KEY PURPOSE OF THE JOB

Independently managing and developing a customer-oriented and profitable workshop and spare parts business. This includes, in particular, optimally utilizing the market, a high level of customer satisfaction and high yields for the department, as well as planning, controlling and monitoring processes in customer services areas.

Managing and developing employees.

Ensuring all DC standards are met and legal regulations on labor and environmental protection complied with.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Defining market targets for workshops and the spare parts business within the framework of performance targets defined by brand and, together with the company management, drawing up a corresponding annual plan
• Compiling and maintaining a resource plan for the workshop and warehouse and developing concepts and measures for load optimization
• Ensuring planning for facilities, bays, machines, tools, diagnosis installations, etc. is carried out correctly; optimal design of workplaces and processes
• Preparing planning and calculations for investments in workshops, facilities and HR together with the company management
• Developing concepts for increasing use for the customer, turnover and profitability in Services
• Agreeing planning and concepts with the company management
• Putting forward suggestions to the company management regarding an overall EDP concept and the range of software and hardware used
• Regularly reviewing prices for workshop services and, after prior agreement with the company management, adapting them to suit the market
• Selecting and controlling cooperation partners for external services in Services
• Planning and controlling Service advertising
• Planning and controlling customer loyalty activities
• Planning and controlling customer surveys and other measures for monitoring customer satisfaction
• Involvement in determining the communication budget
• Monitoring quality of advisory service provided and, if necessary planning and controlling measures to improve utilization of the market
• Monitoring the regional market with respect to new competitors
• Carrying out analyses of the competition / benchmarking in Services
• Determining HR requirements for workshops and spare parts business
• Ensuring search for new staff members is carried out and, if necessary, supporting company management during recruitment
• Making initial selection of candidates based on Brand requirements
• Involvement in interviews and decisions regarding employing new staff
• Employing new staff and developing an induction plan
• Managing, coaching and motivating employees and thus ensuring a high quality of employees
• Defining target agreements with employees
• Reviewing the level of target achievement and reaching / agreeing measures to correct these should deviations occur
• Assessing employees and, if necessary, initiating disciplinary measures and regularly carrying out employee discussions
• As part of HR development, ascertaining employees’ qualification requirements and developing corresponding development / qualification plans
• Ensuring permanent specialist further training is available
• Together with employees, establishing personal development goals and agreeing means of achieving these
• Monitoring changes in employees following HR development measures and supporting / rewarding if these are positive
• Ensuring the quality of further training measures meets standards
• Fostering team development
• Involvement in management of remuneration
• Ensuring attendance and holiday planning of employees he/she is responsible for are correct
• Recording employees’ suggestions for improvements and, if necessary, implementing their ideas
• Controlling cost management for own department
• Carrying out monthly evaluation of results for own department and, if necessary, initiating the required measures
• Monitoring and optimizing productivity and performance of employees
• Analyzing attractiveness / profitability of key customers and customer groups / types of business
• Ensuring consistent use of all customer contacts in day-to-day business
• Guaranteeing correctness of customer services through dialog and active involvement in all issues relating to workshops and spare parts
• Looking after customers dissatisfied with workshop services and those with difficult complaints
• Ensuring advice on and sales of accessories are correct in each instance of customer contact
• Ensuring mobility of customers insofar as necessary
• Ensuring documentation of all guarantee cases is correct
• Checking guarantee and accommodation processes and carrying out any necessary negotiations with the Brand
• Making decisions within the scope of own competence regarding granting of accommodating terms, or making preparations so that the company management can make decisions
