Group Fleet Manager

Role Description

Role Title

Group Fleet Manager

Business Function

Group Procurement

Location

Hybrid, with national travel as required

Reports to

Head of Group Procurement

Salary

Up to £65,000 per annum (depending on experience)

Hours

Full-time, Permanent

Date

October 2026

Why does this role exist? (What is the purpose of the role?)

CareTech is one of the UK's leading providers of specialist care and education, supporting children, young people and adults with complex needs through more than 600 services and over 11,000 colleagues. Our purpose is to create Extraordinary Days, Every Day for the people we support, and our vehicles play a vital part in that, getting people to school, college, work, activities, appointments and their communities safely and reliably.

The Group Fleet Manager exists to lead and develop CareTech's fleet function, ensuring the safe, efficient, compliant and cost-effective management of a national fleet of approximately 1,100 leased, hired and owned vehicles across more than 600 sites and offices. This includes around 925 multi-driver vehicles allocated to operational services, 75 maintenance vehicles and 100 company cars and salary sacrifice vehicles.

The role is the principal point of contact between internal stakeholders, external fleet suppliers and senior management. Using strong analytical, financial and communication skills, the post holder will drive performance, reduce cost, improve vehicle safety and utilisation, ensure policy compliance across more than 4,000 company and grey fleet drivers, and support CareTech's ESG and compliance objectives.

Key Relationships

Line manager: Head of Group Procurement and the wider Group Procurement team
Direct reports: the internal Fleet Team
Senior leadership: senior management and executive teams, as recipients of monthly fleet MI and recommendations
Operations: Regional, Service and line managers across adults, children's and education services who rely on fleet vehicles to deliver care and support
Drivers: more than 4,000 company vehicle, multi-driver and grey fleet drivers
Support functions: Finance (budgets, invoicing and cost control), HR and Payroll (salary sacrifice, driver compliance), Health and Safety, Estates and Maintenance, and ESG/Sustainability (SECR and Scope 3 data)
External: leasing and daily rental providers, fuel card and telematics suppliers, SMR providers, insurers, brokers and fleet advisors

What are the key accountabilities for this role?

Lead, develop and support the internal Fleet Team, setting clear objectives, managing performance and building capability in line with CareTech's values and people policies.
Ensure the safe, efficient and effective management of CareTech's fleet of leased, hired and owned vehicles, including vehicle allocation, replacement, maintenance and disposal.
Own central control of MOT, vehicle tax, servicing and roadworthiness, and all other statutory fleet requirements, ensuring every vehicle is legal and safe before it is used and that any vehicle that is not is taken off the road promptly.
Own fuel card governance, including the issue, allocation and cancellation of cards, card controls and spend limits, and regular review of transactions to identify misuse, anomalies or fraud, taking timely action where policy is breached.
Analyse and manage fuel spend and vehicle tracking data, identifying and delivering cost reductions and operational efficiencies.
Operate robust daily rental controls, including approval of hires, monitoring of utilisation and hire duration, prompt off-hire of vehicles no longer required, and management of damage and end-of-hire charges, challenging and recovering costs where appropriate.
Closely monitor vehicle damage and utilisation rates, working with operational managers to reduce damage, improve utilisation and promote safe driving.
Ensure full policy compliance across more than 4,000 company and grey fleet drivers, taking timely action where compliance requirements are not met.
Act as the primary liaison between internal stakeholders, advisors and external fleet suppliers, negotiating effectively on cost, service and contract terms.
Formally manage supplier performance against agreed KPIs and SLAs through regular performance reviews, escalating service failures promptly and recovering service credits, costs or other remedies where appropriate.
Provide clear advice and guidance to drivers and line managers on fleet policy and best practice, keeping fleet policies current and fit for purpose.
Maintain a single, accurate central fleet record across vehicles, drivers, suppliers and systems, and periodically reconcile it against supplier, telematics, fuel card, finance and HR/payroll data, resolving discrepancies promptly.
Validate supplier invoices against contracts and the central fleet record, ensuring queries are resolved promptly.
Produce monthly management information reports, including fuel card usage, SMR (service, maintenance and repair) expenditure and driver compliance, for the senior management and executive teams.
Work collaboratively to provide accurate ESG data for SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting) and Scope 3 reporting, and support CareTech's wider ESG objectives.
Undertake any other reasonable duties, following discussion with management, in line with CareTech's operational needs.

