Head of fleet Planning & Lifecycle Management M/F

Department: Fleet Operations Germany

Reporting Line: Fleet Director

Location: Remote anywhere in Germany - 1 day/week in Hamburg

1. Position Purpose & Strategic Mission

This mission-critical role is designed to bridge the operational silos of Sourcing, Maintenance & Repair (M&R), Damage Management, and Remarketing, while acting as the primary conduit between the Fleet department and Finance (Controlling).

The mandate is to transform the department from reactive tracking to proactive steering.

You will manage a fleet cost portfolio of €200 million.

2. Core Responsibilities

2.1 Cross-Functional Analytics & Root-Cause Investigation

• Lead a unified unit of 5 specialized analysts to create a holistic, cross-functional view of the vehicle lifecycle.
• Conduct rigorous investigations into the "how" and "why" behind performance variances.
• Translate raw data into objective, structured insights that enable Department Heads to implement concrete actions for cost mitigation and process improvement.

2.2 Fleet Planning, Budgeting & Governance

• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Guardianship: Own the Demand & Category Plan by balancing short-term OEM volume opportunities against long-term lifecycle profitability and maintenance risks.
• Ensuring purchasing decisions to maintain a strict focus on maximizing the P&L over the entire vehicle life.
• Budgetary Leadership: Lead the Fleet department’s contribution to annual budgeting and regular forecasting.
• Use budgets and forecasts as active benchmarks to enforce cost discipline and hold operational departments accountable for their results.

2.3 Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Unit Transformation: fostering a culture of objective, action-oriented analysis.
• Eliminate risks by cross-training the team across all fleet functions (Sourcing, M&R, Recoveries, Remarketing) to ensure continuous analytical coverage.

3. Candidate Profile and Requirements

Professional Experience

• Industry Expertise: 5–7 years in Fleet Management, Automotive, Car Rental, or Asset-Heavy Logistics.
• Analytical Leadership: Proven experience in a senior analytical, controlling, or corporate development role, ideally within a post-restructuring environment.
• Change Management: Demonstrated ability to transition decentralized teams into centralized, shared-service analytical hubs.
• Ability to navigate fluently between Finance (P&L, variances) and Operations (workshop bottlenecks, OEM delays).
• Advanced Data Literacy: Proficiency in BI tools and financial forecasting, with the ability to identify processual "red flags" within raw data sets.
• Assertive Stakeholder Management: High level of professional authority to constructively challenge Department Heads and Sourcing Managers while maintaining a partnership-driven culture.

Languages

• Full professional proficiency in both German and English is mandatory.