President Jobs

THE ORGANIZATION Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Escape Trailer Industries (“ETI”) is a leading manufacturer of high quality, lightweight fiberglass holiday trailers. Distributing direct to consumers throughout North America (with a strong presence in the United States), ETI has experienced considerable growth over the past several years after being acquired and financially backed by KV Capital (“KV”) in 2018. ETI is recognised in the RV industry for exceptional standards of quality and customer service, high degree of customization available and the lightweight designs of their products, all of which ensures they maintain a strong brand presence and competitive foothold. The business is looking to accelerate its sales growth while maintaining its culture and commitment to close customer relationships and high standards.For more information on Escape Trailer Industries Ltd., please visit: http://escapetrailer.com/. KV Capital was founded in 2006, and is headquartered in Edmonton, AB. KV is a Canadian, alternative investment fund manager with approximately $350 million in committed assets under management. KV's funds are split into a diverse range of asset classes including private operating businesses, real estate mortgages and real estate development projects. KV has been on the Profit 500 ranking of Canada’s fastest-growing companies for six consecutive years and has funded over $1 billion across several different asset classes.KV Capital's Private Equity division launched in 2017 with a mandate to invest in Canadian based lower mid-market operating businesses that have established operations and strong growth potential. KV prides itself on being an active partner in the businesses it invests in. ETI represents the third investment in KV's inaugural fund, having previously acquired (and subsequently sold) Northern Lite Truck Camper Manufacturing, a leading manufacturer of fibreglass slide-in campers (www.northern-lite.com), and Off Grid Trailers (www.offgridtrailers.ca) a manufacturer of ruggedized tear-drop style trailers. For more information on KV Capital, please visit: www.kvcapital.ca. POSITION PresidentLOCATION Chilliwack, British Columbia MANDATEReporting to the Chief Operating Officer of KV Capital’s Private Equity division, the President will lead Escape Trailer Industries’ (“ETI”) in preparing the business for sale to its next owner via developing and executing sales growth strategies, de-risking the business to ensure its attractive to the largest prospective buyer pool as possible, driving performance and maintaining a focus on brand strength, continuous improvement and quality across all aspects of the organization. The President will be a hands-on, revenue focused leader, responsible for leading the continued growth in the demand of the ETI brand while simultaneously managing the scaling up production and maturing systems and processes to enable & support that growth.The President will live Escape’s values of Accountability, Respect, Caring and Honesty, with a keen focus on increasing sales but will also work internally to further develop and empower the operations and finance teams, identify, and implement initiatives related to profitability improvements and efficiencies. The President must also develop and maintain relationships across all levels of the existing ETI team, the business’ external stakeholders, and the KV organization.KEY ACCOUNTABILITIESThe President will be responsible for providing: Strategic Leadership Implementing and refining ETI’s strategic plan in alignment with the objectives of KV Capital; Developing stretch growth objectives (organic and/or through growth opportunities identified) for ETI; Maximizing/optimizing the value of ETI as an investment that can be resold in conjunction with the executive team; Leading execution of the short and long-term sales strategies, including the identification of potential business opportunities and various actionable initiatives to achieve corporate goals; and Build up demand for ETI products via deliberate marketing and branding strategies. People Leadership Leading ETI to become a process driven organization that scales up, while maintaining the strong and supportive organizational culture; Demonstrating a hands-on, proactive, dedicated and driven attitude & encouraging, supporting and developing the same in others within the ETI team; Developing effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholder groups and aligning the efforts of these groups to achieve the desired outcomes for ETI; and Motivating, coaching, empowering and leading teams through times of change and growth. Risk Management Monitoring market activity, analyzing forecasts/industry trends and driving the pursuit of business at all levels of the organization; Mitigating key personnel risk, building robust processes and developing adaptive planning into the organizational structure and culture; and Overseeing the internal control environment. Financial Management Demonstrate financial acumen by operating within an agreed upon financial budget; Working with the private equity sponsor to manage and oversee all financial and business planning activities, including: Direct and administer all financial plans; Oversee business policies; Support of Controller in overseeing accounting practices; Review and analyze financial reports including cash flow statement, income statement and balance sheet on a monthly basis; Support organizational budgeting process; Oversee reporting and monitoring of organizational performance metrics; and Ensure relevant financial data is presented to the private equity sponsor and other stakeholders. Production Operations Further enhance the implementation of lean manufacturing and total quality management practices and techniques to achieve increased labour efficiency, reduced cycle/process times, and improved quality; while maintaining & enhancing a people focused culture Fostering a culture of continuous process improvement to achieve sustainable higher efficiency and productivity; Directing and overseeing production within the plant to meet production goals. Monitoring production reports to ensure achievement of safety, financial, quality, and on-time delivery goals; and Maintaining effective production systems; optimizing production, implementing operational efficiencies and economies. Coordinating and monitoring plans for reductions in cost and product lead times for products. CANDIDATE PROFILEThe successful candidate will have the following: Education and Experience Track record of identifying and monetizing new opportunities for business growth through the effective use of market intelligence, market trend analysis and analytical aptitude. A minimum of a Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or related discipline; Master’s in Business Administration will be considered an asset; Demonstrated financial acumen (ability to read and understand a P&L, balance sheet, return on capital invested, etc.); 15+ years of executive level experience in a cyclical industry (leadership experience during times of organic expansion and growth or retrenchment); Demonstrated ability to develop and action strategic plans, KPIs, and short and long-term budgeting and forecasting; and Hands-on-experience overseeing internal controls and risk management. Competencies and Attributes Be sales and growth orientated, with the ability to drive strategies around sales and marketing; High degree of emotional intelligence with a “people first” mentality; Ability to be a hands-on leader; Ability to exercise sound professional judgement and decision making on financial, business, organizational and human resource issues; Persuasive and understands how to engage and lead others through change; and RV industry interest and knowledge would be considered an asset. THE COMPENSATION An excellent compensation package awaits the successful candidate.