Commercial Services Apprentice

Summary

We have been the market-leading commercial vehicle manufacturer (7.5 to 44 tonnes) in the United Kingdom for 30 years, roughly one in every three new trucks registered in the UK being a DAF. DAF is the only major commercial vehicle manufacturer producing trucks here in the UK, with our factory in Leyland producing over 15,000 vehicles every year.

Wage

£19,000 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course

Chartered manager (degree) (level 6)

Hours

8.45am - 5.15pm, Monday to Thursday. 8.45am - 4.45pm, Friday.

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 2 June 2025

Duration

3 years

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you’ll do at work

Situated within the fast-paced Commercial Department, your primary goal will be to deliver administrative support to our dealers and customers by addressing queries, generating quotations, and processing contracts.

Additionally, this role will aim to improve efficiencies within the Commercial Services department, streamlining operations to enhance overall productivity.

Key Accountabilities will include:

Managing the flow of contract requests, ensuring that they are actioned in a timely and accurate manner
Providing support in the handling of key processes, such as the generation of quotes and the raising of contracts
Creating customer-specific contract profiles, enhancing service to the customer, and supporting the Truck Sales Manager
Supporting the dealer network and customers where necessary
Project work: creating a business process map, defining key touchpoints and putting forward suggestions for improvement
Project work: identifying common dealer errors when raising quotes and defining training requirements
You will also have the opportunity to spend time in other departments within the organisation
Occasional travel within UK and Europe may be required

Where you’ll work

DAF Trucks UK
Haddenham Business Parl
Pegasus Way
Haddenham
HP17 8LJ

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

College or training organisation

ABINGDON AND WITNEY COLLEGE

Your training course

Chartered manager (degree) (level 6)

Equal to degree

Course contents

Support the development of organisational strategies and plans. Develop and deliver operational plans; being able to set targets and KPIs, manage resources, and monitor and measure outcomes to establish operational effectiveness, efficiencies and excellence. Produce reports that clearly present information and data, using a range of interpretation and analytical processes. Gain wide support to deliver successful outcomes
Plan, organise and manage resources in order to achieve organisational goals. Identify key outcomes, develop and implement plans and monitor progress, and provide reports as required. Proactively identify risk and create plans for their mitigation. Able to initiate, lead and drive change within the organisation, identifying barriers/challenges and how to overcome them. Ability to use widely recognised project management tools
Managing budgets, controlling expenditure and production of financial reports
Use of customer insight and analysis of data to determine and drive customer service outcomes and improve customer relationships. Creative approaches to developing solutions to meet customer need
Able to identify service/organisational improvements and opportunities for innovation and growth, using qualitative and quantitative analysis of information and data and benchmarking against others
Communicate clearly, effectively and regularly using oral, written and digital channels and platforms. Use active listening and open questioning to structure conversations and discussions, and able to challenge when appropriate. Manage and chair meetings and clearly present actions and outcomes. Ability to apply influencing and persuading skills, to the dynamics and politics of personal interactions
Able to articulate organisational purpose and values. Support the creation of an inclusive, high performance work culture. Enable others to achieve by developing and supporting them through coaching and mentoring
Able to build teams, empower and motivate others to improve performance or achieve outcomes. Able to delegate to others, provide clear guidance and monitor progress. Ability to set goals and accountabilities
Able to build rapport and trust, develop networks and maintain relationships with people from a range of cultures, backgrounds and levels. Able to contribute within a team environment. Effectively influence and negotiate, being able to have challenging conversations and give constructive feedback. Work collaboratively with internal and external customers and suppliers
Able to reflect on own performance, identifying and acting on learning and development needs. Ability to understand impact on others. Can manage stress and personal well-being, and confident in knowing core values and drivers
Able to create personal development plan, and use widely recognised tools and techniques to ensure the management of time and pressure effectively, and prioritisation and strategic alignment of activities
Use evidence-based tools and ethical approaches to undertake problem solving and critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation to support decision making

Your training plan

A chartered manager will deliver long-term organisational success, with the professional recognition of their ability to deliver impact, behave ethically and demonstrate their commitment to continual learning and development. Specific job roles may include: manager; senior manager; head of department; operations manager; or anyone with significant management responsibilities.

Duration:

36 months practical training period, plus 3–6 months for End Point Assessment

Delivery model:

Work-based training with your employer
Day release during term time (approximately 1 day a week for 3 years)
Off the job training will count for at least 6 hours a week of an apprentice’s time at work

Qualifications included:

BA (Hons) Business Management Practice
Level 6 Chartered Manager (Degree) Apprenticeship
End Point Assessment:
Portfolio-based interview
Project presentation

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English, Maths (grade A* to C / Level 9 -4)

Other in:

A Level/T Level/ BTEC subjects (grade A* to E)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
IT skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Problem solving skills
Administrative skills
Team working
Patience
Ambitious
Working under-pressure
Self motivated

Other requirements

The successful candidate will need their own transport to travel into the office and to college. There will also be other opportunities for travel within the UK and potentially abroad.

About this company

DAF is the UK’s leading heavy vehicle manufacturing company, with its Sales and Marketing head office in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire. Manufacturing and selling vehicles from 7.5 to 44 tonnes, we have been the market leader for the past 25 years, setting the industry standard for performance, productivity, and customer service. DAF's commitment to operators is backed by our network - 133 dealers covering the country, providing a consistently high standard of advice, service, and expertise to fully support operators in providing the right vehicle and services to maximise their business opportunities. DAF is the only major commercial vehicle manufacturer producing trucks here in the UK, with our factory in Leyland producing over 15,000 vehicles every year. Almost every DAF vehicle registered in the UK, is built here in the UK. DAF’s Commercial Services team work closely with the wider DAF dealer network to sell customer specific maintenance and repair contracts, ensuring our customer’s vehicles are on the road when needed. More than 40% of new vehicles are sold with an upfront bespoke contract. Our head office is located in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, and our network of over 130 dealers stretches across the UK and Ireland. This gives our customers access to the largest dealer network in the UK, providing them with a consistently high standard of advice, service and expertise. As market leader across all sectors in the UK we aim to set the industry standard for performance and productivity, affording customers the same quality of service no matter the size of their operation.

https://www.daf.co.uk/en-gb (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

Free medical cover after 6 months, annual bonus.

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

We are looking for an ambitious employee who wants to grow and expand the role beyond the end of the apprenticeship period. For the right candidate, we may consider supporting their next step in their learning qualification, potentially through a CMA or similar. The role has previously been done by graduates and interns, many of whom have since gone on to management positions within DAF and PACCAR.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

ABINGDON AND WITNEY COLLEGE

Imogen

apprenticeships@abingdon-witney.ac.uk

01235 216216

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000315133.

Apply now

Closes on Saturday 31 May 2025

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