Job Description
Role purpose
Own and deliver the European Maintenance & Damage (M&D) agenda to maximise fleet availability, reduce repair cycle time, and control end-to-end M&D cost, while maintaining non-negotiable safety and quality standards across all European markets.
Accountable for converting strategy into measurable in-year delivery through standardised processes, strong supplier governance, and disciplined execution, including EV repair capability and end-of-life decisioning.
Location & travel
* Location: Europe
* Some travel across Europe required
Reporting line
* Reports to: SVP Operations, Europe
* Key matrix partners: Fleet, Procurement, Finance, Legal, Risk/Compliance, In-Country General Managers & Ops Leaders
Non-negotiables
* Full ownership of in-year M&D budget run-rate and variance recovery
* Safety and quality standards are non-negotiable
* Any trade-off between cost, safety, quality, or service must be explicitly documented and escalated to SVP Ops Europe (and relevant matrix owners) for approval
Core accountabilities
At a European level, accountable for:
* Improved fleet availability and reduced downtime
* Reduced mechanical and body repair cycle time with improved quality
* Delivery vs M&D budget and cost KPIs with no structural overruns
* Supplier performance against SLA, cost, quality, compliance, and capacity
* Consistent adoption of EU standards, tools, and governance
* Reduced fraud, waste, and leakage through controls and audits
* Material reduction in OEM turnback and reconditioning charges
Key responsibilities
1) Strategy & execution
* Define and own the European M&D strategy and annual operating plan aligned to EMEA objectives.
* Translate strategy into clear initiatives with owners, milestones, and EBITDA impact.
* Standardise KPIs, tools, processes, and policies and ensure adoption across markets.
2) Budget ownership & controls
* Own European M&D budget performance, forecasting, variance explanation, and recovery plans.
* Implement robust controls including approvals, audit trails, and anomaly detection.
* Enforce escalation where cost targets conflict with safety or quality.
3) Supplier ecosystem
* Own the European supplier framework across all M&D categories, including EV repair.
* Lead supplier scorecards, governance, remediation, and exits where required.
* Partner with Procurement on tenders, with M&D setting technical and performance standards.
4) Network design & capacity
* Continuously optimise outsource vs insource decisions based on cost, quality, and flexibility.
* Ensure adequate supplier coverage by geography, job type, and peak demand.
* Define and deliver the target network architecture and service levels.
5) Parts & repair inputs
* Define parts strategy with Procurement, balancing cost, availability, and compliance.
* Drive repair vs replace principles and lead-time reduction initiatives.
* Own KPIs for parts lead time, fill rate, and repair delays.
6) Lifecycle & end-of-life decisioning
* Own governance for repair decisioning across the vehicle lifecycle.
* Lead initiatives to reduce OEM turnback and reconditioning charges through better estimates, documentation, and negotiation.
* Ensure early-life repair decisions reduce end-of-life penalties.
7) Performance cadence & reporting
* Run a disciplined performance cadence (weekly pulse, monthly reviews, quarterly deep dives).
* Ensure dashboards, savings, and performance metrics are Finance-validated.
8) People leadership
* Lead and develop a multi-country M&D team across Europe in partnership with Country GMs.
* Build capability in technical standards, estimating, commercial discipline, and execution.
* Drive succession planning and consistent performance management.
Experience requirements
* 10+ years senior leadership in automotive, fleet, aftersales, repair networks, or multi-site operations.
* Proven delivery of cost control and availability improvements across multiple countries.
* Experience transforming supplier networks at scale.
* Strong lifecycle, estimating, and OEM turnback experience.
Skills & attributes
* Strong commercial and financial acumen with full budget ownership experience.
* Deep understanding of M&D ecosystems, including EV repair.
* Execution-focused, structured, and comfortable escalating trade-offs early.
* Influential leader with confidence in tough supplier and OEM discussions.