Managing Director - West Sussex

Managing Director jobs

As with any business, the managing director is the link between the board and the daily and strategic running of the company. Also known as a chief executive officer, the MD will be in charge of translating business decisions made on the board into actions and policies, through communicating goals to the departmental managers and staff.

The managing director will also be in charge of staffing, health & safety and security, although she or he will have these sectors of the business managed by intermediate managers, especially in larger operations.

In essence, the managing director has huge responsibility for the direction of the company and should expect good remuneration in return – although this job necessarily goes to those with a great CV and superb executive management skills. The MD’s actions will reflect directly on the company’s profitability, and the buck could well stop with the person occupying this post, as the board and shareholders will need to see results but will be relying on the managing director to deliver them.

The skills required

As a manager of managers as well as staff, and a close link with the board of directors on a regular basis, the managing director will need top class communication skills. They will often be working out how best to convert a board’s business aim into action, and if the company is large this will mean that there can be no misunderstandings in these aims.

Although managing director as a hands-on job, and excellent executive skills will be required, a well tuned sense of when to be hands-off will stand the MD in good stead. Micromanagement will only be required when problems arise that cannot be solved by the staff on the floor, but indulging in constant tinkering is inefficient and can lead to low morale. Therefore the MD needs to surround himself or herself with trusted, well trained and well drilled staff in whom he or she can be confident.