General Manager / Head of Business

This candidate is a commercially driven automotive leader with more than 20 years’ experience across General Manager, Dealer Principal and senior sales leadership roles within both prestige and volume dealership environments. Their background combines strong operational leadership with proven expertise in dealership turnaround, profit growth and long-term business development across sales, aftersales and parts operations.

Having progressed from Sales Executive level into senior management and Head of Business positions, they bring extensive knowledge across all areas of automotive retail. Their experience includes full dealership P&L responsibility, team leadership, operational restructuring and strategic planning within high-volume franchised dealerships.

A major strength is their ability to transform dealership performance and build successful high-performing cultures. Throughout their career they have successfully led business turnaround projects, improved profitability and consistently delivered manufacturer targets while maintaining strong customer satisfaction and compliance standards.

They are highly experienced managing large multi-department operations across sales, service and parts while implementing structured KPI management, improving operational efficiency and strengthening team accountability. Their leadership style focuses heavily on communication, culture development and creating motivated teams capable of consistently achieving strong commercial results.

Commercially astute and highly analytical, they also bring extensive experience across used vehicle strategy, stock profiling, margin control and volume planning. Their background includes successfully leading award-winning dealerships, improving used car performance and consistently exceeding manufacturer and financial targets within highly competitive retail environments.

Alongside dealership leadership experience, they have also operated their own automotive business, further strengthening their commercial understanding around budgeting, compliance, purchasing and business operations within the motor trade sector.

Professional, ambitious and highly results-focused, they are now looking for a long-term General Manager or Head of Business opportunity within a progressive automotive group where they can continue driving profitability, operational excellence and long-term growth.

Key Experience & Strengths

General Manager and Head of Business experience
Full dealership P&L accountability
Prestige and volume dealership background
Operational turnaround and business growth
High-volume new and used vehicle operations
Used vehicle strategy and stock management
Sales leadership and performance management
Aftersales and parts operational oversight
Team building and staff development
Manufacturer target delivery and compliance
Profit optimisation and margin control
Strategic planning and KPI management
Full UK driving licence

What They’re Looking For

General Manager or Head of Business role within a professional automotive dealership group

Salary Expectations

£65,000 – £75,000 basic salary plus bonus

Availability

4 weeks’ notice

Location

Looking for roles within up to 60 minutes of Stoke-on-Trent

This candidate would be a strong addition to any dealership group seeking an experienced automotive leader with strong commercial awareness, proven operational turnaround ability and a successful track record improving profitability, customer satisfaction and dealership performance within the motor trade sector.

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