How will success be measured?

Total fleet cost (fuel, SMR and daily rental) managed within budget, with demonstrable savings and efficiencies delivered against agreed targets.
All vehicles hold a valid MOT and vehicle tax and are serviced on schedule, with no vehicle used while non-compliant or unroadworthy.
Fuel card transactions reviewed regularly, with anomalies and misuse identified and acted on.
Reduced daily rental days and cost, with vehicles off-hired promptly and damage and end-of-hire charges challenged where appropriate.
Improved vehicle utilisation and a reduction in damage incidents and associated repair costs.
High levels of driver compliance across company and grey fleet, with non-compliance identified and resolved promptly.
Accurate, timely and insightful monthly MI delivered to senior management and executive teams.
Central fleet record accurate and reconciled on a regular cycle, with discrepancies and invoice queries resolved within agreed timescales.
Suppliers formally managed against KPIs and SLAs, with service failures escalated and credits or costs recovered where appropriate.
Accurate and timely ESG data provided for SECR and Scope 3 reporting.
An engaged, capable and well-performing Fleet Team.
Positive feedback from operational and executive stakeholders on the quality of fleet advice and service.

What knowledge, skills, and behaviours does the role need? (Essential and desirable)

Knowledge

Skills

Behaviours

Management of a large and complex fleet of leased, hired and owned vehicles, ideally 500+ vehicles (E)
Statutory fleet requirements, including MOT, vehicle tax, servicing and roadworthiness (E)
Fuel card governance and daily rental controls (E)
Fleet cost drivers including fuel, SMR, daily rental, damage and utilisation (E)
Driver compliance requirements for company and grey fleet, including duty of care and road safety (E)
Vehicle tracking/telematics and fuel card systems (E)
SECR and Scope 3 emissions reporting (D)
Salary sacrifice car schemes (D)
Electric vehicle transition and charging (D)
Health, social care or other regulated sector environment (D)

Advanced Microsoft Excel, including data analysis, financial modelling and reporting (E)
Strong analytical and financial skills (E)
Excellent negotiation and supplier management, including performance management against KPIs and SLAs (E)
Strong attention to detail, including data reconciliation and record accuracy (E)
Strong leadership and team development (E)
Confident communication with operational and executive audiences (E)
Highly organised, able to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines (E)
Strong problem-solving ability (E)
Proficient across Microsoft Office (E)

Friendly: approachable and builds positive working relationships
Positive: solution-focused and resilient under pressure
Innovative: seeks continuous improvement and better ways of working
Empowering: develops, supports and trusts the team
Person-Centred: keeps the needs of the people we support at the heart of fleet decisions
Proactive, results-driven and accountable
Strong commitment to safety, compliance and integrity

(E) = Essential   (D) = Desirable

What authority does this role have?

Line management of the Fleet Team, including recruitment, objective setting, performance, absence and development, in line with Group policies.
Management of fleet budgets and approval of fleet expenditure within delegated financial authority limits.
Removal of any vehicle from use where statutory or roadworthiness requirements are not met.
Suspension or cancellation of fuel cards and off-hire of rental vehicles in line with policy.
Formal escalation of supplier service failures and pursuit of service credits or cost recovery in line with contract terms.
Negotiation with fleet suppliers and recommendation of contract awards in line with Group Procurement policy and governance.
Interpretation and enforcement of fleet policy, including requiring corrective action from drivers and line managers and escalating serious or repeated non-compliance.
Recommendations to senior management on fleet strategy, policy, vehicle allocation and cost-saving initiatives.

What qualifications does the post holder need to have?

Significant experience managing a large and complex fleet, ideally 500+ vehicles
Proven record of value addition and delivering operational efficiencies
Full, valid UK driving licence, given the national travel requirement
Satisfactory Enhanced DBS check prior to commencing employment; the cost of this will be met by CareTech
Recognised fleet management qualification, such as ICFM Certificate or Diploma in Fleet Management
Health and safety qualification, such as IOSH Managing Safely

This job description is not exhaustive and may be reviewed in line with CareTech's operational needs.

The post holder may be required to undertake additional duties following discussion with management.