Workshop Manager

PETIT FORESTIER UK; West of England; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

The Petit Forestier Group is seeking a Workshop Operations Manager to oversee all workshop maintenance activities and ensure efficient planning of labour, facilities and equipment.

You will drive improvements in fleet availability and maintenance performance, monitor compliance with Operator Licence and DVSA regulations, and manage budgets while leading a team across multiple sites. A strong focus on safety and continuous improvement is essential.

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing a commercial vehicle workshop or fleet maintenance operation.
• Strong leadership and people management skills.
• Thorough understanding of Operator Licence and compliance requirements.
• Experience managing maintenance budgets and costs.
• Strong knowledge of commercial vehicle maintenance practices.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• Full UK Driving Licence.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all workshop maintenance activities and plan labour, facilities and equipment.
• Monitor fleet availability, maintenance performance and productivity.
• Ensure compliance with Operator Licence, DVSA, health and safety regulations.
• Manage workshop budgets, approve repairs and monitor costs.
• Track KPIs such as fleet availability, VOR, costs and compliance.
• Maintain strong relationships with operational teams, customers and suppliers.
• Drive continuous improvements and utilisation of workshop systems.
• Promote a positive safety culture and investigate incidents.

Skills

Leadership

Data analysis

Communication skills

Organisation

Tools

Fleet management systems

Workshop management systems

Job description

Workshop Operations

Oversee all workshop maintenance activities. Ensure efficient planning and utilisation of labour, facilities and equipment. Monitor workshop productivity and efficiency. Drive improvements in fleet availability and maintenance performance. Ensure workshop standards are maintained at all times.

Vehicle & Asset Maintenance

Ensure the effective maintenance of all vehicles and refrigeration assets. Monitor vehicle reliability and identify recurring defects. Implement preventative maintenance strategies to reduce downtime. Review asset performance and support lifecycle planning.

Compliance & Governance

Ensure compliance with: Operator Licence requirements DVSA regulations Road Transport legislation Health & Safety legislation Company maintenance standards. Lead maintenance audits and compliance reviews. Ensure all maintenance documentation and records are complete and accurate. Manage corrective actions arising from audits and inspections.

Financial Management

Manage workshop operating budgets. Monitor maintenance costs and expenditure. Approve repair work and major expenditure within authority limits. Manage supplier performance and contract compliance. Identify and deliver cost-saving opportunities without compromising safety or compliance.

Performance Management

Monitor and report on:

• Fleet availability
• VOR performance
• Workshop productivity
• Labour utilisation
• Maintenance costs
• Compliance performance

Establish and track departmental KPIs. Develop action plans to improve performance.

Customer Service & Stakeholder Management

Ensure excellent levels of customer service are delivered. Build strong relationships with operational teams, customers and suppliers. Act as the primary escalation point for significant maintenance issues. Support depot operational objectives through effective fleet management.

Continuous Improvement

Drive process improvements within workshop operations. Implement best practice maintenance standards. Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, compliance and customer service. Support digitalisation and utilisation of workshop management systems.

Health, Safety & Environment

Champion a positive safety culture across the workshop. Ensure risk assessments and safe systems of work are implemented. Investigate accidents, incidents and near misses. Ensure environmental and waste management procedures are followed.

Essential

Proven experience managing a commercial vehicle workshop or fleet maintenance operation. Strong leadership and people management skills. Thorough understanding of Operator Licence and compliance requirements. Experience managing maintenance budgets and costs. Strong knowledge of commercial vehicle maintenance practices. Excellent organisational and communication skills. Ability to analyse data and drive performance improvements. Full UK Driving Licence.

Desirable

IRTEC qualification. Transport Manager CPC. IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent. Experience within refrigerated vehicle operations. Experience using fleet and workshop management systems.

The Petit Forestier Group

A family-run business for nearly 120 years, brings together 5,900 talented employees across more than 22 countries, united by a shared mission: ‘Improving life through cold chain expertise’. By preserving food, medical products and other sensitive goods that are essential to our lives, we offer everyone a meaningful career.