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