• Ensuring efficiency of use of HR and efficiency of processes in workshop and warehouse
• Ensuring job time planning and task allocation for workshop and warehouse is carried out correctly
• Ensuring pre-determined job times are adhered to
• Ensuring all required technical test equipment and tools are available and ready for use
• With the prior agreement of the company management, organizing acquisition of workshop equipment and expendable materials
• Guaranteeing cleanliness and orderliness of workshops
• Monitoring compliance with all statutory regulations
• Selecting external service providers (e.g. paintwork / body shell) according to Brand guidelines and concluding the corresponding contracts
• Ensuring data are collated for invoicing and services/spare parts are invoiced correctly
• Ensuring quality control of all completed tasks
• Ensuring vehicles are handed over in a customer-oriented manner
• With the prior agreement of the company management, ensuring technical emergency services are available
• Ensuring customers and mechanics have quick access to spare parts and accessories from warehouse
• Ensuring customers and mechanics have access to advice on identifying which spare parts and accessories they require
• Ensuring service and invoicing regarding spare parts is carried out in a customer-oriented manner
• Ensuring permanent availability or sourcing at short notice of spare parts and accessories
• Organizing incoming lot control in spare parts warehouse
• Ensuring defective spare parts from complaints and warranty claims are returned correctly
• Monitoring inventory documentation and controlling inventory optimization
• Ensuring sales staff are supported correctly in technical questions raised when advising customers
• Utilizing customer services contacts to actively provide sales advice
• When requested by Sales, ensuring technical appraisal of used vehicles is carried out
• Passing on results of appraisals of used vehicles to Sales
• By order of Sales, ensuring technical and optical re-processing of used vehicles
• Ensuring internal invoicing of such re-processing is carried out correctly
• Permanently monitoring business administration ratios in workshops and warehouses and analyzing peculiarities and deviations from original plans
• Developing concepts for correcting deviations from plans and, if necessary agreeing these with the company management
• Regularly evaluating business administrative assessments of the Service department’s results
• Determining extent of utilization of own market potential
• Ensuring regular reporting for company management
• Ensuring the service literature, product brochures as well as process documentation and the required software is up to date, complete and available
• Ensuring information from HQ is followed up, archived and made available to others
• Monitoring reports in the media on the brand and on competitors’ products
• Actively passing on relevant information to employees
• Guaranteeing specialist press material is available to employees
• Ensuring processes are defined and followed; optimizing processes in Service department after prior agreement with company management
• Calling on and leading circle of those involved in quality management to discuss and improve processes and steps
• Monitoring Brand quality and service standards to ensure these are being met
• Ensuring measures for effective labor protection are taken, coordinating these measures and controlling compliance with safety regulations
• Ensuring deadlines are met and documentation is available for maintenance jobs on facilities, machines, etc.
• With the agreement of the company management, organizing and ensuring correctness of auditing / quality management certification
• Putting forward suggestions for measures to increase customer satisfaction and implementing these
• Ensuring all customers to the Service department are approached
• Ensuring customers’ wishes are dealt with and followed up
• Ensuring customers are looked after following a visit to the Service department
• Setting an example in terms of friendliness and style of dealing with customers
• Arranging for complaints to be registered /registering complaints and ensuring communication with customers is dealt with correctly
• Evaluating incoming complaints and arranging for measure to improve the situation / follow-ups to be carried out
• Arranging for reports on complaints to be passed on to company management to be drawn up
• Ensuring suitable tools to establish the level of customer satisfaction in each department are used
• Identifying reasons for customer dissatisfaction
• Developing measures for ensuring and increasing customer satisfaction
• Ensuring compliance with all statutory environmental protection regulations
• Ensuring disposal of waste is carried out correctly and cost-efficiently
• Representing the company in ecological matters vis-a-vis regulatory authorities

