National Operations Controller

Exciting Opportunity Within The Newly formed Lifting Division of AFI Group(AFI Lifting)

Salary £(DOE)+ benefits 

Do you want to work for a fast-paced growing National company, with excellent career stability and progression prospects; where hard work is well rewarded? Then a job with AFI is for you.

AFI Group have recently formed a new lifting division (AFI Lifting) and are seeking an experienced hire professional from the tele-handler/plant rental sector to run their central hire desk. The successful candidate will welcome the challenge of being part of a team that will create a national business over the coming months and years. The successful applicant will be highly driven, ambitious, a self-starter and have a good understanding of how plant rental businesses operate.

AFI Lifting will grow the new division off the back of the existing infrastructure of the successful AFI MEWP business and significant investment has already been made in brand new equipment to support the growth of the business. The new role will be based at our Wakefield depot and will offer tele-handler rental across the UK.

This is an excellent opportunity for the right candidate to play a key part of the creation, growth and future prospects of a new national business. .

The role in brief:-

• Assist in the creation of an operational structure for a national tele-handler and lifting business
• Responsible for the hire desk
• Duties will include
• Building a dedicated hire desk team over time and as revenues grow
• Taking hire enquiries via telephone, email and our online ordering system
• Checking availability of machines and ensuring that machine status are always up to date on our systems
• Coordinating with the engineering and transport teams to ensure that the correct machines are ready and delivered to customer sites
• Dealing with customer complaints and damage
• Dealing with customers professionally and politely, and maximising sales using your product knowledge
• Maintaining health and safety standards within the hire office
• Communicating effectively with other colleagues, and providing a helpful and friendly point of contact for depot enquiries

The ideal candidate:

• Previous experience in a customer focused role is a must
• Experience of working on a hire desk would be an advantage
• Good knowledge of Microsoft packages, and computer skills in general
• You must be outgoing and enthusiastic
• As this is a customer facing role, excellent communication skills and a friendly approach are a must
• Time keeping and using your own initiative will be important aspects of the role, so you should be proficient at these skills

AFI Group is a leading provider of access solutions, from the hire and purchase of access equipment, to accredited training and service / maintenance of machines. With a current network of 27 hire locations across the UK and over 5,000 machines, AFI has a strong emphasis on Health and Safety and is proud to hold various accreditations (ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO18001, 5* Achilles Building Confidence, Gold RoSPA award – to name a few).

We offer an excellent benefits package:

• 23 days holidays per year rising to 25, plus statutory holidays
• Inclusion in a monthly profit share scheme
• An auto-enrolment pension scheme with employer contributions
• Death-in-Service benefit of 2 x salary
• Healthcare Cash Plan
• AFI Rewards
• In addition we have invested in an excellent induction programme, and staff training (we currently hold a Gold Investors in People award)