Sales Controller Jobs

The Sales Controller is the operational and administrative authority within the dealership's sales department - the professional who manages the deal bank, controls the order and delivery pipeline, oversees the administrative team, maintains the department's FCA compliance standard and provides the General Sales Manager and Head of Business with accurate and current visibility of every live deal, every outstanding approval and every vehicle committed for delivery. The Sales Controller's command of the department's operational status at any given moment is what allows the sales management team to make sound commercial decisions about stock, capacity and customer commitments with confidence.

The role is senior to the Sales Administrator and distinct from the Business Manager - the Sales Controller's primary accountability is the operational flow and compliance integrity of the sales department's deal bank, not the selling of finance and insurance products. In practice, the Sales Controller often carries a dual accountability: managing the administration team and the department's operational processes while also acting as the senior compliance reference point for deal files, finance documentation and any FCA Consumer Duty requirements applicable to the department's activity.

In a high-volume franchised dealership where the General Sales Manager is focused on sales floor performance and team development, the Sales Controller who keeps the operational and administrative engine running accurately and compliantly without requiring constant management oversight is one of the most quietly valuable senior staff members in the building.

Venatu recruits Sales Controllers for permanent and contract roles across franchised car and commercial vehicle dealerships and dealer groups throughout the UK. This role sits within our car dealership recruitment division.

Who We Recruit For

We place candidates with:

• Franchised car and van dealerships with multi-person sales administration teams
• Franchised commercial vehicle dealerships
• High-volume used car operations with a structured sales administration function
• Dealer groups with site-level Sales Controller appointments
• Automotive subscription and agency model retail businesses with operational administration requirements

Roles We Place

• Sales Controller
• Dealership Sales Controller
• Vehicle Sales Controller
• Sales Department Controller
• New and Used Sales Controller
• Senior Sales Controller

Who Can Apply

Strong Sales Controller candidates come predominantly from within the dealership administrative and operational function. Strong placements typically come from:

• Experienced Sales Controllers at franchised dealerships who want to move to a new employer, a larger department or an improved package
• Senior Sales Administrators who have been managing the day-to-day deal processing and compliance checking within a busy sales department and are ready to formalise their seniority in the Sales Controller role with explicit team leadership, deal bank management and compliance oversight accountability
• Finance Administrators or combined sales and finance administrators with extensive FCA compliance knowledge and DMS depth who want to move into the Sales Controller role where their compliance expertise is the primary value they add to the sales management team
• Business Managers who want to move from a direct customer-facing F&I selling role into a back-office operational management position where their deep understanding of the finance and compliance process makes them the department's most credible compliance and administration authority
• General Sales Managers who want to step back from the sales floor management role and focus on the deal bank, compliance and operational control dimension of the department, removing themselves from direct sales management responsibility
• Automotive retail operations professionals from dealer group support or manufacturer network roles who have reviewed dealership compliance and sales administration standards and want to apply their knowledge of best practice in an operational Sales Controller appointment at site level

Deep DMS proficiency - Keyloop, Autoline or Pinewood - is essential. Thorough understanding of FCA Consumer Duty requirements, motor finance regulation, the sales department's point of sale compliance documentation standards and inter-departmental processes connecting sales with finance, aftersales and the accounts function is the core knowledge base of the role. Venatu confirms the DMS environment, team size and compliance framework with each employer before presenting candidates.

Sales Controller Salary Guide

Venatu benchmarks total package expectations with each employer before beginning a search. Visit the HR Hub for broader context on automotive dealership operational and administrative leadership role remuneration.

What the Role Involves

Deal Bank and Order Management:

• Maintaining an accurate and up-to-date deal bank in the DMS at all times, reviewing every live deal for current status, outstanding approvals, conditional requirements and committed delivery dates, and providing the General Sales Manager with a current deal bank report at the agreed frequency
• Managing the new vehicle order bank, tracking every placed order through the manufacturer's order management system, monitoring delivery pipeline changes as they are communicated by the manufacturer, flagging any delay or allocation change that affects a committed customer delivery date and communicating changes to the relevant sales executive promptly
• Reviewing used vehicle stock records in the DMS, ensuring all used vehicles are correctly priced, status-coded and linked to any associated customer reservation or part-exchange, and identifying any stock items requiring status correction or price review to prevent pipeline misrepresentation in the manager's reports

FCA Compliance and Deal File Management:

