JOB TITLE: Managing Director
JOB TYPE: Permanent full-time
LOCATION: Montreal, QC
To apply please send your CV to carole.viger@groomassocies.com
We thank all candidates for showing interest in this role; however, only retained candidates will be contacted.
About our client:
Our client specializes in locking and access control solutions customized to solve Canada's most demanding security challenges.
Combining digital and mechanical expertise, our client develops industry-leading security solutions that protect people, property and business. They work with healthcare, education, manufacturing, construction, and banking sector.
Our client is currently looking to hire a Managing Director for its Canadian operations. This is an opportunity to lead the organization through its next phase of growth, strengthen a respected high-security brand in the Canadian market, and shape a capable organization that contributes meaningfully to the organization's international’s long-term success.
The ideal candidate is a growth-oriented country leader with a strong commercial mindset and a proven record of delivering profitable results in a channel-driven, business-to-business environment.
They combine strategic ambition with disciplined execution and have demonstrated success in expanding market presence, developing high-performing teams, and building sustainable competitive advantage.
The successful candidate is comfortable operating at both strategic and operational levels. They can engage senior customers and partners, lead business transformation, develop talent, and translate market insight into value-based solutions. They bring the maturity and credibility to represent the organization's Canadian entity externally while contributing effectively within the organization's international and the wider Group.
Reporting structure:
The Managing Director reports to the Director & Head of Market Development, Americas.
The Managing Director has the following Direct Reports: Sales, Operations and Finance.
Position summary:
The Managing Director leads the organization's overall business performance and is accountable for profitable growth, market position, customer value, operational effectiveness, and long-term organizational development. The role combines full country leadership with a clear mandate to strengthen the organization's presence in Canada and accelerate growth in high-security, electromechanical, digital access, and intelligent locking solutions.
As the senior leader of the organization the Managing Director sets direction, builds strategic customer and channel relationships, develops the organization, and ensures disciplined execution of the Canadian and European Group priorities. Success in the role requires strong commercial leadership, sound financial judgement, hands-on operational understanding, and the ability to lead through influence in an international matrix environment.
The position carries full accountability for strategy execution, revenue and profitability growth, organizational capability, governance, and sustainable value creation.
Key Responsibilities:
Business Leadership & Strategy:
- Define and execute the strategic plan for the organization's Canadian entity in alignment with the Group objectives.
- Drive profitable growth by expanding market share, developing new business
opportunities, and strengthening the organization's position across targeted market segments.
- Accelerate the adoption and commercialization of digital access, electromechanical locking, and intelligent building solutions.
- Establish annual business plans, budgets, forecasts, and investment priorities to achieve short- and long-term business objectives.
- Monitor business performance through agreed KPIs and implement corrective
actions when necessary.
Sales & Market Development:
- Build executive-level relationships with key customers, distributors, wholesalers, locksmiths, security integrators, architects, consultants, and industry influencers to strengthen market access and long-term customer value.
- Expand strategic accounts, channel partnerships, and major project opportunities across Canada.
- Ensure effective execution of value-based selling and solution-selling practices throughout the sales team.
- Strengthen the organization's brand as a leading provider of high-security, electromechanical, and intelligent access solutions.
Financial & Operational Management:
- Hold full P&L responsibility for the Canadian entity, ensuring achievement of
revenue, profitability, cash flow, and working capital targets.
- Lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and resource allocation
processes.
- Ensure effective internal controls, risk management, compliance, and adherence to Company policies.
- Improve operational excellence, productivity, customer responsiveness, and
continuous improvement across the business.
Leadership & People Development:
- Build, lead, and develop a high-performing leadership team capable of
delivering sustainable business results.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, customer
focus, safety, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
- Develop organizational capabilities, succession plans, and talent pipelines
to support future growth.
- Lead change management initiatives and ensure alignment with the Company's values and culture.
- Promote a safe, inclusive, and high-performance work environment.
Governance & Stakeholder Relations:
- Represent the organization with customers, industry associations,
government agencies, regulatory bodies, and business partners.
- Ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, ethical, and corporate
governance requirements.
- Present business performance, strategic initiatives, and investment
recommendations to the organization's international leadership.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across
the Group.
- Serve as the senior legal and commercial representative of the organization's Canadian entity.
Experience & Essential Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, finance, marketing, or a related
discipline.
- Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experience within multinational
organizations.
- Proven success leading a business unit, country organization, or significant
division with full P&L accountability.
- Strong track record of delivering profitable growth through sales leadership,
business development, and market expansion initiatives.
- Experience developing and managing distributor, wholesale, and channel-driven business models.
- Demonstrated success building strategic customer relationships and expanding market presence.
- Experience leading organizational transformation, business change, and growth initiatives.
- Successful track record of building, developing, and leading high-performing
teams.
- Experience working in, or selling into, security, access control, building
technologies, architectural hardware, construction, industrial, or adjacent
technical sectors is strongly preferred.
- Experience commercializing technology-based, digital, electromechanical, or
solution-oriented offerings is considered a strong asset.
- Must be fluent in French and English, spoken and written.
- Note: Bilingualism (French and English) is required for this position as it involves interactions with stakeholders outside Quebec across the network throughout Canada, and Europe.
- Additional languages are an asset.
