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National Operations Manager Automotive Service Centres Gauteng, Midrand
Job Location:
Job Location:
Midrand - South Africa
Yearly Salary:
ZAR 1 - 6
Yearly Salary:
Posted:
12 September 2026 (2 days ago)
Posted:
Application Deadline:
10 December 2026
Application Deadline:
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Vacancies:
Job Summary
Remuneration: CTC R1.0 R1.2 million per annum
Our client an automotive aftermarket group requires a National Operations Manager for their Service Centre franchise businesses.
Purpose Of The Job:
To establish lead and scale one of their brands as a high-trust multi-site mechanical workshop business. The Operations Manager owns the end-to-end operating model: using oil service as the primary customer entry point delivering a consistent vehicle inspection converting legitimate findings into approved additional mechanical work and ensuring every job is completed safely efficiently profitably and right first time.
The role combines automotive aftersales expertise OEM/dealer-grade workshop discipline and multi-business leadership. It is accountable for translating the business proposition into repeatable standards capable teams and sustainable unit economics while drawing on relevant strengths without defaulting to a tyre-retail operating model.
Our client an automotive aftermarket group requires a National Operations Manager for their Service Centre franchise businesses.
Purpose Of The Job:
To establish lead and scale one of their brands as a high-trust multi-site mechanical workshop business. The Operations Manager owns the end-to-end operating model: using oil service as the primary customer entry point delivering a consistent vehicle inspection converting legitimate findings into approved additional mechanical work and ensuring every job is completed safely efficiently profitably and right first time.
The role combines automotive aftersales expertise OEM/dealer-grade workshop discipline and multi-business leadership. It is accountable for translating the business proposition into repeatable standards capable teams and sustainable unit economics while drawing on relevant strengths without defaulting to a tyre-retail operating model.
Key Performance Areas:
Build and Own the Operating Model
Create the repeatable blueprint for launching and running a national mechanical workshop fast fitment network.
Ensure safe compliant productive and technically credible workshop execution across all sites.
Grow revenue through credible advice and transparent inspection-led selling never through unnecessary work.
Own network and site economics balancing growth with quality and cash discipline.
Recruit develop and retain the workshop service and field leadership capability required to scale.
Make the business known for convenience technical confidence transparency and dependable service.
Performance Scorecard
Minimum Requirements:
Please note only candidates with the required experience will be contacted and considered. If you are not contacted within 14 days from application kindly consider your application as unsuccessful.
Applications will only be considered from candidates who meet the specified criteria as per the job spec. If you do not meet the requirements Select Motor Recruitment reserves the right not to respond to your application.
Applications should be submitted no later than 1 week from advertising.
Build and Own the Operating Model
Create the repeatable blueprint for launching and running a national mechanical workshop fast fitment network.
- Define and continuously improve the customer journey from booking or drive-in through oil service and inspection quotation authorisation repair quality check handover and follow-up
- Develop standard operating procedures workshop controls role definitions labour models operating hours and escalation routes appropriate to a mechanical service business
- Set clear boundaries interfaces and service-level agreements between 2 of the businesses shared functions preserving distinct accountability and culture of each
- Lead pilots new-site openings and operational readiness including people equipment tooling parts systems compliance marketing and launch ramp-up
- Create a scalable field-management structure and routines for performance reviews store visits audits and corrective action
Ensure safe compliant productive and technically credible workshop execution across all sites.
- Own workshop capacity bay utilisation technician productivity and efficiency workflow planning job allocation work-in-progress control and vehicle turnaround time
- Establish inspection standards service schedules job-card discipline diagnostic processes repair authorisation controls and final quality checks
- Implement right-first-time comeback and warranty controls; investigate recurring failures and drive root-cause corrective action
- Ensure fit-for-purpose tooling diagnostic equipment calibration maintenance housekeeping waste-oil handling and environmental controls
- Maintain compliance with occupational health and safety consumer requirements OEM technical information parts traceability and all relevant automotive regulations and standards
- Build a technical escalation network and ensure workshop leaders can coach technicians rather than relying on head-office intervention
Grow revenue through credible advice and transparent inspection-led selling never through unnecessary work.
- Make oil service the disciplined entry product: convenient correctly specified competitively positioned and consistently executed
- Embed a standard multi-point vehicle inspection with clear evidence severity grading and customer-friendly explanation of findings
- Improve conversion of identified work into authorised services through accurate estimates parts availability advisor capability and trust-based communication
- Develop the service mix beyond oil in line with site capability customer demand technical competence risk and margin
- Track the full funnel by site: oil-service volumes inspections completed findings quotes approvals average repair order declined work and follow-up conversion
- Set and enforce ethical selling standards and monitor complaints refunds warranty claims and customer outcomes
Own network and site economics balancing growth with quality and cash discipline.
- Set annual budgets and rolling forecasts for revenue gross profit labour recovery parts and consumables payroll operating expenses capital expenditure and cash
- Manage site and network P&Ls; diagnose variance and implement timely recovery plans
- Optimise labour rates service packages product mix procurement stockholding and inventory turns without compromising quality or customer trust
- Control leakage discounting rework waste obsolete stock shrinkage fraud and unauthorised expenditure
- Build business cases for openings refurbishments equipment and new service categories; conduct post-investment reviews against plan
- Partner with finance commercial procurement and marketing to translate performance insight into action
Recruit develop and retain the workshop service and field leadership capability required to scale.
