Head of Aftersales

SF Partners are working with a business based in Newton Abbot who are looking for an Aftersales Manager / Head of Aftersales to join the team
c£50,000
Office based

The Opportunity
We are recruiting on behalf of a growing and ambitious business for an experienced Head of Aftersales / Aftersales Manager to take ownership of its customer care and aftersales operation.
This is a hands-on role with a significant opportunity to shape and develop the aftersales function. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring customers receive an excellent level of support following delivery, while establishing the processes, supplier network and service infrastructure required to provide a responsive and professional aftersales service.
A key initial priority will be to develop and implement a reliable nationwide service and repair solution for the company's vehicle fleet/customer vehicles, including identifying and appointing appropriate third-party service providers, garages and mobile repair partners.

Key Responsibilities
Customer Care & Aftersales
Take overall ownership of the customer journey
Act as the senior point of escalation for aftersales issues, ensuring problems are resolved quickly and professionally.
Develop a customer-first culture focused on responsiveness, communication and effective problem resolution.
Establish clear service levels and processes for managing customer enquiries, faults, repairs and complaints.
Monitor customer satisfaction and identify opportunities to continually improve the aftersales experience.
Build strong relationships with customers and ensure they are kept informed throughout any repair or service process.

Service & Repair Network
Establish and manage a network of trusted service providers for van/vehicle repairs, maintenance and technical support.
Identify, assess and appoint suitable garages, mobile technicians and specialist repair partners across the required geographical coverage.
Negotiate commercial agreements, service levels and response times with third-party providers.
Create clear processes for authorising, tracking and managing repairs.
Ensure suppliers deliver against agreed standards for quality, cost and turnaround time.
Develop contingency arrangements for urgent repairs and vehicle-off-road situations.
Regularly review supplier performance and replace or expand the network where required.
Warranty & Technical Support
Develop effective processes for managing warranty claims and technical issues.
Coordinate with internal teams, manufacturers, suppliers and external service partners to diagnose and resolve faults.
Track recurring issues and use aftersales data to identify underlying product or quality concerns.
Feed customer and repair insights back into the wider business to support continuous product improvement.
Ensure warranty costs and third-party repair expenditure are appropriately controlled and reported.
Building the Aftersales Function
Review the existing aftersales operation and implement appropriate systems, processes and controls.
Define clear responsibilities and escalation procedures across customer care, technical support and repairs.
Introduce appropriate KPIs covering areas such as response time, resolution time, vehicle downtime, customer satisfaction, repair costs and repeat faults.
Implement reporting that provides senior management with visibility of aftersales performance.
Assess future resource requirements and build the aftersales/customer care team as the business grows.
Work closely with Operations, Sales, Engineering/Technical and Finance to ensure a joined-up customer experience.

About You
We are looking for someone who combines strong customer service leadership with practical operational experience.
You are likely to have experience in aftersales, fleet operations, automotive service, commercial vehicles, vehicle conversions, leasing, rental, engineering services or a related environment.

You will ideally bring:
Previous experience in an Aftersales Manager, Head of Aftersales, Customer Care Manager, Service Manager or Fleet Service position.
Strong knowledge of vehicle servicing, repairs and maintenance, ideally involving vans or light commercial vehicles (LCVs).
Experience managing external garages, service centres, mobile technicians or other third-party service providers.
A track record of developing processes and improving customer service operations.
Strong supplier management and commercial negotiation skills.
Experience managing customer complaints and complex escalations.
An ability to understand technical issues and communicate them clearly to customers and non-technical colleagues.
Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple live customer and repair cases.
A data-led approach, with experience establishing and monitoring service KPIs.
The confidence to build a function and introduce structure within a growing business.