Aftersales & Vehicle Collections Operations Manager

Aftersales & Vehicle Collections Operations Manager

£50,000 to £70,000 plus performance related bonus

Tangmere, Chichester - Onsite role

About Us - We are the clear market leader in our sector and one of the fastest-growing car buying companies in the world. In the UK we generate over 100,000 customer enquiries each month and book tens of thousands of vehicles over the same period through our high-traffic websites and nationwide operations. We have now launched across the United States, with multiple States already live and an ambitious plan to expand nationwide.

Our rapid expansion and success have been driven by outstanding people, a strong culture, and our ability to lean into the advantages of cutting-edge technology. We are not a speculative startup. We have been established for over 15 years, are highly profitable, and have achieved this scale without external funding. That gives us both security and momentum – and yet, despite our size, we have kept the excitement, energy and ambition of a startup. Our team is collaborative, ambitious and relentlessly driven to be the best and most exciting place to work in our sector.

Our aim is bold: to build a billion-dollar valuation within the next five years. Along the way, we want our growth to make a positive difference to others. We have already donated over £1 million to various charities, and as we scale, so too will our donations.

About the Role - We are looking for a hands-on, commercially minded manager with solid automotive knowledge—someone who understands key vehicle components (engine, gearbox, suspension, body panels) and how condition discrepancies affect value.

A major part of this role is skilled negotiation: keeping deals on track when issues arise at inspection, protecting margin, and ensuring revised valuations are fair, commercially viable, and professionally handled.

You will lead the After-Sales & Customer Operations team, who coordinate vehicle collections, manage discrepancies, negotiate adjusted prices, and handle customer complaints. Your leadership and judgement will be crucial in maintaining profitability and reducing cancellations.

Key Responsibilities >

Team Leadership & Structure:

Lead, support and manage a team of After-Sales Coordinators, setting clear expectations and ensuring consistent processes and procedures are followed. Foster a fair, transparent and supportive working environment, promoting clear communication, accountability and professionalism across the team, while ensuring full compliance with all operational and negotiation procedures.

After-Sales Operations:

Oversee the entire vehicle collection process once a booking has been confirmed by the Sales team, ensuring collections run smoothly and efficiently. Use your automotive knowledge to review inspection findings, identify vehicle condition discrepancies and make sound commercial decisions, while guiding the team to assess issues accurately and follow clear, consistent negotiation procedures.

Negotiation & Commercial Management:

Lead and oversee complex customer negotiations to retain vehicle purchases wherever commercially viable, while protecting profitability and avoiding unprofitable deals. Train and support the team in confidently managing valuation adjustments, ensuring a fair and professional customer experience alongside strong commercial decision-making. Take responsibility for resolving disputed valuations, carefully considering risk, profit margins and operational impact, while minimising unnecessary cancellations and maximising successful vehicle collections.

Customer Issue Resolution:

Manage escalated customer issues calmly and professionally, using your automotive knowledge to clearly explain vehicle-related concerns and resolve disputes effectively. Identify recurring customer complaints or vehicle description discrepancies, implementing practical improvements to strengthen processes, reduce repeat issues and improve the overall customer experience.

Commercial Accountability:

Monitor and manage key performance indicators, including negotiation success rates, cancellations, profitability and customer satisfaction, ensuring targets are consistently achieved. Oversee incentive schemes to ensure they are applied fairly and transparently, while identifying process gaps and implementing improvements to strengthen efficiency and performance. Provide regular reports and commercial insights to senior leadership, highlighting results, challenges and opportunities for improvement.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

Work closely with the Sales team to improve the accuracy of vehicle descriptions and pricing, helping to minimise discrepancies and avoid unnecessary issues during collection. Maintain clear communication with Transport and Finance to ensure smooth, efficient operations, while providing practical automotive guidance and support across departments to improve decision-making and overall performance.

Skills & Experience Required >

Essential:

• Good mechanical knowledge (e.g., difference between an engine and gearbox, common mechanical issues, typical condition faults).

• Strong, proven negotiation skills—able to retain deals, manage expectations, and avoid loss-making purchases.

• Experience leading a team in an operational, customer service, or after-sales environment.

• Confident decision-maker with commercial awareness.

• Skilled in handling escalations, complaints, and disputes.

• Experience working to KPIs, performance targets, and structured processes.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Desirable

• Experience in salvage, used vehicles, inspections, logistics, automotive services, or related environments.

• Familiarity with valuation principles for used/scrap/salvage vehicles.

• Prior involvement in improving or restructuring teams.

Personal Attributes:

Strong, fair leader who can stabilise a team and build trust.

Confident negotiator with sound commercial judgement.

Resilient, calm under pressure, and proactive in solving problems.

Consistent, transparent, and able to hold people accountable.

Improvement-focused, not just reactive.

What We Offer

Competitive salary + performance-related bonus.

Opportunity to lead and improve a business-critical team.

Supportive senior leadership and room to implement change.

Competitive pension package

Comprehensive wellbeing and employee support programme

Discounted gym memberships and on-demand GP service

Retail and leisure discounts across major brands

Regular team events, summer and Christmas parties

Free food Fridays and fresh fruit available for staff working on site

Free on-site parking

Discounted garage services for vehicle owners

Counselling and financial assistance helplines