Technical & Workshop Manager - UAE

You will develop the technical ecosystem supporting the UAE operation. You will be accountable for the workshop budget, ensuring effective cost control while maintaining the required levels of quality, reliability and operational performance.

Own the workshop budget and cost performance, monitoring actual expenditure against budget, challenging maintenance and repair costs, optimising parts and external service spending, and implementing corrective actions where required.

Manage stock and maintain appropriate levels of critical spare parts and workshop consumables.

Source and purchase spare parts, workshop equipment, consumables and external technical services. Negotiate prices, technical conditions, lead times and service levels. Develop alternative suppliers and sourcing solutions to improve resilience and reduce dependency.

Manage relationships with local suppliers, dealers, repair partners and technical service providers. Challenge supplier performance and pricing, ensuring the best balance between cost, quality, availability and reliability.

As the Country Manager's key technical counterpart , you will provide practical technical leadership across the UAE operation.

Contribute to the UAE technical strategy and annual action plans. Lead technical projects and ensure their effective implementation on the ground.

Support decisions regarding investments in fleet, workshop equipment, tooling, spare parts and technical resources. Anticipate the technical resources and organisation required to support business growth.

Provide clear recommendations and visibility on maintenance costs, fleet reliability, technical risks and workshop performance.

Provide technical input on vehicle specifications, equipment, repair-versus-replacement decisions and future fleet requirements.

Prepare and monitor the technical budget together with the Country Manager.

The role is designed to combine strategic thinking with operational execution: you will be expected to move from technical decision-making and supplier negotiation to diagnosing a vehicle with a mechanic and implementing improvements directly in the workshop.

Performance will be assessed through a combination of fleet, workshop, financial, supplier and people indicators, including:

Vehicle availability and downtime, breakdown frequency and recurrence, preventive maintenance and mandatory controls compliance

Overall workshop productivity, quality and turnaround time

24/7 breakdown response performance

Customer satisfaction

Workshop safety performance

Team skills development and training

Reliable technical ecosystem development

Vehicle range and specifications optimisation

Workshop budget and overall purchasing performance, cost optimisation initiatives

Continuous improvement initiatives implemented

Solid experience in vehicle maintenance and repair , ideally within a fleet, rental, transport or commercial vehicle environment.

Strong knowledge of mechanical systems and diagnostics.

Good knowledge of vehicle refrigeration / transport refrigeration systems is highlydesirable.

Good understanding of electrical systems, vehicle diagnostics, preventive and corrective maintenance.

Proven experience managing a workshop, maintenance team or technical operation.

Experience dealing directly with technical suppliers and external repair partners.

Demonstrated ability to diagnose complex technical problems and develop practical solutions.

We are particularly interested in candidates currently working as:

Workshop Manager

Workshop Supervisor

Workshop Team Leader

Fleet Maintenance Manager

Senior Technician / Technical Supervisor

or in a similar position, with the capability and ambition to take on a broader technical leadership role.

The ideal candidate will be able to bring proven methods, discipline and best practices into a growing UAE operation while adapting them pragmatically to a small structure.

Strong hands-on technical leadership and credibility with technicians.

Comfortable spending significant time on the workshop floor.

Practical, pragmatic and solution-oriented.

Strong sense of ownership and accountability.

Able to make decisions quickly in an operational environment.

Strong negotiation and supplier management skills.

Structured and organised.

Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Willing to challenge existing practices and drive continuous improvement.

Comfortable working in a small organisation where everyone is expected to contribute.

Entrepreneurial mindset: able to build rather than simply manage.

Able to balance technical quality, operational urgency and cost control.

Professional proficiency in English is required.

French is an advantage.

Technical qualification in automotive mechanics, vehicle maintenance, refrigeration or a related field.

Relevant technical certifications are an advantage.

As the UAE operation grows, this position will have significant scope for development and increased responsibility.

The successful candidate will progressively be able to take ownership of a broader technical organisation, including the development of additional service points, expansion of the technical team, development of additional technical capabilities and implementation of increasingly structured technical standards and processes across the UAE.

The role therefore represents an opportunity to build the foundations of the UAE technical organisation and grow with the business.