Fleet Operations Manager – Career Opportunity

Job Description

We are seeking a skilled and experienced professional to lead our Fleet Operations team. The successful candidate will manage and maintain our owned and leased motor vehicles, ensuring operational excellence and compliance with safety standards. They will provide strategic oversight, manage stakeholders, and drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance fleet performance and efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Manages the operation and maintenance of Safaricom’s owned and leased motor vehicles.
• To lead the planning, implementation, and management of all Fleet services/operations ensuring operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, complaint and safe and supportive fleet operations.
• Provide support to company business units in all regions, relating to vehicles and vehicles spare parts purchases, maintenance, and disposals, in addition to providing information on suppliers and their capabilities.
• This role requires strategic oversight, stakeholder management, vendor performance, policy enforcement, and continuous improvement initiatives across all fleet service areas.
• The role requires optimizing fleet utilization and ensuring efficient operations within Safaricom fleet systems.

Key accountabilities and decision ownership:

Fleet operations/Services

• Lead the end-of-the-end management of Fleet operations services including vehicle acquisition, maintenance, spare parts, dispatch, and disposal.
• Develop and implement Fleet management strategies, policies, and procedures aligned with business needs and compliance standards.
• Drive improvements in service delivery, user experience, and operational performance through regular analysis and performance reviews.
• Oversee supplier selection, contract negotiations, SLA development, and performance management across all service providers.
• Ensure regular monitoring, evaluation, and reporting on vendor performance against KPIs and agreed deliverables.
• Address complaints and requests related to fleet services promptly and effectively.
• Resolve escalated supplier issues and drive accountability for service quality and compliance.
• Responsible for monitoring supply partners/contractors service delivery and customer interface on a day-to-day basis
• Responsible for financial tracking and reporting to ensure all services are delivered within agreed budgets and service levels.
• Responsible for ownership and management of the departmental HSW and risk and compliance plan to achieve and maintain safe and legal status.
• Maintain accurate records and documentation related to fleet operations.
• Ensure timely and accurate processing of invoices and payments in alignment with organizational financial policies.
• Prepare and manage annual budgets for all fleet operations and monitor spending against forecasts.
• Produce regular operational and financial reports (weekly, monthly, annual) for internal review and decision-making.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities while maintaining service quality and employee satisfaction.
• Enforce health, safety, and environmental standards across all fleet services.
• Champion road risk/safety initiatives and ensure compliance with safety, legal and regulatory requirements.
• Undertake various administration functions associated with the Fleet operations.
• Assure the accomplishment of the vehicle technical works in the desired technical and quality standards.
• To work closely with the Fleet Management team to ensure accuracy of defects/reports and the rescheduling of non-serious defect rectification.
• Ensure compliance/adherence to corporate fleet policies, to include but not limited to vehicle inspections, idling/speeding policies, damage, and accident reporting/disciplinary actions
• Suggest alternative ways & means of rectifying complex automotive maintenance problems when arise.
• Managing fleet Maintenance activities performed by an outsourcing garage and ensuring it is timely and up to date.
• Investigate complaints, accidents, operations and maintain a database for accident record keeping.
• Establish and maintain records for all vehicles, and properly file in their permanent records and ensure reports can be easily retrieved,
• Assist the fleet management team during annual vehicle inspection and periodic service
• Establish and maintain proper controlling mechanisms while replacing parts by outsourcing garages.
• Assist and participate in all bid preparation and evaluation processes that are related to fleet section.
• Operate the company vehicle maintenance quality control systems for vehicle repairs and tire inspections.
• Participate & assist in the preparation of technical specifications & economical evaluation of fleet related issues.
• Managing drivers so they adhere to strict schedules, safety & compliance requirements and Standards.
• Ensuring all vehicles are correctly Registered and with the right licenses thus complying with Ethiopian Transport laws and regulations.
• Developing strategies for greater fuel efficiency.
• Monitoring driver behavior and ensuring a high level of customer service.
• Analyzing data to increase business operational efficiency.
• Utilizing vehicle tracking and GPS systems to monitor drivers and track vehicles
• Establish/maintain key relationships with fleet vendors (bulk fuel providers, parts vendors, contract mechanics, leasing companies, etc.) and ensure seamless assistance to field operations on and as needed basis
• 100% compliance with internal and external regulations and laws on occupational road risk
• 100% availability of fleet and transport services for employees
• 100% adherence to SLAs by suppliers and vendors
• Stakeholders Liaison
• Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
• Manage communication and feedback loops to continuously align service delivery with stakeholder expectations.
• Budgets and reports
• Develop and manage budgets and forecast accordingly.
• Prepare weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports

Core competencies, knowledge and experience:

Business Competencies:

• Applies policy, structures and systems to ensure the business delivers safe, compliant and efficient services.
• Identifies people’s needs, interests and motives to be able to influence the decisions they make
• Communicates simply to excite and engage people
• Focuses on achieving maximum performance and continuous improvement
• Use knowledge of products, technology, processes, systems and policy to solve problems
• Finds creative ways to exploit opportunities and solve problems
• Finds creative ways to exploit opportunities and solve problems
• Balances current and future needs
• Thinks and acts like an owner of the business
• Acts in line with legal, regulatory, health & safety, professional and ethical standards
• Responds flexibly to changing situations
• Schedules activity and identifies resource needs, dependencies and synergies
• Evaluates progress, mitigates risks and addresses issues

Qualifications

Must have technical / professional qualifications:

• A degree in Automotive or Mechanical engineering, Business – oriented fields, logistics, supply chain and similar fields.
• Have over 7 years post-graduation work with at least 3 years in a supervisory or managerial role.
• Strong organizational, administrative, and communication skills.
• Experience in vendor management, payment coordination.
• Ability to effectively coordinate multiple vendors and manage service level agreements.
• Knowledge of health, safety, and environmental standards related to fleet operations.
• Proficiency in MS Office and familiarity with fleet management systems, ERP tools.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Customer service oriented with the ability to work collaboratively across departments.
• Demonstrates a positive and professional attitude, with a strong commitment to teamwork and service excellence.

Skills Required:

• Automotive
• Mechanics / Mechanical / Engineering
• Sales / Marketing / Business / Management