- Define workforce plans and competency standards for workshop managers service advisors technicians apprentices and regional leadership
- Recruit leaders and technical talent with the right balance of customer orientation commercial acumen and mechanical credibility
- Create structured onboarding technical training advisor training certification coaching and succession plans
- Set clear performance expectations and hold leaders accountable through regular reviews recognition performance improvement and fair discipline
- Build a practical hands-on culture of safety integrity pace ownership and continuous improvement
- Maintain constructive employee relations and ensure compliance with labour standards and company policy
Make the business known for convenience technical confidence transparency and dependable service.
- Set service standards and monitor customer satisfaction complaints online reputation retention and repeat visits
- Personally lead resolution of significant technical or customer escalations and convert learning into systemic improvement
- Benchmark OEM dealers independent workshop groups and fast-service operators to identify relevant best practice
- Use operating data field observation and customer feedback to test improvements and standardise what works
- Support fleet dealer and partnership opportunities where the operating model can deliver consistently at scale
Performance Scorecard
- Outcome: Illustrative measures
- Growth & conversion: Oil-service volume; inspection completion; quote and approval conversion; average repair order; repeat customer rate
- Workshop execution: Bay utilisation; technician productivity and efficiency; labour recovery; turnaround time; work-in-progress ageing
- Quality & trust: Right-first time; comeback and warranty rate; complaints; customer satisfaction / NPS; declined-work follow-up
- Financial: Revenue; gross profit; labour and parts margin; OPEX; EBITDA / contribution; cash and working capital
- Safety & compliance: Recordable incidents; audit scores; corrective-action closure; waste and environmental compliance
- People & scale: Critical vacancies; retention; training and certification; succession coverage; new-site readiness and ramp-up
Minimum Requirements:
- Relevant tertiary qualification in business operations engineering automotive management or a related field
- Preferred Qualification
- A trade or technical automotive qualification is advantageous
- 10 years progressive automotive aftersales or workshop operations experience including at least 5 years leading a multi-site network or sizeable regional operation
- Direct responsibility for mechanical workshops covering service maintenance and repair not solely tyre retail parts retail or a single workshop
- Meaningful OEM franchised-dealer or vehicle-manufacturer aftersales experience with strong understanding of dealer-grade workshop processes technical standards warranty customer care and performance management
- Demonstrated success running multiple business units sites or operating formats with full P&L accountability and a track record of improving underperforming operations
- Experience opening integrating or scaling sites and translating a proposition into repeatable operating standards
- Evidence of leading technical and non-technical teams through workshop managers regional leaders technicians and service advisors
- Strong working knowledge of workshop management systems job costing labour recovery parts and inventory controls diagnostics OHS and environmental compliance
- Commercial fluency: able to read a P&L build budgets and business cases identify performance drivers and convert data into field action
- Builders mindset: Comfortable creating structure testing the model and scaling from pilot to network
- Mechanical credibility: Understands how a professional workshop works and can challenge technical and operating performance
- Multi-site leadership: Leads through standards routines capable managers and disciplined follow-through
- Customer trust: Balances conversion with transparency evidence and the customers right to choose
- Commercial judgement: Connects workshop activity to margin cash return on capital and sustainable growth
- Execution under pressure: Prioritises well resolves issues quickly and remains visible in the field
- Talent developer: Builds technical and leadership capability rather than becoming the permanent problem-solver
- Integrity and courage: Handles cash controls safety quality and people decisions consistently and honestly
- Accountable for operating standards field execution network performance workshop quality people deployment and corrective action within approved policy and delegated authority
- Recommends annual plans budgets capital investment site openings service-category expansion and senior operational appointments
- Own area of responsibility: the end-to-end of the businesses operating model including the customer journey workshop standards commercial performance and organisational capability across the network
- Own time and area of responsibility including pilots new-site openings operational readiness and network scaling projects
- Immediate: workshop technical safety and customer escalation decisions in the field
- Long term: investment capital network growth and organisational structure decisions
- The Retail Managing Executive COO CEO EVP & Project Sponsor; Finance HR Commercial Dept Procurement Marketing IT and Risk; TWT leadership where shared capabilities or interfaces are relevant
- Suppliers in conjunction with Commercial Dept technical partners OEM/dealer contacts fleet customers regulators and other external stakeholders
- Business cases performance reviews field visits escalation management meetings e-mails and face-to-face
- Hands-on build-and-scale role requiring substantial time in workshops and regular national travel
- Valid drivers licence and willingness to travel extensively across the network
- Must be available for launch periods operational incidents and significant customer or technical escalations
- Appointment is subject to the companys standard integrity reference and qualification checks
Please note only candidates with the required experience will be contacted and considered. If you are not contacted within 14 days from application kindly consider your application as unsuccessful.
Applications will only be considered from candidates who meet the specified criteria as per the job spec. If you do not meet the requirements Select Motor Recruitment reserves the right not to respond to your application.
Applications should be submitted no later than 1 week from advertising.
Required Experience:
Manager
