Independent and Ned
Position title
Industrial Non-Executive Director – Engineering and Instrumentation Holding Company
Description

NED Capital is retained to appoint an Industrial Non-Executive Director to the board of a privately funded UK holding company. The company is building a permanent group of small engineering and instrumentation businesses. It buys companies that design and make their own products from founders who want a long-term home for what they have built.

The group is funded with the owner’s own equity and modest bank debt, and there is no plan to sell on. The owner is an engineer by background but has not worked in this sector. This appointment is central to scaling the group, because the new NED will bring the industry judgement and operating experience that the board needs.

The role starts hands-on. You will work alongside the owner to test potential acquisitions. Once the first businesses are in the group, you will join the holding company board. From there you will help recruit, appoint and coach the managing directors who run each operating company. This is a long-term seat for someone who wants to help build an enduring group rather than work towards an exit.

Responsibilities
  • Work with the owner to assess acquisition targets across four areas: product strength and defensibility, quality and depth of management, operational and commercial risk, and price.
  • Give an independent view on whether a business is a good fit for a permanent-ownership group, and on the conditions it needs to do well after the founder hands over.
  • Help structure the handover from founder to new leadership, including what the founder’s ongoing role should be, if any.
  • Sit on the holding company board and bring constructive challenge on strategy, capital allocation, risk and performance across the portfolio.
  • Help hire managing directors for acquired businesses, then coach and mentor them, especially those stepping up from founder-led companies.
  • Help define the group’s operating model. This means setting how much autonomy subsidiaries keep, what is reported to the centre, and where shared resources make sense.
  • Draw on your network for deal flow, management talent and specialist advisers.
  • Act as a sounding board to the owner on industrial, engineering and commercial questions outside his own experience.
Qualifications
  • You have built, owned or run an engineering or instrumentation business that designs and manufactures its own products, and you have taken it through a sale.
  • Ideally, you have also been on the buying side, for example acquiring and integrating businesses inside a group such as Judges Scientific, SDI Group or Halma.
  • You are comfortable with owner-managed companies of 15–50 people and understand what changes when a founder steps back.
  • You can judge a product, a management team and a valuation quickly and with sound commercial instinct.
  • You have the credibility and manner to coach managing directors without taking over from them.
  • Previous board or non-executive experience is welcome but not essential. Relevant operating and transaction experience matters more.
  • You are UK-based. The South East is convenient but not required.
  • You can commit 1–3 days a month on a long-term basis.
Job Benefits
  • You will join a growing industrial group from the ground up, with real influence over which businesses it buys and how they are run.
  • The holding company is privately funded, takes a permanent-ownership approach and has no exit timetable.
  • You will be paid a day rate during the deal-testing phase. On joining the board, this moves to an annual NED fee.
  • You will receive options in the holding company, vesting over five years, which gives you a share in the long-term value you help create.
  • The time commitment is flexible and fits around other portfolio or non-executive roles.
  • You will work directly with the owner, with short decision lines and no corporate bureaucracy.
Prev
Independent Statutory Director (Part-Time) – UK and US Holding Companies
Next
Non-Executive Director - Publicly-Owned Services Group - West London
Employment Type
Part-time
Beginning of employment
1st December 2026
Duration of employment
Perm
Industry
Industrial Products
Job Location
Remote work from: United Kingdom
Working Hours
9-5
Base Salary
£500-£600 Per day
Date posted
October 25, 2026
PDF Export
Export as PDF
Close modal window
Position: Industrial Non-Executive Director – Engineering and Instrumentation Holding Company

Loading...

Thank you for submitting your application. We will contact you shortly!