SAGA Truck & Van is the leading Mercedes-Benz distributor in the United Kingdom, with a network of ten dealerships across Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, and East England, employing over five hundred staff.
The SAGA Mercedes-Benz Story: The journey began in 1971 in western France, initially focused solely on commercial vehicles. Over the years, car and utility vehicle operations were added, and dealerships multiplied—first regionally until 2013, then nationally, before expanding internationally in 2019. In 2024, SAGA Mercedes-Benz expanded to England with the acquisition of 10 dealerships, previously owned by Sparshatt Truck and Van and Motus Truck & Van. Today, SAGA has an international presence (in France, Belgium, England, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Czech Republic) and represents 70% of the RCM group’s revenue.
Job Summary
We are seeking an experienced and proactive Vehicle Technician Team Leader to oversee night-shift operations within our Ipswich workshop. The successful candidate will be responsible for supervising a team of technicians, ensuring maintenance and repair tasks are completed efficiently, while maintaining high safety and quality standards. This role offers an excellent opportunity for a skilled professional with leadership capabilities to contribute to continuous improvement and operational excellence during night shifts.
Responsibilities
- Responsible for providing technical support to team members as and when required in order to assist in achieving a satisfactory level of first-time repair
- To ensure that technicians are working at acceptable levels during shifts to achieve optimum use of available man-hours
- To ensure that work is issued and completed to the agreed deadlines reporting any concerns to incoming team leaders prior to handover, and informing the Workshop Controller of any issues arising as appropriate
- To carry out random quality checks on team members work reporting accordingly to the Workshop Controller
- To assist the Workshop Controller and General Manager with planning relevant training programmes for team members to ensure that development is in line with departmental policy
- To ensure that the workshop is kept clean and tidy during shift working hours and to observe the relevant Health & Safety Regulations
- To properly supervise the workshop team and to develop and train subordinates to achieve the highest possible levels of performance
- To monitor workshop loading and ensure continuity
- To receive customers and their vehicles, discuss and confirm their requirements and examine the vehicles to determine their condition
- To supervise the flow of work into the workshop, allocating work as required and maximising the use of available resources
- To ensure that collection and delivery drivers operate to schedule and meet customer and workshop expectations
- To ensure that repair orders are raised and processed according to the established guidelines and that work is completed to schedule
- To ensure that requested work is completed on time and to the expected standards
- To ensure that job extensions are properly authorised, processed and that customers are kept fully informed of changes to costs and expected completion times/dates
- Ensure that proper use is made of technical information and that it is maintained up to date
- To ensure that the authorisation of warranty and goodwill is given strictly in accordance with the manufacturers programme
- Carry out regular performance assessments of team members
- To monitor and enforce time control of team members
- To ensure that vehicles are ready to be handed over to customers
- To supervisor MOT testing when required
- Reporting any lateness/unauthorised absence to the Workshop Controller
- To report any issues which may arise of a disciplinary nature to the Workshop Controller
Skills and experience
Essential:
- Senior technician with diagnostic skills and thorough understanding of the Mercedes-Benz product.
- Completed a recognised apprenticeship in the motor trade.
- At least five years practical experience in a service workshop of a prestige marque.
- Good basic administrational knowledge.
- Should possess good customer relations skill to adapt to customers individual requirements whilst safeguarding the Company's interest.
- Should possess a calm and even temperament.
Desirable:
- Full understanding of Standard Text Times and Warranty Procedures.
- At least one year’s supervisory experience in a service workshop.
Joining SAGA Truck and Van means:
- Representing “the star,” an international luxury car brand
- Promoting vehicles with the latest technologies
- Benefiting from career opportunities within a fast-growing group
- Joining a family-owned group with strong values and collaborating with passionate people
- Participating in regular internal events that promote team cohesion (seminars, incentives, parties…)
- Enjoying many other benefits:
-Discretionary bonus scheme
-24 days Annual leave plus bank holidays
-Simply Health
-Staff referral scheme
-Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Leave
-Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
RCM: SAGA Truck & Van is part of the French RCM group, created and led since 1999 by Ronan Chabot. Strongly attached to its region and values, RCM expanded intensively—first regionally, then across France, before expanding internationally in 2019 with the SAGA Mercedes-Benz network and adding a new activity: boating. Today, the group remains a French family business with a global outlook, distributing iconic brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Lexus, Porsche, Beneteau, Azimut, Galeon, and Highfield internationally (in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, England, and the Czech Republic). Our values have remained the same since day one: Passion, Performance, and Respect. In 2018, RCM was named France’s Distributor of the Year, and in 2021 won the Family Saga award at the French Automotive Distribution Grand Prix.
Pay: £49,000.00-£52,000.00 per year
Application question(s):
- Do you have NVQ level 3 or equivalent in vehicle maintenance?
Work Location: In person
