Hire Manager – Plant & Tool Hire Location: Abingdon Salary: £35,000 – £45,000 (Depending on experience) Type: Permanent Working Hours: Monday to Friday (Monday-Thursday 7:30am-5:00pm, Friday 7:30am-6:00pm About the Role Our client is seeking an experienced and commercially minded Hire Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations and continued growth of their busy plant and tool hire department. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing hire operations, customer relationships, staff, equipment logistics and departmental profitability, ensuring excellent customer service and operational efficiency. The Opportunity An excellent opportunity for an experienced hire professional to take ownership of a busy department, drive business growth and play a key role in its continued success. Key Responsibilities * Manage daily hire desk operations, handling trade and retail customer inquiries. * Process hire bookings, off-hires, customer agreements and cash/account payments. * Coordinate equipment deliveries, collections and transport schedules. * Oversee plant and tool fleet availability, maintenance and safety standards. * Manage staff schedules, workloads, holidays and sickness cover. * Monitor departmental profit and loss, costs and overall financial performance. * Develop existing customer relationships, generate new business and increase hire revenue. * Oversee garden tool sales and identify opportunities for growth. * Work closely with workshop technicians to maintain equipment readiness. Skills & Experience Required * Previous experience in Plant, Tool, Ground Care or Construction Equipment Hire. * Strong understanding of hire operations, equipment and logistics. * Excellent customer service, communication and relationship-building skills. * Strong organisational abilities with experience managing multiple priorities. * Commercial awareness and an understanding of sales, costs and profitability. * Confident using hire management systems and processing customer payments. * Proactive, hands-on approach with the ability to lead a busy department. * Previous supervisory or management experience is highly desirable