Bodyshop Manager

Bodyshop Manager – BMW Southend 

Want to be the best you can be? It's what drives us too.

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual to join our growing automotive business. If you are passionate about delivering high standards and thrive in a friendly, professional team, this could be the role for you.

As Bodyshop Manager, you will lead the Bodyshop department, ensuring high‑quality repairs, excellent customer satisfaction and efficient day‑to‑day operations. You will be responsible for managing productivity, performance, workflow, insurer relationships and maintaining manufacturer and industry standards.

What we can offer you

• Enjoy 33 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) to rest and recharge
• Save money every day with our exclusive retail discounts
• Drive a great deal with discounts on new and used cars, plus servicing offers
• Plan for the years ahead with our company pension scheme
• Balance home and work with our industry-leading family-friendly policies designed to help you spend more time with the people that matter
• Commute for less with our cycle-to-work scheme
• Prioritise your wellbeing with dedicated support for you and your family
• 24/7 access to healthcare professionals, ensuring you get the expert advice you need quickly and easily
• Make a difference with a paid day to volunteer in your community
• Invest in your future with our company share purchase plan
• Earn financial rewards when you refer a friend to join the team
• Keep learning and growing with our training and development opportunities for everyone.
• Life assurance with the option to increase cover
• We’re open to flexible working options – just ask

What you’ll do day to day

• Lead, motivate and manage a high‑performing Bodyshop team, ensuring right‑first‑time repair standards, strong productivity and efficient day‑to‑day operations.
• Oversee workflow planning and job allocation to maximise efficiency, quality and turnaround times across the Bodyshop.
• Engage, support and develop colleagues at all levels, including technicians, estimators and supervisors, through regular performance reviews, coaching and structured training plans.
• Manage the full customer journey from booking through to vehicle return, delivering a professional, clear and positive experience for both internal and external customers.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with insurers and assessors, negotiating authorisations and managing insurance claim processes efficiently.
• Monitor departmental productivity, profitability and cost control, preparing weekly and monthly performance reports and taking action to achieve business targets.
• Ensure Bodyshop facilities, equipment and systems are used safely, correctly and effectively to support high‑quality repairs.
• Maintain full compliance with health & safety, environmental, manufacturer and industry standards, ensuring repair quality is consistently monitored and maintained.
• Maintain a strong working knowledge of Bodyshop systems, including Audatex Enterprise, GT Motive and E.M.A.C.S.

Helpful skills and qualifications

Don’t worry about ticking off every single skill here − if you care about delivering great experiences as much as we do, we want to hear from you.

• Experience: Proven experience managing a Bodyshop within the motor industry.
• Technical accreditation: Audatex accreditation (essential) and VDA accreditation (essential).
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to confidently manage customer and insurer conversations, including telephone negotiations.
• Excellent leadership, organisational and time‑management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• A proven ability to drive performance, deliver profitable growth and consistently achieve business targets.
• Strong commercial awareness, with a clear understanding of insurance processes and Bodyshop operations.

Be part of something big

Group 1 Automotive is on an exciting growth journey. We are home to over 7000 colleagues dedicated to providing exceptional customer service, with 114 dealerships in the UK, representing 21 brands at the forefront of automotive retail.

But you don’t need to love cars to work with us - just need to share our mission to create outstanding and trusted experiences for our customers, our partners, and our people.

Our Values

At Group 1 Automotive we pride ourselves on our five core values that are incorporated in all we that do.

Respect - Integrity - Transparency - Teamwork – Professionalism

These are the principles that every member of our team lives by, whether that be business functions, customer interactions, how we interact with the local community and even how we view each other in the team.