Workshop Manager

Urban Automotive; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Healthcare plan

Christmas closure

Company travel arrangements

Job summary

Urban Automotive, a UK-based leader in premium vehicle modification, seeks an experienced Workshop Manager in Milton Keynes. You will lead the busy workshop, coordinating planning, parts, and production across departments to meet quality, productivity and safety targets.

You will manage bespoke builds, stock and vendor relationships, while driving continuous improvement and delivering exceptional workmanship within a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Proven automotive experience in workshop management or a similar operational role.
• Strong planning and organisational skills with the ability to adapt schedules.
• Good technical understanding of vehicle workshop and bodyshop processes, especially for prestige or bespoke builds.
• Clear communication and coordinative ability across technicians, sales, suppliers and senior management.
• Strong administrative and systems skills with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate the daily and weekly workshop schedule, allocating work according to technician availability, skills, parts availability and deadlines.
• Coordinate between workshop, electrical, bodyshop, parts, sales and valet teams to keep work moving.
• Identify parts, wheels, tyres and hardware; coordinate with procurement to ensure items are ordered on time.
• Maintain up-to-date records of vehicle status and stock/flow through the workshop.
• Oversee quality-control and warranty coordination; ensure faults are recorded and rectified.
• Manage fleet maintenance and vehicle logistics, including servicing and inspections.
• Prepare weekly payroll information and coordinate stock-vehicle invoicing.
• Support bespoke builds and development projects with clear workshop plans.
• Drive productivity improvements and adhere to safe working practices.

Skills

Leadership

Project coordination

Stakeholder management

Team development

Strong communication

Tools

Spreadsheets

Workshop scheduling software

Vehicle stock systems

Job description

Hours: Monday to Friday, 42.5 hours per week

Job Purpose

We are seeking an established, experienced Workshop Manager who is operating successfully at a senior level within a high performance, innovative automotive environment. Our business and product are unique, so the successful candidate will have experience, but an ability to learn quickly, problem solve independently and adapt to new processes. This role will deliver full operational and team leadership of our busy vehicle workshop based at our head office location in Milton Keynes. Working seamlessly with all other areas of production and supply, the successful candidate will be responsible for delivering against core KPI’s for quality, productivity, safety and efficiency, as well as driving and developing our team of highly skilled technicians.

About the Company

Urban Automotive is a UK-based leader in premium vehicle modification, specialising in bespoke styling for luxury SUVs and performance vehicles. Founded in 2013, Urban has grown into the go-to name for refined design built around an OEM+ philosophy— enhancing original vehicle styling with subtle but striking upgrades. Every line, material, and component is crafted to elevate factory design without compromise.

Operating from our state-of-the-art headquarters in Milton Keynes, we proudly employ over 100 automotive specialists across four facilities, covering design, sales, carbon and metal manufacturing, vehicle preparation, shipping and retail. With everything in-house, we ensure full control, seamless workflow, and unmatched attention to detail.

Key Responsibilities

Workshop Planning & Scheduling

• To plan and coordinate the daily and weekly workshop schedule, allocating work according to technician availability, skills, parts availability and agreed completion dates.
• To prioritise sold vehicles, retail customer work and booked commitments, while balancing stock builds, warranty work and development projects. Adjust the schedule as requirements change and communicate any impact on deadlines to the relevant teams.
• Ensure technicians have clear job instructions and the information needed to complete work correctly.

Departmental Coordination

• Act as the central link between the workshop, electrical department, bodyshop, parts, sales and valet teams, keeping work moving between departments and making priorities clear.
• Work closely with vehicle and parts sales teams to align workshop capacity with customer commitments and business requirements. Identify delays, missing information or conflicting priorities early, and resolve or elevate them appropriately.
• Ensure changes to a vehicle’s specification or scope of work are agreed, recorded and communicated before additional work is undertaken.

Parts, Wheels & Materials Coordination

• Identify parts, wheels, tyres and associated hardware required for upcoming jobs, working with procurementto ensure the correct items are ordered.
• Monitor order progress and delivery dates, check availability ahead of planned workshop activity, and highlight shortages before they affect completion dates.
• Support stock planning by reviewing upcoming builds, regular usage and anticipated demand.
• Coordinate external suppliers and service providers across interiors, wheels, exhausts, coatings, fabrication, vehicle repairs and other specialist services.
• Provide clear specifications and work instructions, confirm agreed costs and timescales, and arrange vehicle or component movements where required.
• Monitor the quality and progress of outsourced work, address issues promptly and ensure supplier commitments support the workshop schedule.

