Operations Manager – Vehicle Rental & Fleet
£55,000-£60,000 basic salary, depending on experience, plus up to 15% annual bonus and company car or £5,000 annual car allowance
Take ownership of our daily operations
Cool Motion UK is looking for an experienced Operations Manager to lead the day-to-day running of our vehicle rental business from our Leicester head office.
This is a hands-on leadership role bringing together fleet management, customer enquiries, rental administration, compliance and accounts coordination.
You will organise daily priorities, support the team and ensure work is followed through accurately and on time.
Vehicle rental experience is essential.
You will understand the pressures of changing availability, urgent customer requirements, breakdowns and competing deadlines—and bring the judgement, organisation and leadership to keep the operation running effectively.
Your responsibilities
Lead the daily operation
- Take ownership of daily planning, work allocation and operational follow-through.
- Lead and support colleagues across rental administration, fleet and vehicle movements.
- Resolve operational issues and customer escalations, keeping senior management informed of significant risks.
- Introduce practical procedures and reporting that improve service, accountability and efficiency.
- Ensure essential duties are covered during holidays and absence.
Manage fleet availability and maintenance
- Maintain accurate records of vehicles available, reserved, on hire, awaiting preparation and off the road.
- Coordinate vehicle preparation, deliveries, collections, servicing, MOTs, inspections and repairs.
- Manage breakdowns and replacement arrangements, keeping customers informed.
- Oversee vehicle condition records, damage reporting and supporting documentation.
- Monitor utilisation, downtime, maintenance costs and supplier performance.
Oversee enquiries and rental administration
- Ensure telephone and email enquiries receive prompt, accurate responses and consistent follow-up.
- Oversee quotations, bookings, rental agreements, extensions and off-hire arrangements.
- Match customer requirements with suitable vehicles and realistic availability.
- Ensure customer checks, insurance evidence and rental paperwork are completed before vehicle release.
- Resolve complaints professionally and maintain strong customer relationships.
Maintain compliance and standards
- Keep vehicle and rental records accurate, organised and up to date.
- Track maintenance and compliance deadlines and ensure required actions are completed.
- Prevent vehicles with unresolved safety or compliance issues from being released.
- Coordinate with technical specialists and suppliers where required.
- Maintain safe working practices and accurate incident records.
Coordinate with accounts and control costs
- Ensure accounts receives complete information for timely, accurate invoicing.
- Oversee the recording of hires, extensions, deposits, agreed charges and credits.
- Resolve billing queries and missing paperwork that delay payment.
- Support credit control with operational disputes and overdue account escalation.
- Check supplier charges against authorised work and monitor operational expenditure.
What you will bring
- Proven management experience within vehicle rental, contract hire or vehicle leasing.
- Practical knowledge of fleet availability, maintenance coordination, rental administration and customer service.
- Experience leading a team, setting priorities and holding people accountable.
- Commercial awareness, including cost control, invoicing accuracy and accounts coordination.
- Confidence making decisions and resolving problems in a highly pressurised environment.
- Strong organisation, attention to detail and communication skills.
- Confidence using rental management systems, spreadsheets and operational reports.
- The ability to work on-site at our Leicester head office and commute reliably.
- Experience in refrigerated or temperature-controlled vehicle rental.
- Experience managing commercial vans, trailers or a mixed rental fleet.
- Evidence of reducing downtime, improving processes or strengthening operational controls.
What success looks like
You will establish clear daily priorities, reliable fleet information and consistent follow-up across the business.
Customers will receive timely answers, maintenance and compliance deadlines will be controlled, and accounts will have the information needed for accurate billing.
Your leadership will give the team direction and the business dependable day-to-day operational management.
What we offer
- Performance-related annual bonus
- Company Car
- 20 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with service, and an additional birthday day.
- Company Pension
- Free on-site parking.
- Direct access to senior management and authority to improve how the operation runs.
We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds who meet the role requirements.
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