Head of Operations

Competitive + £7,800 car allowance / Company Car + 15% bonus 40 hours a week (Monday – Friday)

Accelerate your career with a company that leads the way! Overview Manheim Inspection Services is proud to be part of Cox Enterprises — a family-run company with a remarkable 120-year legacy of innovation and forward thinking. As the world’s largest automotive services organization, we’re a global force with more than 24,000 team members supporting over 40,000 customers worldwide. As the market leader in end-of-lease vehicle inspections and collections, Inspection Services delivers a seamless, on-the-spot damage assessment process—maximizing transparency and ROI.

Why Join Us & What’s in It for You? As a Cox Automotive team member, you’ll have access to a wide range of benefits, including exclusive discounts, cashback offers and our brilliant peer to peer recognition scheme. And there’s even more to enjoy:

• Option to buy additional holiday days
• Your birthday off every year - paid
• One annual Well-Being Day for you to relax and recharge
• One paid Charity Day to give back and support a cause that matters to you
• Opportunities for career progression across the Cox Automotive network

About The Role As the Head of Operations for Manheim Inspection Services, you will play a pivotal leadership role, reporting directly to the General Manager and overseeing all operational functions across both Head Office and field operations. This is a high-impact position where you will shape the future of our inspection services, drive operational excellence, and lead large-scale vehicle logistics activity. You will take full ownership of the following key operational areas:

• Logistics & Transport
• Inspection and Collection Operations
• Operations Support
• Scheduling and Planning

In this strategic role, you will review and refine existing processes while designing new operational solutions that align with our business objectives. You will play a central role in the development and enhancement of Inspection Service products, ensuring strong alignment between customer needs and business capabilities. Collaboration will be a core part of your responsibility—you’ll work closely with the Sales team, helping them fully understand our MIS products and services, supporting tender submissions, and acting as a key subject-matter expert across the organisation.

Operational performance will be a major focus. You will ensure meticulous planning of inspection and driver resources, continual improvement in inspection quality, strong customer engagement, and efficient vehicle movement through our network. A significant part of this role involves overseeing our Transport Division, responsible for coordinating the movement of over 140,000 vehicles each year. This operation spans hub sites, auction centres, and dealer delivery locations, and involves close coordination with Manheim Logistics and multiple third-party logistics partners.

As a people-focused leader, you will manage and inspire a team of operational managers, guiding them to deliver excellence in their KPIs while maintaining a healthy balance between employee wellbeing, customer satisfaction, and financial performance. You will mentor your leaders to create a high-performing, engaged, and customer-centric operational culture. This is an exceptional opportunity for a dynamic operations leader to drive transformation, elevate service delivery, and make a significant impact at one of the UK’s leading automotive service providers.

What You’ll Be Doing Leadership & People Management:

• Provide direct leadership to the MIS National Operations Manager and the Transport & Planning Manager.
• Mentor, motivate, and develop operational leaders to drive productivity, engagement, and a high-performance culture.

Operational Ownership:

• Take full ownership of transport, operational, and field service standards, ensuring best-in-class performance across all areas.
• Oversee the design and implementation of efficient processes, policies, and operating standards aligned to business strategy.
• Lead the Losses and Accident Management process, ensuring robust investigation and improvement activity.
• Own the P&L for Transport and Field Operations, managing costs and revenues to maximise financial performance and identify growth opportunities.
• Build and maintain strong senior-level relationships with OEMs, leasing companies, suppliers, transport partners, and hub sites.
• Coordinate and enhance customer service operations, driving customer satisfaction, retention, and continuous improvement.
• Manage contracts and commercial relationships with customers, vendors, partners, and stakeholders.

Strategic Leadership:

• Collaborate with the executive team to help shape business strategy and future operating models.
• Act as a strategic partner to internal Cox Automotive stakeholders at Director level, leading transformational initiatives linked to transport and field operations.

Technology, Compliance & Quality:

• Oversee the deployment and integration of new technology solutions to enhance operational performance and efficiency.
• Ensure all operations comply with applicable laws and regulations (e.g., GDPR) and internal governance requirements.
• Evaluate operational risk and lead quality assurance programmes to uphold industry-leading standards.

Partnership & Provider Management:

• Own and cultivate strong working relationships between MIS and third-party transport providers, including hub site partners.

What We’re Looking For Core Skills:

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels, including during periods of high pressure or crisis.
• Proven experience in transport, logistics, and field-based operational environments.
• Demonstrated capability to lead and deliver transformational change projects.
• Highly proactive with strong planning, organisational, and decision-making skills.
• Customer-focused mindset with the ability to build long-term, value-driven client relationships.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly.
• Collaborative team player who supports and empowers others.
• Calm and effective under pressure, with a consistent focus on quality in all outputs.

Leadership & Managerial Skills:

• Strong business acumen with the ability to align operational activity to broader commercial objectives.
• Experienced people manager with a track record of motivating, coaching, and developing high-performing teams.
• Skilled influencer with the ability to shape decisions and build consensus across multiple stakeholders.
• High level of self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
• Effective negotiator with strong relationship-building capability.
• Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills, capable of analysing complex operational challenges and identifying effective solutions.

Technical & Financial Expertise:

• In-depth understanding of budgeting principles and financial management.
• Exceptional planning, organisational, and project management abilities, with a proven ability to deliver results in complex operational environments.
• Strong resource planning capability, ensuring efficient utilisation of people, systems, and logistics assets.

We’re Committed to Inclusion: We are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in all its forms. We are a place where you can be you.

Ready To Join Our Team & Make A Difference? Apply now and drive your career forward with one of the automotive industry’s most trusted names.