Service Manager / Workshop Operations Manager in Manchester

Location: Bury

Salary: £45,000–£50,000 DOE + performance bonus

OTE: £55,000–£60,000

Oakwood Motor Company is looking for an experienced Service Manager / Workshop Operations Manager to take ownership of our busy workshop and used-car preparation operation. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role in a fast-moving, high-volume environment. We prepare around 250 vehicles per month and have clear ambitions to grow further.

This is not a quiet, traditional service desk role. We need someone who can bring calm, structure and accountability to a busy workshop operation — someone who enjoys being busy, can handle constant questions and changing priorities, and is strong enough to keep people, vehicles, parts and processes moving.

You will be responsible for keeping vehicles moving, sold cars prioritised, technicians productive, parts flowing, customers updated, costs controlled and quality standards maintained. You will manage and support a team including:

• 7 Prep Technicians across two sites
• 2 Aftersales Technicians
• 1 MOT Tester
• 1 Parts Advisor
• 2 Service Advisors

The role would suit someone from a high-volume used-car preparation, dealer group, prep centre, workshop control or busy independent aftersales environment. We are prepared to pay properly for the right person. This is a senior operational role with real responsibility, so we are looking for someone who can genuinely improve workflow, people, productivity, quality and workshop performance.

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing the daily workshop schedule across two sites
• Controlling prep work, sold vehicles, MOTs, warranty work and customer repairs
• Prioritising sold vehicles and ensuring cars are prepared on time
• Allocating work effectively to maximise technician productivity
• Tracking job progress, delays, parts availability and completion times
• Maintaining strong job card, diary and workflow discipline
• Carrying out quality control checks and driving a right-first-time culture
• Managing rotas, annual leave and team capacity
• Improving workshop systems, processes and reporting
• Working closely with the Parts Advisor, Service Advisors and Sales Managers
• Developing retail service and repair opportunities
• Improving customer satisfaction through better communication and turnaround times
• Monitoring costs, overtime, productivity and overall workshop performance
• Leading, supporting and holding the team accountable

We are looking for someone who is:

• Experienced in workshop control, service management, prep management or aftersales management
• Strong in used vehicle preparation and workshop flow
• A confident and effective people manager
• Very organised, structured and proactive
• Calm, composed and resilient under pressure
• Excellent on computers and confident using workshop/dealer systems
• Commercially aware, cost conscious and performance focused
• Technically minded with high quality standards
• Friendly, approachable and helpful, but firm when needed
• Strong at prioritising, planning and problem solving
• Comfortable managing a busy environment with constant questions and competing priorities
• Able to improve systems, processes and team performance

The opportunity

This is a big job, but it is also a real opportunity. You will have genuine ownership of the workshop operation and play an important part in helping Oakwood Motor Company build a stronger, more scalable preparation and aftersales function. If you are an experienced automotive workshop leader who can manage people, control workflow, improve standards and keep a busy operation moving, we would like to hear from you.