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THE JOB

A professional Aftersales Manager is a competent expert in aftersales, an excellent manager of an efficient service team and is committed to providing a service to customers and the company.

An Aftersales Manager has extensive knowledge of business administration, has experience of workshops and the spare parts business and knows methods of quality assurance, staff selection, as well as HR development. He/she* knows how to use marketing measures to successfully present services and can implement these effectively and efficiently. He is aware of his competitors’ organization and activities, as well as current trends in his branch.

An Aftersales Manager can create a good working atmosphere, enthuses and motivates his team and holds his team’s performance in high esteem. He recognizes the skills of individual team members and promotes these, opening up paths for able employees to progress to other levels. He also recognizes his own personal development needs, allows others to express an opinion and feedback, and takes constructive criticism seriously. He is able to reach target agreements with employees and to monitor the level of target achievement. He delegates responsibility in projects. He is very good at dealing with conflict and defends his own position accurately and objectively.
An After Sales Manager represents the brand’s motto of “Fairness and Commitment”. He is committed to providing a service, thinks in terms of the use for the company and customers and creates added value. He uses resources economically and responsibly.

Requirements:

A. Specialist Skills

Finance / Accounting
Financial and liquidity plans, annual reports, balance sheets, invoicing, controlling, financial statistics, tax, financial and contract law, auditing

Technology and Diagnosis
Basic vehicle technology, possibilities and problems of fault diagnosis and repair work

Marketing
Analyses, advertising, product presentation, aftersales

Sales
Knowledge of market and business line, basic commercial and legal knowledge, sales talk

Human Resources
Staff selection, staff evaluation, HR development, HR planning, basics of labor law, remuneration

Ecology
Statutory environmental protection regulations, waste disposal

Quality Assurance
Process analysis, process monitoring, evaluation

Social Skills

Cooperation and Teamwork
Endeavors to find common ground / involve others, ability to deal with conflict / accept criticism, actively seeks to find a balance of interests / ability to reach a consensus, tolerance and acceptance, attitude to teamwork
Communication Skills
Appearance / manner / charisma, ability to make contacts and build relationships, language skills / body language, structuring and leading discussions, regard for / acceptance of others / dealing with closeness and distance / active listener, ability to argue own case and generate enthusiasm

Cognitive Skills
Problem-solving, intellectual capacity, creativity, ability to learn, general knowledge

Intercultural Skills
Attitude / regard for customers from other cultures

Independence of Mind
Own opinions, ability to make decisions

Emotional Stability
Genuine behavior, reliability / trustworthiness, convincing manner, empathy, ability to deal with pressure

Work ethic, career motivation, willingness to learn, willingness to work
Value placed on job, concrete career goals, attitude to service, attitude to company, willingness to pass on information / to learn, commitment / willingness to work / initiative, reliability

C. Methodological and IT Skills

Method of Work
Goal-orientation / pursuing own goals / determination, organizational ability / ability to organize self / working systematically, independence and autonomy

Sales-specific Methods
Ability to analyze demand and requirements, ability to give advice, certainty of concluding a sales contract / good negotiating skills

System Skills
Processes and people in the company, contacts, contacts to external service providers

Project Management
Project phases, planning, project controlling and monitoring, project management tools, project controlling, project

IT Skills
General PC skills / Microsoft Office, sales programs, communication / scheduling programs, Internet, e-business

D. Leadership Skills

Leadership Skills
Inspiration, providing support, team development, recognizing potential, management communication

Strategic Skills
Creating visions, analyzing and setting trends, recognizing interrelations, looking after interests, innovation, broadening horizons

Entrepreneurial Skills
Closeness to market and Group, decision-making ability, added value

Ability to Change
Ability to change, change in perspective, involving others in change process, ability to implement change

Dealing with Knowledge
Acquiring and passing on knowledge, promoting communication, cross-unit transfer, dealing with feedback

At Ridgeway, we are able to offer a long, secure, progressive, exciting and rewarding career to the ideal candidate.

You will be a high performer who consistently exceeds targets and expectations. We can offer an excellent pay package and the pleasure of working with one of the finest automotive products in the world. If you have the drive, determination and are passionate about succeeding we would like to hear from you.

Please send your CV (including current salary) clearly stating the position you are interested in to:

careers@ridgeway.co.uk

NO AGENCIES