Northgate Vehicle Hire is increasing its presence in the North East by adding 80 administrative jobs to the 300 already employed at the headquarters in Darlington, as the company continues to centralise many operational functions.

The newly appointed administrative teams have been put in place to serve the increased flow of fleet management tasks, while attention has also been given to colleagues at depots and workshops to reinforce their part in ensuring the smooth running of customer related tasks.

The team will focus on three key areas for Northgate: damage recharge management, scheduling and compliance and asset administration.

Reaffirming Northgate’s commitment to the North East, the administrative move is the latest in a series of developments for the organisation.

In May 2010, Northgate began the process of bringing its 20 separate businesses together to deliver a constant service across the country. And a new CRM system has since been implemented, reiterating Northgate’s commitment to efficiency, effectiveness and improved customer service.

Jonathan Pearce, marketing manager for Northgate Vehicle Hire, said: “An honest reflection on the existing administration tasks pointed to the need for change in order to ensure that this area of the business delivered service levels congruent with those in other areas of Northgate.

“This is an extremely exciting time for the business and we’re thrilled to have brought new jobs to the North East, especially at a time when the climate is notoriously difficult. The centralisation of operations has enabled us to increase our loyal and committed workforce and we look forward to building on this further over the coming years.”

The business function of the new administration team aims to deliver consistency across the UK as well as helping relieve workshops of their admin tasks, freeing up their time to concentrate on other aspects such as customer service.