About the role
About us
: We are one of the top three automotive retailers in the UK, proudly representing 32 manufacturer brands, selling a huge range of new and used vehicles from over 150 dealerships across the UK and Ireland.
We believe our people are our greatest asset, and we’re committed to recognising the valuable contribution each person makes. That’s why we continue to invest in a leading rewards and benefits package designed to support your career, wellbeing, and life outside of work.
General Manager – Kia Silverlink
New Dealership Launch | Join the Leadership Team
Salary:
up to £85k DOE plus generous bonus package, OTE £130k
Contract:
Permanent, Full-Time
Start Date:
February 2027
Hours:
Monday-Friday, 8:30am-6:00pm (flexibility required during dealership launch phase)
We're preparing to open an exciting new
Kia dealership at Silverlink
, and we're looking for an ambitious and driven
General Manager
to lead the site through its launch and establish it as a high-performing business from day one.
This is a unique opportunity to join a brand-new dealership and play a pivotal role in shaping its culture, customer experience, and commercial success. As General Manager, you'll take ownership of the site's performance across both Sales and Aftersales while building a strong, engaged team and creating a customer-first environment aligned with Kia's reputation for quality and innovation.
As this is a start-up operation, we're looking for a leader who embraces a hands-on approach. During the early stages of the dealership's development, you'll be expected to work closely alongside departmental managers, support weekend operations when required, and help establish the foundations for long-term success. Once the site is fully operational and established, responsibilities and working patterns will transition into a more traditional General Manager role.
What You'll Do
Lead the successful launch and ongoing development of Kia Silverlink
Drive performance across Sales, Service and Parts departments
Work closely with Sales and Aftersales Managers to establish robust operational processes and standards
Support weekend trading activities during the dealership launch and growth phase
Create a high-performance culture focused on customer satisfaction, accountability and continuous improvement
Recruit, develop and retain talented colleagues across all departments
Set clear objectives, review departmental performance and implement action plans where required
Monitor budgets, profitability, market share and key business metrics
Ensure the dealership consistently delivers exceptional customer experiences and manufacturer standards
Represent the business within the local community and wider Kia network
What You'll Bring
Proven leadership experience within an automotive retail environment
Previous experience as a General Manager, Head of Business, Dealer Principal or senior departmental leader ready for the next step
Strong commercial acumen with the ability to drive profitability across multiple departments
Experience leading and developing high-performing teams
A proactive, hands-on leadership style with a willingness to support operational activity when required
The resilience and adaptability to thrive in a start-up dealership environment
A passion for delivering outstanding customer experiences
Excellent communication, coaching and stakeholder management skills
This is more than a traditional General Manager role. It's an opportunity to help build a dealership from the ground up, influence its culture, develop its people and create a site that sets the standard for customer experience and operational performance within the Kia network.
If you're excited by the challenge of launching a new business, leading from the front and making a lasting impact, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply today and be part of the journey from day one.
Core Benefits:
Competitive salaries with structured pay scales and progression as you grow within the business
Generous annual leave that increases with your length of service
Enhanced family leave, including 6 months’ full pay for maternity and adoption leave, and 2 weeks’ full pay for paternity leave
Access to Techscheme for discounted technology purchases with flexible payments
Health & Wellbeing:
Eyecare vouchers to help cover vision care needs
Smart Health – 24/7 access to GP services to support your mental and physical wellbeing
Dental insurance for everyday dental care and unexpected treatments
Optional critical illness cover for peace of mind during life's most challenging moments
Financial Wellbeing:
MyView PayNow – access a portion of your pay as you earn, with features to stream, save, and track your money through a user-friendly app
Free will writing services to help plan for the future
Flexible life assurance options and partner life assurance for added protection
Leisure & Lifestyle:
Discounted gym memberships to support an active lifestyle
Travel insurance to help you explore with confidence
Access to home and technology vouchers
bYond card and a wide range of exclusive retail and lifestyle discounts
We strongly believe in nurturing and providing our people with specific manufacturer brand and management training to enhance career development opportunities. We have a great bunch of people, and we like to celebrate and encourage success at all levels.
Lookers and Charles Hurst are an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to a working environment that is free from discrimination, is inclusive, and empowers our people to bring their whole self to work and reach their full potential.
If your application is successful, we will conduct relevant employment checks prior to you commencing employment with us. These will include verifying your recent employment, address, credit history and a standard criminal record check. For roles that require you to drive, a driving licence check will also be carried out. Please note, all offers of employment are made subject to a 6 month probation period commencing from your start date.
We take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and are committed to upholding and respecting your privacy rights. Information about how we will process your data including the types of data we collect, the purposes for which we use it, who we may share it with and how long we keep it are set out in our privacy notice. It also includes information about your individual privacy rights. Please make sure you read our
Privacy Notice
so that you understand how we may collect and use your data.