Vehicle Operations Specialist

Remote; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 54,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Dog friendly offices

Employee perks hub access

Job summary

Octopus Energy Group is seeking a Vehicle Operations Specialist to support the Downtime team. You will oversee hire vehicle performance, manage cost recovery opportunities, and analyze operational data to drive improvements across Vehicle Operations.

Role focuses on building robust reporting, challenging spend where appropriate, and using technology to scale processes. Collaborative, data-driven, and proactive problem-solving skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Strong commercial acumen with ability to challenge spend decisions.
• Proficient in data analysis and reporting to drive improvements.
• Comfortable using data to identify risks and opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Manage hire vehicle performance, costs, extensions and actions.
• Track recovery opportunities and ensure follow-up with partners.
• Analyze operational performance to identify trends and risks.
• Build and maintain dashboards and reports using Excel/Sheets.
• Provide feedback to ensure processes are followed and accountability is clear.
• Identify process improvements to scale operations and reduce manual work.
• Leverage technology/AI tools to enhance reporting and productivity.
• Assist with repair progress visibility and coordination with partners.

Skills

Commercial awareness

Analytical skills

Data interpretation

Tools

Excel

Job description

The Role

We are looking for a Vehicle Operations Specialist to join our growing Vehicle Operations team as our fleet continues to scale.

Based within our Downtime team, this role will focus on the performance and commercial management of our hire vehicle portfolio, while also supporting wider operational reporting and process improvement across Vehicle Operations.

You will work closely with Vehicle Operations Specialists, Team Leads and external partners to ensure hire vehicles are managed effectively, recovery opportunities are followed through and agreed processes are being followed.

This role requires someone who is commercially minded, organised, confident working with data and comfortable challenging others constructively when performance or processes are not where they need to be.

You will also play an important role in helping us improve how we work, using data, technology and new ideas to build more effective and scalable processes.

What you'll do...

Manage Hire Vehicle Performance

Maintain oversight of hire vehicles across active cases, ensuring we have clear visibility of hire duration, cost, extensions, expected repair timelines and next actions.

Identify aged, high-cost or unusual cases and work with the team to reduce avoidable spend while ensuring drivers remain appropriately supported.

Support Cost Recovery

Track recovery opportunities and outstanding contributions from manufacturers, dealerships and partners.

Vehicle Operations Specialists will remain responsible for leading commercial conversations, while you will provide the administration, tracking and follow-up needed to ensure agreed processes are completed and money is actively chased.

You will help maintain clear visibility of amounts requested, agreed, received and outstanding.

Analyse Operational Performance

Use operational data to identify trends, risks and improvement opportunities across Downtime and the wider Operations department.

This may include reviewing hire costs, aged cases, recovery performance, supplier performance, process compliance and operational workloads.

Turn data into clear insights and actions rather than simply maintaining reports.

Build and Maintain Reporting

Create, maintain and improve trackers, reports and dashboards using tools such as Excel and Google Sheets.

Ensure data is accurate, accessible and useful, and look for opportunities to simplify or automate manual reporting wherever possible.

Provide Feedback and Create Accountability

Identify where actions, processes or expectations have not been followed and provide constructive feedback to Vehicle Operations Specialists.

You will need to be confident holding people accountable for agreed actions while maintaining strong and positive working relationships.

The aim is always to improve performance and consistency, not simply identify mistakes.

Improve Processes

Look for opportunities to improve the way we work.

You should be able to take an existing process or project, understand where it could be stronger and help develop it into something more efficient, scalable and innovative.

This may involve improving controls, redesigning workflows, introducing better reporting or using new technology to reduce manual work.

Use Technology and AI Effectively

Be confident using technology and learning new systems.

Experience using AI or automation tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or similar would be advantageous, particularly where they have been used to improve reporting, analysis or productivity.

You do not need to be an AI expert, but you should be curious about how technology can improve operational performance.

Support Repair Progress Where Required

Repair chasing will not be the primary focus of the role, but there will be occasions where you need to contact dealerships, manufacturers, repairers or other partners to understand delays or resolve blockers affecting hire duration.

You should therefore have a basic understanding of how automotive repair and service processes operate.

What you'll need...

Commercial Awareness

You understand how operational decisions can impact cost and are comfortable questioning whether spend remains necessary, sustainable and appropriately recovered.

Strong Analytical Skills

You are confident working with data, spotting trends and identifying where

Why else you'll love it here...

Wondering what the salary for this role is? Just ask us! On a call with one of our recruiters it's something we always cover as we genuinely want to match your experience with the correct salary. The reason why we don't advertise is because we honestly have a degree of flexibility and would never want salary to be a reason why someone doesn't apply to Octopus - what's more important to us is finding the right octofit! Octopus Energy Group is a unique culture. An organisation where people learn, decide, and build quicker. Where people work with autonomy, alongside a wide range of amazing co-owners, on projects that break new ground. We want your hard work to be rewarded with perks you actually care about! Visit our perks hub - Octopus Employee Benefits. Octopus Electric Vehicles, part of the Octopus Energy Group, won the Sunday Times best company to work for in 2024. We were named 6th out of the top 100 start-ups to work for by Tempo in 2025 and on Glassdoor we were voted 50 best places to work in 2022. Our Group CEO, Greg has recorded a podcast about our culture and how we empower our people. We’ve also been placed in the top 10 companies for senior leadership. P.s. just to let you know, we are dog friendly company so you may see our 4 legged friends in the offices - feel free to bring yours! Rest assured though, we've taken lots of precautions for those who have allergies

About us

The electric revolution has arrived - and from 2035 you’ll no longer be able to buy a new petrol or diesel car in the UK.We’re building a whole new way for drivers to join the electric charge and not only learn about and shop for their EV online, but experience a 'lease for life' through an industry changing customer experience. This is the chance to join one of the UK’s most exciting start-ups – making it easy for individuals and businesses to go electric by getting their car, charger and energy all in one cracking deal.Octopus Electric Vehicles launched in 2018 to make it seamless to switch to cleaner, greener driving. Our mission is to drive sustainable change, decarbonise the planet and provide our customers with fair pricing and a fantastic experience.We're an Octopus Energy company—an innovative new energy supplier. We are part of the Octopus Energy Group, which seeks to improve the lives of millions of people by transforming the industries we operate in. The Octopus Group incorporates Octopus Energy, Octopus Healthcare, Octopus Investments, Octopus Property, Octopus Ventures and Octopus Labs.

Please note we use AI to help us assess applications fairly and objectively. If this sounds like you then we'd love to hear from you. Are you ready for a career with us? We want to ensure you have all the tools and environment you need to unleash your potential. Need any specific accommodations? Whether you require specific accommodations or have a unique preference, let us know, and we'll do what we can to customise your interview process for comfort and maximum magic! Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Whoever you are, if you like one of our jobs, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we hire. Across Octopus, we're looking for genuinely decent people who are honest and empathetic. Our people are our strongest asset and the unique skills and perspectives people bring to the team are the driving force of our success. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute. Our commitment is to provide equal opportunities, an inclusive work environment, and fairness for everyone.