Customer Operations Manager

After-Sales & Customer Operations Manager
£40,000 to £55,000 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 strong operational leadership and negotiation skills. This role would suit someone experienced in managing customer operations, after-sales teams, escalations, or service-based environments where balancing customer experience with commercial outcomes is essential.
A major part of this role is skilled negotiation: keeping deals on track when issues arise, protecting margin, maximising completed collections across the business, and ensuring revised outcomes are commercially sound, fair, 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, decision-making, and commercial judgement will be crucial in maintaining profitability, reducing cancellations, maximising successful collections, and driving operational standards across the department.
Key Responsibilities
TEAM LEADERSHIP & STRUCTURE
Lead, support, and manage a team of After-Sales Coordinators, setting clear expectations and processes.
Build a transparent, fair, and stable culture with consistency in communication and behaviour.
Ensure compliance with all operational and negotiation procedures.
Coach and develop the team to improve negotiation capability, customer handling, and operational performance.
AFTER-SALES OPERATIONS
Oversee the full lifecycle of vehicle collections once booked by Sales.
Ensure the team assesses customer or operational discrepancies accurately and follows structured negotiation and resolution processes.
Support consistent decision-making across customer issues, pricing changes, and operational challenges.
Drive process improvements to improve customer experience, reduce cancellations, and increase operational efficiency.
NEGOTIATION & COMMERCIAL MANAGEMENT
Lead or oversee complex negotiations to maximise completed collections and retain deals wherever commercially viable.
Train and support the team in managing pricing or service changes confidently and professionally.
Balance customer experience with strong commercial discipline.
Make final decisions on disputed cases, weighing customer impact, operational considerations, and profitability.
Protect commercial performance while minimising unnecessary cancellations and lost collections.
CUSTOMER ISSUE RESOLUTION
Handle escalated issues with a calm, professional approach.
Resolve customer disputes confidently while protecting the interests of the business.
Implement improvements to reduce recurring customer or operational issues.
COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Monitor KPIs including negotiation success, cancellation rates, collections performance, profitability, and customer satisfaction.
Ensure incentive schemes are used fairly and not manipulated.
Identify process gaps and implement improvements.
Produce regular reports and operational insights for senior leadership.
CROSS-FUCTIONAL COLLABORATION
Work closely with Sales, Transport, and Finance teams to improve operational efficiency and customer outcomes.
Support improvements in pricing accuracy, customer communication, and collections performance.
Help drive alignment and accountability across departments.
Skills & Experience Required
Essential
Strong, proven negotiation skills — able to manage difficult conversations, retain business, and protect commercial outcomes.
Experience leading a team in an operational, customer service, after-sales, contact centre, or service delivery environment.
Commercially aware with strong decision-making ability.
Skilled in handling escalations, complaints, and customer disputes.
Experience working to KPIs, performance targets, and structured operational processes.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Strong organisational and people management capability.
Desirable
Automotive or vehicle-related knowledge would be a strong advantage, but is not essential.
Experience within high-volume operational, logistics, customer service, retail, marketplace, or service-led businesses.
Experience improving processes, workflows, or team structures.
Experience managing teams within fast-paced or scaling businesses.
Personal Attributes
Strong, fair leader who can stabilise and develop a team.
Commercially minded with sound judgement and decision-making ability.
Resilient, calm under pressure, and solutions-focused
Consistent, transparent, and able to hold people accountable
Improvement-focused, proactive, and operationally driven.
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.
Benefits and Perks
Comprehensive pension package
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