VP Business Segment Leader Infrastructure

VP Business Segment Leader Infrastructure

Job Description

Kennametal Overview:

Kennametal was founded in 1938. Customers across aerospace, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation trust Kennametal’s innovations in materials science, tooling, and wear-resistant solutions.

With over 80 years as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling, and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace, earthworks, energy, general engineering, and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Every day approximately 8,700 employees are helping customers in more than 60 countries stay competitive. Kennametal generated $2 billion in revenues in fiscal 2023.

Location: Prefer Candidate to be located in Eastern US

Summary: This is an exciting position in Kennametal to lead a business unit and grow it to the next level. This is a key position that has responsibility for the development and implementation of short- and long-term strategic plans promoting innovation, change and robust growth objectives over the next few years. This leadership position will also enhance Kennametal’s internal leadership succession bench.

The leader will have demonstrated experience with full P&L responsibility in similar industries. He/She will provide direction, drive business growth and continuous improvement for achieving revenue growth and business profitability.  The Business Leader will be responsible for sales, new business development and the business unit’s P&L. He/She will lead by engaging, coaching, and developing cross–functional teams, ensuring all priorities are aligned to drive improved capabilities, competitive customer excellence and industry best practices.  

Key Job Responsibilities:

General Management: 

Define and develop the business unit strategy with complete understanding of trends, areas of opportunity, business drivers and provide clear roadmap for implementing business transformation and change initiatives.

Serve as an inspirational & influential leader, infusing the unit with strategic thinking as well as a continuous improvement and growth mindset.

Define, develop, and execute the business and profitability growth objectives, gaining buy-in from all team members.

Direct and coordinate all department activities within the Business Unit to deliver on financial performance, manufacturing productivity and continuous improvements.

Deliver profitability objectives while making resource allocation decisions and manages pricing, collaborate on production costs decisions, and company spending.

Provide regular updates to Executive Leadership on overall business performance, profitability, and growth efforts.

Financial:

Lead, enable, and partner with the finance team, driving the P&L of the business unit, ensuring its goals and objectives align with the broader goals and objectives of the company.

Establish and execute the unit’s operating plan and budget, ensuring the attainment of short and long-term financial metrics.

Partner with the CFO as required on shared strategic initiatives.

People/Talent/Culture:

Develop and promote a culture of integrity, innovation, ownership, teamwork, continuous improvement, and meaningful change.

Ability to drive organizational and cultural changes needed to achieve strategic objectives while enhancing employees’ engagement.

Evaluate and build the organizational talent, by attracting, developing, engaging, and retaining talent essential for profitable growth.

Coach and develop the direct reporting team and cross functional leaders.  

Manufacturing:

Partner with the VP Operations on implementing Operational Excellence best practices including safety, quality, delivery, and cost, ensuring business competitiveness, and delivering leading levels of customer service including on-time performance, quality, and reduced lead-times.

Compliance and Ethics:

Effectively meet all internal and external regulatory compliance requirements for the Business Unit.

Commercial:

Engage with the sales teams to ensure and maintain a full pipeline of new business with existing and new customers.

Achieve long-term market potential and business opportunity through product line extensions and service expansion expense, operating profit and working capital.

Engage with Key Strategic customers helping to strategize on value proposition opportunities, service delivery and quality improvements.

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE
 

• Bachelor’s degree is required, MBA is preferred. 
• Demonstrated success managing industrial business to business manufacturing with full P& L responsibility for business ranging between $300-500M.

• 5+ years as General Manager of a business with P&L responsibilities.
• Overall, 10-15 years’ work experience with roles in sales and/or business development experience.   
• Experience working in a matrixed, cross-functional, and highly collaborative environment is required.
• Exceptional skills in Business Analysis, Financial Acumen, and Business Development with ability to communicate complex ideas and concepts both up and down in the organization.

• Knowledge of management principles with experience in complex organizational management.

Accountabilities
 

• Full P&L performance.
• Strategic organic growth with value added products and solutions.
• Retention of existing customer base and increasing share of wallet with existing customers
• Establishing an efficient management operating system that takes strategy into execution.
• Strong communication skills that create a vision for the future, inspires the organization.
• Drives accountability and responsibility within team.
• Manage, lead, and develop the team creating strong succession for current role.