• Maintaining the department's FCA compliance standard across all finance transaction deal files, reviewing each file before the vehicle is delivered to confirm all required documentation is present, correctly completed and signed in the sequence that the Consumer Duty framework and the lender's requirements specify
• Training and supporting the Sales Administrator team on compliance requirements, providing guidance on what is required in specific deal scenarios - multi-product deals, part-exchange with outstanding finance, distance sale agreements, vulnerable customer identifications - and escalating any systemic compliance gap to the General Sales Manager or Compliance Manager
• Managing the department's compliance records and deal file archiving in line with the FCA's retention requirements, ensuring that the dealership's audit trail is complete and accessible for any regulatory or lender audit

Team Leadership and Administration Management:

• Leading and managing the sales administration team, setting workload priorities, managing individual performance and providing the operational guidance that keeps the team processing deal files accurately and on time across the full delivery schedule
• Managing the department's administration when individual team members are absent, ensuring that no deal pipeline is disrupted by short-term capacity reduction by prioritising delivery-critical tasks within the remaining team
• Reporting operational performance to the General Sales Manager including any pipeline risk, compliance concern or administrative backlog that requires management intervention or resource change

Cross-Departmental Coordination:

• Liaising with the Dealer Accountant or accounts function to ensure the monthly sales department accounts pack is supported accurately by the DMS deal records, managing any DMS-to-accounts reconciliation requirement at period end
• Coordinating with the aftersales and preparation team on delivery readiness, ensuring vehicles are confirmed as prepared, roadworthy and PDI-completed before a handover date is confirmed to the customer
• Managing manufacturer and lender liaison on administrative matters - order confirmations, finance document resubmissions, registration queries and warranty activation issues - that fall within the Sales Controller's operational scope

How the Process Works

For employers:

1. Submit a vacancy with the DMS in use, deal volume, team size, finance products offered and the compliance framework the Sales Controller will oversee.
2. We confirm candidate DMS and compliance background and present a pre-screened shortlist within five working days.
3. Candidates are assessed for DMS depth, FCA compliance knowledge, team leadership capability and deal bank management experience.
4. Interview and offer supported by Venatu throughout.

For candidates:

1. Register your CV with your dealership administrative background, DMS systems used, FCA compliance experience and team management if applicable.
2. A Venatu consultant will review your background and contact you directly.
3. Roles are matched to your DMS specialism, compliance knowledge and geography.
4. Venatu manages the process and advises on package expectations ahead of offer.

Browse current vacancies or create a job alert to be notified when relevant roles become available.

FAQ

What does a Sales Controller do in a franchised dealership? A Sales Controller manages the operational and administrative performance of the sales department's deal bank, maintains the department's FCA compliance standard across all finance transaction deal files, leads the sales administration team and provides the sales management team with an accurate and current operational picture of every live deal, order and committed delivery. The Sales Controller sits between the Sales Administrator team and the General Sales Manager, owning the department's operational and compliance integrity.

What is the difference between a Sales Controller and a Business Manager? A Business Manager is a customer-facing F&I sales professional responsible for presenting and selling finance and insurance products to customers at the point of vehicle purchase. A Sales Controller manages the operational and administrative back-office function of the sales department. Both roles require deep knowledge of FCA compliance, but from different directions - the Business Manager applies it in the point-of-sale customer conversation, the Sales Controller applies it in the post-sale deal file review and pre-delivery compliance check. Venatu confirms the precise scope with each employer before presenting candidates.

What does a Sales Controller earn in the UK? Experienced Sales Controllers in franchised dealerships typically earn between £34,000 and £46,000. Senior Sales Controllers earn between £40,000 and £54,000. Venatu benchmarks package expectations with each employer before beginning a search.

What is the progression from Sales Controller? Common progression routes include Senior Sales Controller, General Sales Manager, Business Manager for those who want to develop the customer-facing F&I dimension, and dealer group compliance support or operations roles for those whose compliance expertise becomes a specialism valued at group level. Sales Controllers who develop the commercial acumen to contribute to stock and pricing decisions alongside their operational management capability are in the best position for sales management development.

Register or Enquire

Candidates - Register your CV with your dealership administrative background, DMS systems used and FCA compliance experience. Venatu will match you to current Sales Controller vacancies across franchised dealerships and dealer groups, including roles not publicly advertised. Browse live vacancies or create a job alert.

Employers - Submit a vacancy or visit the client hub to discuss your Sales Controller requirements. Our team will respond within one working day.