Aftersales Controller- Changan Wakefield

D. M. Keith is looking for an ambitious and commercially
minded Aftersales Controller to join our Changan Wakefield operation.

This is a great opportunity for someone who has developed
strong experience within a dealership Aftersales environment and is now looking
for the opportunity to take responsibility for the day-to-day running and
development of an entire Aftersales operation.

This isn't a traditional Service Advisor role, and we are
not necessarily looking for an experienced Service Manager. Instead, we're
looking for someone with the capability, drive and ambition to take ownership
of a smaller operation and help us grow it.

About the business

D. M. Keith is a long-established, family-owned automotive
group with a strong reputation across the industry.

This role offers something particularly valuable for an
ambitious Aftersales professional: the opportunity to take ownership of a
complete Aftersales operation and develop your management capability within an
established automotive group.

You will have the support of the wider D. M. Keith
Aftersales team, while having the autonomy to make a real difference at
Wakefield.

As the retail proposition develops and the business grows,
there will also be opportunities for the successful candidate to progress their
career within the wider D. M. Keith Group.

About the role

Our Wakefield site currently operates with three
technicians and has a diverse Aftersales operation comprising:

- Changan
franchise Aftersales
- Multi-franchise
used vehicle preparation, typically 20–30 vehicles per month
- A
growing retail non-franchise workshop proposition , designed to
attract local customers with competitive servicing, maintenance and repair
offers

As Aftersales Controller, you will play a key role in making
the operation efficient, profitable and customer-focused, while helping us
develop and grow the retail side of the business.

You will be responsible for coordinating the workshop and
ensuring our technicians are effectively utilised, while also managing customer
requirements, parts, used vehicle preparation and the day-to-day commercial
performance of the department.

Your key responsibilities will include:

Workshop Control

- Plan
and control the daily workshop workload
- Allocate
work effectively across the three technicians
- Monitor
technician productivity, efficiency and utilisation
- Manage
WIP and ensure jobs progress through the workshop efficiently
- Identify
opportunities to maximise available workshop capacity
- Maintain
high standards of quality and customer service

Customer Aftersales

- Manage
customer bookings and vehicle requirements
- Provide
professional and knowledgeable advice to customers
- Identify
and present additional maintenance and repair opportunities
- Ensure
customers receive regular updates throughout the repair process
- Deal
confidently with customer concerns and complaints

Retail Customer Growth

- Help
develop our new non-franchise retail Aftersales proposition
- Drive
workshop bookings from local customers
- Support
local marketing and customer retention activity
- Identify
opportunities to increase customer-pay labour and parts sales
- Monitor
lost opportunities and work to convert them into future business

Used Vehicle Preparation

- Coordinate
the preparation of 20–30 used vehicles each month
- Prioritise
work according to vehicle requirements and business needs
- Manage
parts availability and workshop capacity
- Monitor
preparation turnaround times
- Ensure
vehicles are completed to the required quality standard

Changan Aftersales

- Manage
the day-to-day Aftersales requirements of our Changan customers
- Ensure
manufacturer processes and standards are followed
- Support
warranty, servicing and maintenance activity
- Maintain
strong customer satisfaction and retention

Parts & Commercial Control

- Ensure
the correct parts are ordered and available when required
- Monitor
parts usage and stock
- Understand
labour sales, parts sales and departmental profitability
- Monitor
key Aftersales KPIs and take action where required
- Provide
regular performance information to the wider Aftersales management team

About you

We are particularly interested in hearing from experienced:

- Workshop
Controllers
- Senior
Service Advisors
- Experienced
Aftersales Advisors
- Aftersales
professionals ready to take their first step into broader operational
responsibility

Previous Service Manager experience is not essential.

What is important is that you have the capability and
ambition to take ownership of an operation and make it successful.

You will need to be:

- Highly
organised and able to manage competing priorities
- Commercially
aware and motivated by performance
- Confident
managing and coordinating technicians
- Comfortable
discussing technical work with customers
- Customer-focused
without losing sight of profitability
- Proactive
in identifying opportunities to generate additional business
- Confident
using Aftersales KPIs and performance information
- A
strong communicator
- Able
to work independently and make decisions
- Ambitious
to develop your career within Aftersales

Most importantly, we are looking for someone who doesn't
simply want to administer the workshop.

We want someone who wants to improve it, grow it and make it
successful.

What we offer:

- Competitive
salary, dependent on experience
- Performance-related
bonus opportunity
- 25
days holiday plus bank holidays
- Staff
vehicle benefits
- Manufacturer
and D. M. Keith training and development
- Career
progression opportunities
- Support
from an experienced wider Aftersales team
- The
opportunity to take genuine ownership of an Aftersales operation
- A
role where your ideas and contribution can make a visible difference

Ready for your next step?

If you're currently a Senior Service Advisor or Workshop
Controller and feel you're ready to take responsibility for more, this
could be the opportunity you've been waiting for.

We don't necessarily need someone who has already been a
Service Manager.

We are looking for someone who has the capability to
become one.

If you have the experience, commercial mindset and ambition
to help us build the next stage of our Wakefield Aftersales operation, we'd
love to hear from you.