Vehicle Stock & Work-in-Progress Management

• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records of vehicle status, location, specification and progress through the business.
• Keep the stock and retail schedule, electrical work list and relevant vehicle records current so that departments can work from reliable information.
• Track outstanding work, parts requirements and readiness for inspection or handover. Ensure specification changes, wheel swaps and additional work are recorded accurately to support stock control and invoicing.

Quality Control & Warranty Coordination

• Oversee the workshop quality-control process, ensuring technicians check their own work before vehicles are passed to the inspection or valet bay for an independent final check.
• Ensure vehicles meet the required standards of fit, finish, cleanliness and functionality. This includes checking that excess adhesive and build materials have been removed and that interior and electrical work operates correctly.
• Make sure faults are recorded, allocated for rectification and rechecked before a vehicle is released. Monitor recurring issues and work with the relevant departments or suppliers to prevent repeat failures.
• Coordinate warranty and remedial work with customer care and the workshop, ensuring the necessary parts, labour and appointments are arranged.

Fleet Management & Vehicle Logistics

• Coordinate the maintenance and availability of company vehicles, courtesy cars and vans, including servicing, MOTs, repairs and warranty appointments.
• Maintain accurate fleet-tracking and Motor Insurance Database records, coordinating vehicle additions and removals with the relevant colleagues and providers.
• Arrange vehicle collections, deliveries and supplier movements, working with drivers and internal teams to ensure vehicles are in the right place at the right time.

Operational Administration

• Prepare and submit the weekly payroll information, including collecting clock-in records and completing the relevant spreadsheet accurately and on time.
• Coordinate stock-vehicle invoicing and maintain the supporting information required by sales and accounts.
• Keep clear records of orders, supplier commitments, vehicle movements and completed work, ensuring important information is accessible rather than dependent on individual knowledge.

Bespoke Builds & Development Projects

• Support bespoke vehicle builds and development programmes by coordinating workshop resources, supplier activity, parts requirements and project schedules.
• Work with the design and engineering teams to translate agreed requirements into a clear workshop plan. Coordinate specialist fabrication, testing appointments and vehicle preparation where required, with technical decisions and approvals handled by the appropriate specialists.
• Balance project work against day-to-day workshop commitments and keep the relevant teams informed of progress and outstanding actions.

Productivity & Continuous Improvement

• Support workshop productivity and commercial targets through effective scheduling, technician utilisation and control of avoidable delays and rework.
• Identify practical improvements to processes, communication and record-keeping. Promote accountability for workmanship, safe working practices and a clean, organised working environment.

Required Experience

• Proven automotive experience in independent workshop management or a comparable operational role, with a track record of coordinating multiple projects and competing deadlines.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, including the ability to adapt schedules without losing sight of customer commitments, quality or commercial priorities.
• Good technical understanding of vehicle workshop and bodyshop processes, parts requirements and repair or modification work. Experience with prestige vehicles, bespoke builds, interiors or aftermarket products would be an advantage, along with an understanding of carbon fibre processes.
• Clear communication and confident coordination skills, with the ability to work effectively with technicians, sales teams, suppliers and senior management, and to challenge unrealistic commitments when necessary.
• Strong administrative and systems skills, including confidence using spreadsheets, workshop schedules and vehicle stock systems, supported by attention to detail and consistent follow-through.

Skills & Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will:

• Lead with Direction & Professionalism
• Be confident and skilled at maintaining relationships with other departments, suppliers and senior management
• Be a positive, proactive and creative problem solver
• Be passionate about team development and creating an efficient, respectful and positive team culture
• Be unflappable, calm and dedicated when managing a diverse and heavy workload.

What We Offer

• Direct exposure to senior leadership and operational decision-making.
• A supportive and improvement-focused working environment.
• Competitive salary and benefits package, including pension, healthcare plan and additional Christmas closure holiday
• Company travel arrangements/expenses in line with company policy.

Application

This role is subject to a 3-month probationary period.

Urban Automotive is committed to equality of opportunity. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of age, sex, race, religion or belief, disability, gender identity, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, or sexual orientation. Every application is considered on its merits against the published job specification.

Should any of the requirements of this role, or attendance at interview, present an access barrier, we will discuss reasonable adjustments or alternative arrangements wherever practicable.