthen accountability through meaningful operational and financial measures
• Improve productivity, margin, working capital and cost performance
• Build strong relationships across sales, finance, procurement, design, estimating and customer functions
• Enhance the customer journey while maintaining appropriate standards across safety, quality and compliance
• Review systems, processes and organisational structures to support future growth
• Develop the capability, confidence and succession depth of the operations leadership team
• Provide the CEO and executive leadership team with clear, commercially focused operational insight
• Create constructive challenge while remaining aligned with agreed business decisions

The Person

The successful candidate will be an experienced senior operational executive who has led a substantial and complex business through change.

You may currently be operating as a Chief Operating Officer, Executive General Manager, Divisional Managing Director or senior General Manager within construction, infrastructure, building products, industrial services, manufacturing or another operationally intensive environment.

Direct residential construction experience would be valuable but is not essential. The business is equally interested in executives from adjacent sectors who can introduce sophisticated operating disciplines, diversity of thought and proven transformation capability.

You will ideally demonstrate:

• Significant senior leadership experience across complex operations
• Strong scheduling, programming and operational planning capability
• Experience leading geographically dispersed teams and multiple operating locations
• The ability to interpret data, identify patterns and convert insight into action
• Strong commercial and financial acumen
• A record of improving operational performance, productivity and customer outcomes
• Experience leading organisational, systems or cultural transformation
• The confidence to challenge senior stakeholders constructively
• A collaborative, grounded and low-ego leadership style
• The ability to create clarity, develop leaders and hold people accountable respectfully

This role will suit an executive who enjoys working through complexity, improving the performance of established businesses and leaving behind stronger people, systems and operating disciplines.

A highly competitive executive remuneration package will be negotiated, comprising base salary, superannuation and short-term incentive.

For a confidential discussion, please contact Ben Drougas on 0439 968 031 or submit your application through SEEK.

• Binder2.pdf
  • Binder1.pdf
    • RFBI CQGRO.pdf
• Document_2026-07-02_135525.pdf