Assistant Desktop Motor Engineer

As an Assistant Desktop Motor Engineer, you will be the first point of contact for the Motor Engineering Team. You will assist the Motor Engineering team in all aspects and work closely with the Desktop Motor Engineers and Head of Motor Engineering to provide technical support and advice to all areas of the business.

As part of the role, you may be involved in an apprenticeship, where you will enrol with Thatcham as a VDA Apprentice and as part of the apprenticeship your training will include working within the Body Repair Industry, The Insurance Financial services Industry and Block Release at the world-renowned resource of the Thatcham Research Centre.

Role: Assistant Desktop Motor Engineer

Location:  Liverpool or Sevenoaks (with hybrid working)

Working hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:30pm

Salary: £27,000-£31,000 DOE, plus an up to £1500 bonus per annum, paid out quarterly

What you will be doing:

• To develop and maintain effective relationships with claims handlers, repairers and intermediaries to ensure the best outcome for the business and customer.
• Monitor repair work and activities of repairers so to ensure that the average repair cost falls within the motor engineers’ territory minimum number of substandard repair referrals.
• To assess prospects of repair v total loss utilising engineering tools available in accordance with guidelines and procedures, taking commercial decision making into account. To mitigate ancillary claim, spend on hire, storage, and recovery charges.
• To obtain high quality value for money repairs that do not adversely affect the safety of the vehicle.
• Correct and timely Valuation of Vehicles.
• Prompt and accurate production of small reports estimates and authorisation of repairs.
• Accurate categorisation and timely disposal of salvage in accordance with the ABI guidelines.
• To provide accurate assessments of repair cost by authorising repairs and supervising the prompt payment of accounts within established guidelines and procedures.                                    

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What we’re looking for:

 •            Adaptable and flexible regarding workload.

•            Ability to adapt to tight timescales.

•            Ability to communicate well at all levels.

•            In depth knowledge of Motor Insurance principles.

•            A good knowledge and understanding of the Visual Files system.

•            A good understanding of Motor vehicle accident repair methods.

•            A good understanding of Vehicle Salvage Categorisation.

To follow during Apprenticeship and with Training:

•            Experience of estimating and negotiation.

•            VDA ATA AQP Accreditation

•            Thorough Knowledge of Computerised Estimation Systems (Audatex and Glassmatix)

•            Thorough Knowledge of Thatcham Escribe.

About Acorn Insurance

We are a growing business with great opportunities to build your knowledge of the financial services industry. As a specialist insurance provider, we have over 40 years of experience helping people secure motor insurance across all of the UK. We help more than 50,000 customers to find a policy that meets their needs and gives them the peace of mind that comes with high-quality insurance.

At Acorn Insurance we provide full training and continuous coaching inhouse you will be given full in-depth FCA regulated industry knowledge and have all the tools necessary to help you personally grow your career with the business.

We celebrate difference and it’s important to us that we have a culture where our people feel respected and valued for who they are. We pride ourselves on being accessible and encourage inclusive environments where our people can always give and show the very best of themselves.  

The Acorn Group is a Great Place to Work 2024/5. A record number of Acorn employees completed the survey. The results overwhelmingly revealed that the group is welcoming, supportive and a great place to forge a career. There is always room for improvement though. We have big plans to improve even further in 2025.

Why Acorn Insurance?

Acorn Insurance want to give you more than a job, we want to give you a purpose and a career. So, what can we offer you as an employer? Some of the “your tomorrow” benefits you will receive include:

Enhanced Annual Leave entitlement starting at 31 days and potentially increasing to 35 days per year depending on grade & length of service (including bank holidays)

• Additional Buy & Sell Holidays
• Company Sick Pay Scheme
• Company Paid Maternity & Paternity Leave
• Generous Company Pension Scheme
• Perk Box Online & High Street vouchers and discounts
• Fresh fruit Deliveries twice a week*
• £250 Refer a friend bonus.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Free eye test vouchers and a contribution towards the frames
• Free self-development & qualifications via Magpie Learning
• A comprehensive Mental Health support a wide network of mental health first aiders and free counselling sessions
• Free Hot Drinks*
• Regular Employment Engagement including ongoing competitions with fantastic prizes.
• Charity fundraising events

*On selected sites

All roles are subject to DBS and Financial checks, any offer made will be conditional until checks are completed to a satisfactory standard.

Unfortunately, due to the length of training and complexity of the role,  we can only accept applications from candidates who have at least one ye