Hire Controller - (St Neots)

Ainscough Crane Hire Limited; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bi-annual retention bonus

24 days’ annual leave

Option to purchase up to 5 additional

Group life assurance – 3 x basicsalary

Pension – 4% employer contribution / 5

Online payslips & benefits portal

Ainscough Advantage benefits

Staff forums three times a year

Job summary

Ainscough Crane Hire is seeking a proactive Hire Controller at its Cambridge depot, taking ownership of customer enquiries and turning them into confirmed hires. You will coordinate cranes, people and resources while building strong customer relationships and driving profitable operations.

The role demands a commercial mindset, excellent organisation, and effective negotiation skills, with experience in hire/transport/logistics being advantageous.

Qualifications

• Experience in rental/hire, transport or logistics helpful.
• Strong customer service and relationship-building skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office, especially Excel.
• GCSE Maths and English (or equivalent) required.
• Able to learn quickly and deliver results.

Responsibilities

• Respond to customer enquiries and convert into hires.
• Coordinate cranes, people and resources to meet customer needs.
• Maintain accurate customer information and administration.
• Work with depot team to optimise crane utilisation.
• Deliver professional service and resolve issues promptly.
• Support out-of-hours queries when required.

Skills

Excellent customer service

Strong communication skills

Commercial mindset

Organisation & time-management

Negotiation & conflict handling

Relationship-building

Education

GCSE Maths and English

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Hire Controller

St Neots, Cambridge Depot | Ainscough Crane Hire

You’re good with customers. You’re commercially minded. You know how to get things moving.

Now put those skills to work with the UK’s leading crane hire company.

Ainscough Crane Hire is looking for an experienced and commercially focused Hire Controller to join our successful Cambridge depot. This is a fast‑paced role where no two days are the same. You’ll be at the heart of the operation, turning customer enquiries into confirmed hires, coordinating people and equipment, and making sure our cranes are working efficiently and profitably.

If you enjoy building relationships, solving problems and making things happen, this could be the role for you.

What will you be doing?

As a Hire Controller, you’ll play a key role in the day‑to‑day success of the depot. You’ll work closely with customers, colleagues and suppliers to understand requirements, identify the right solution and maximise every opportunity.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Responding to customer enquiries and understanding exactly what they need.
• Converting hire enquiries into confirmed orders and maximising sales opportunities.
• Building strong, long‑term relationships with customers, suppliers and internal teams.
• Developing a strong understanding of our crane fleet, products and services.
• Coordinating the allocation and utilisation of cranes, people and other resources.
• Supporting the Depot Manager with the effective day‑to‑day running of the depot.
• Managing costs and ensuring resources are used efficiently.
• Keeping customer information, systems and administration accurate and up to date.
• Working closely with our operational teams to ensure we deliver the right solution for our customers.
• Handling customer queries professionally and resolving issues when they arise.
• Ensuring all activity meets our health, safety, environmental and quality standards.
• Supporting the team with out‑of‑hours calls when required.

What are we looking for?

We’re looking for someone who is commercially aware, organised and confident dealing with customers.

You’ll ideally have experience within a rental, hire, transport, logistics or similar environment, although we’re more interested in your ability to learn, build relationships and deliver results.

You’ll bring:

• Excellent customer service and telephone skills.
• Strong communication and relationship‑building skills.
• A commercial mindset and confidence negotiating with customers.
• Excellent organisation and time‑management skills.
• The ability to influence and negotiate effectively.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and a practical approach.
• The ability to manage challenging conversations and resolve conflict.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
• Experience using CRM systems such as Salesforce would be advantageous.
• GCSE Grade C or equivalent in Maths and English.

Most importantly, you’ll be someone who takes ownership, thrives in a busy environment and wants to make a difference.

Why Ainscough?

Ainscough Crane Hire is the UK’s leading crane company, with 30 locations nationwide and a fleet of around 400 cranes.

But our success isn’t just about cranes. It’s about our people.

Our Make the Safe Choice ethos is at the heart of everything we do, from crane hire and contract lifts to specialist lifting projects. We’re proud of the culture we’ve created – one where people are encouraged to perform with passion, pride and professionalism.

As a Hire Controller, you’ll be joining a team where your contribution genuinely matters.

What we offer

• Bi-annual retention bonus
• 24 days’ annual leave, increasing with length of service
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days’ holiday through salary sacrifice
• Group life assurance – 3 x basic salary
• Pension – 4% employer contribution / 5% employee contribution
• Online access to payslips, holidays and personal information
• Access to Ainscough Advantage, our employee benefits platform
• Staff forums three times a year, giving you the opportunity to have your voice heard
• The opportunity to build a career with a market‑leading UK business

Ready to make your move?

If you’re commercially driven, customer‑focused and ready for a role where you can make a real impact, we’d like to hear from you.

Make the Safe Choice. Join Ainscough Crane Hire.