Aftersales Area Manager - Automobile (Southeast)

At Honda we embrace inclusion in our various policies, so whilst our contracts state that the hours are as required to fulfil the role with a minimum of 35 hours per week, we offer flexibility for when you work. The regular office hours are 08:00 – 16:00 Monday to Thursday with a half hour lunch break & 08:00 – 13:00 on a Friday. However, we offer flexibility of when you work with our daily flex-time start of between 07:00 and 11:00 providing that there is no business requirement.

Whilst there is no contractual right to work from home, the flexibility we offer is that you can request to work from home 2 days per week, again providing there is no business requirement to attend the office.

Role

The Aftersales Area Manager is a field-based role responsible for delivering customer satisfaction, customer retention and parts sales objectives. The role holder will work closely with respective retailers to implement Aftersales operational best practice, leading to business and profit growth for the Honda Automotive (HME-UK) Retailer Network.

Understanding retailer opportunities and current performance is essential to developing effective dealer development plans that support customer needs and deliver business objectives. The role holder is responsible for delivering all defined aftersales business targets through the implementation of aftersales programmes and standards. These targets include parts sales, customer satisfaction and retention products.

This is a field-based role covering the following areas: Ashford, Aylesbury, Bognor Regis, Canterbury, Eastbourne, Eastleigh, Farnham, Gatwick, Gravesend, Guernsey, Guildford, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Ottershaw (Chertsey), Portsmouth, Tonbridge, Worthing.

Main Responsibilities

Dealer Management

• Act as the key aftersales interface between Honda and the dealers, building strong, supportive relationships in order to drive commercial results.
• Agree targets and action plans with dealers, monitor progress and provide guidance to ensure delivery in line with regional targets.
• Identify and meet training needs, either directly or through Dealer Development, to maximise commercial performance and promote brand image.
• Work with Dealer Development and Sales colleagues to assess candidate prospects for potential dealers, providing local aftersales expertise to maximise commercial performance and minimise risk within the dealer network.
• Analyse performance against parts, retention product, eVHC (Electronic Health Check) and PM (Periodic Maintenance) visit targets, implementing countermeasures where required.
• Implement Honda eVHC within selected dealers to maximise upsell opportunities and promote best practice.
• Agree and implement measurable improvement plans with the Senior Dealership Management Team, using TQM (Total Quality Management) processes.
• Implement and manage the Aftersales Development Programme from initiation through to completion.
• Ensure full dealer adherence to all aftersales franchise standards and business terms.

Analysis and Reporting

• Carry out detailed dealer performance analysis and reporting to keep senior managers informed and to contribute appropriate recommendations that will improve business results.
• Use composite data and local market information to build a strong understanding of current performance, pre-empting and minimising negative impacts on Honda’s aftersales performance.
• Submit weekly forecasts against agreed objectives and respond flexibly to ad hoc reporting requests.
• Monitor aftersales CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) overall satisfaction scores and implement countermeasures where required.

Internal Relationships

• Build and maintain relationships with colleagues around the business in order to be aware of relevant issues and opportunities.

Customer Service

• May act as a point of escalation for customer problems in order to resolve issues and improve the customer experience.

Required

• Experience in aftersales, preferably within the motorcycle or automotive sector.
• Experience in a dealer service or workshop environment.
• Able to build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external dealer partners.
• Strong commercial awareness, with the ability to provide hands-on support to commercial business activities.
• Ability to forecast, manage and drive target performance.
• Good Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to influence dealer decision-making.
• Good time management skills and a flexible approach to work prioritisation and scheduling.
• Strong analytical skills to analyse dealer KPIs.
• Full driving licence required for business travel within the designated territory and the UK.

Desirable

• Experience and knowledge of Dealer Management Systems.
• Experience in an Area Management role.

Honda is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in the workplace for all employees, temporary workers, contractors, applicants and visitors. Honda also encourages respect for the individual differences and talents of others while making full use of one's own abilities, based on Honda's philosophy of respect for the individual.

At Honda, we value and celebrate diversity and are committed to being a fair, non-discriminatory company that promotes and welcomes the uniqueness and differences of people around the world. We recognise that a diverse workforce allows for different ideas and perspectives, and we encourage everyone to share them. We strive to foster a culture of belonging that is consistent with Honda's core values and lived out in the way we work and respect each other. For us at Honda, diversifying our workforce means increasing its overall strength by providing people with equal opportunities - regardless of personal characteristics or previous careers.

This commitment flows directly from the Honda philosophy and the belief that we are all working towards a common goal. Honda recruits, hires, trains and promotes the most qualified/experienced individuals at all levels without regard to race, origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other protected characteristic.