10+ years of direct fire and life safety industry experience, with significant experience in fire sprinkler and/or fire alarm.
Hands-on field experience is required.
Experience directly working with or leading technicians, installers, service teams, inspectors, project teams, or field operations.
5+ years in a senior management, General Manager, Regional VP, Branch Manager, Operations Leader, or comparable P&L leadership role.
Demonstrated success growing a service/contracting business.
Experience leading both operational and sales functions.
Experience developing customer relationships and growing recurring service revenue.
Construction, contracting, or fire/life-safety project experience strongly preferred.
Full description
**Confidential General Manager – Fire & Life Safety Location:** New England
Position Type: Full-Time
About the OpportunityLead the Business. Know the Work. Grow the Organization.
Our client is seeking an experienced General Manager to lead our regional fire and life safety business across fire sprinkler, fire alarm, electronic security, intercommunication, service, installation, and enterprise sales.
This is not a traditional branch management position.
We are looking for a hands-on fire and life safety leader who has spent significant time in the field and understands the work beyond the P&L. The ideal candidate has direct experience with fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems, including the realities of installation, service, inspections, testing, troubleshooting, project execution, technicians, customers, AHJs, contractors, and field operations.
You should be equally comfortable walking a job site, talking with a technician, meeting with a general contractor, reviewing operational performance, and sitting with the leadership team to discuss P&L, growth, and strategy.
What You'll Own
As General Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the performance and growth of the business, including:
Business Performance & P&L
Own
regional P&L performance, including revenue, gross margin, overhead, and EBITDA.
Establish
annual operating plans, budgets, revenue targets, and performance expectations.
Identify
opportunities to expand service capabilities, customer segments, geographies, and revenue streams.
Monitor
KPIs and provide executive leadership with clear visibility into business performance.
Balance
growth with operational capacity, profitability, customer retention, and service quality.
Enterprise Sales & Customer Growth
Lead
and support enterprise sales opportunities with major accounts, general contractors, property management companies, and building owners.
Build
and maintain executive-level relationships with key customers and
General Manager at Sugino Corp (Littleton, United States) — aijobsearch
strategic partners.
Develop
existing accounts through service expansion, repairs, inspections, testing, installation, and additional fire/life-safety capabilities.
Ensure
sales commitments align with field capacity and operational execution.
Partner
with operations to ensure successful transitions from construction and installation into recurring service.
Field & Operational Leadership
Provide
strategic leadership to service, testing, inspection, installation, suppression, security, and technical operations.
Establish
high standards for field execution, safety, quality, compliance, customer service, and accountability.
Remove
operational barriers that impact technicians and field teams.
Understand
field challenges firsthand and make informed decisions based on actual job-site conditions.
Support
hiring, organizational structure, resource planning, and leadership development.
Ensure
field teams have the people, training, equipment, materials, and processes necessary to perform successfully.
You Must Know Fire & Life SafetyThis is a critical requirement of the position.
The successful candidate will have direct, hands-on industry experience and a strong understanding of the work performed by fire and life safety professionals.
Experience should include meaningful exposure to:
Fire
sprinkler systems
Fire
alarm systems
Inspection,
testing, service, and maintenance
Installation
and construction
Troubleshooting
and system deficiencies
Project
execution and closeout
Technicians,
installers, inspectors, and field crews
AHJs,
general contractors, property owners, and consultants
NFPA
requirements and applicable state/local codes
Fire/life-safety
project and service environments
Candidates who have only managed a service business or security organization without direct fire/life-safety experience will not be the right fit for this position.
Leadership & Team Development
Build
a culture centered on accountability, safety, customer service, and operational excellence.
Develop
managers, supervisors, and high-potential technicians into future leaders.
Establish
clear expectations and measurable performance standards.
Build
strong communication between sales, service, installation, project management, and administration.
Support
recruiting and retention of skilled fire/life-safety professionals.
Represent
Norel professionally with customers, employees, industry partners, and the local community.
Cross-Platform Collaboration
Collaborate
with leadership across the broader organization to share resources, best practices, talent, vendor relationships, and market opportunities.
Identify
opportunities to leverage capabilities across business lines and geographic markets.
Contribute
to the organization's broader growth strategy beyond the individual regional P&L.
Requirements
What We're Looking ForRequired Experience
10+
years of direct fire and life safety industry experience, with significant experience in fire sprinkler and/or fire alarm.
Hands-on
field experience is required.
Experience
directly working with or leading technicians, installers, service teams, inspectors, project teams, or field operations.
5+
years in a senior management, General Manager, Regional VP, Branch Manager, Operations Leader, or comparable P&L leadership role.
Demonstrated
success growing a service/contracting business.
Experience
leading both operational and sales functions.
Experience
developing customer relationships and growing recurring service revenue.
Construction,
contracting, or fire/life-safety project experience strongly preferred.
Technical & Industry Knowledge
Strong
working knowledge of fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems.
Working
knowledge of electronic security and/or intercommunication systems.
Familiarity
with NFPA 72, NFPA 25, NFPA 101, and applicable New England regulations.
Ability
to communicate credibly with technicians, engineers, customers, GCs, AHJs, and senior executives.
Experience
working with unionized labor and navigating union environments strongly preferred.
Familiarity
with field-service management systems, CRM/ERP platforms, and business reporting tools.
The Leadership Profile
We're looking for an operator, not someone who simply manages from behind a desk.
You should be someone who:
Knows
what good field work looks like.
Is
comfortable walking a job site and talking with technicians.
Understands
the realities of fire sprinkler and fire alarm service and installation.
Can
move between technician conversations and executive-level business discussions.
Can
read a P&L and understand what is happening in the field that drives it.
Builds
trust with customers and employees.
Holds
people accountable while developing talent.
Makes
decisions based on facts, field conditions, customer needs, and business performance.
Can
grow the business without sacrificing safety, quality, or customer service.
Education
Bachelor's degree preferred; 10+ years of directly relevant fire/life-safety industry leadership experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.