Operations Manager

Operations Manager - Used Car Sales Reports to: Managing Director / General Manager The Role This is a hands-on Operations Manager role responsible for keeping used car operations running smoothly, profitably, and without friction. The focus is on protecting margin, controlling preparation costs, and ensuring issues are resolved quickly and do not repeat. You will take full ownership of stock flow, vehicle preparation, problem cars, and escalated customer issues. Acting as the central point between buying, sales, preparation, contractors, and aftersales, you will reduce operational problems so they do not disrupt sales performance or customer experience. Key Responsibilities Stock and Margin Control You will manage the full vehicle lifecycle from purchase to sale, ensuring stock moves efficiently and accurately. This includes monitoring stock ageing, taking ownership of delayed or problem vehicles, and challenging unnecessary preparation spend to protect margin. Vehicle Preparation and Contractors Control all preparation and mechanical work, managing third-party contractors to agreed cost, quality, and turnaround standards. You will identify repeat faults, rework issues, and underperforming suppliers, sourcing alternatives where needed. Problem Vehicles and Quality Issues Take ownership of vehicles with repeated faults or post-sale failures, deciding the most commercially sensible resolution and feeding recurring issues back into buying and preparation standards. Customer Complaints and Aftersales You will handle escalated customer complaints and complex aftersales issues, acting as the decision-maker on remedies in line with consumer law and company policy. Outcomes must be fair, consistent, and commercially sound. Warranty and Cost Control You will monitor warranty claims and aftersales costs, challenge declined claims where appropriate, identify trends, and recommend operational changes to reduce future issues. Process and Reporting Maintain clear operational processes and accurate systems, producing regular reports on stock ageing, preparation backlogs, problem vehicles, complaints, and aftersales costs, using data to drive continuous improvement. Skills and Experience Proven experience in used car operations, service management, or automotive operations Strong understanding of vehicle preparation, mechanical processes, and cost control Experience managing third-party contractors and supplier performance Confident handling customer complaints and difficult conversations Commercially minded, organised, and comfortable taking full accountability Personal Attributes Calm under pressure and solutions-focused Strong communicator with the confidence to challenge Pragmatic, decisive, and commercially aware TPBN1_UKTJ

Created: 2026-01-17