--- title: 'Commercial Director at Motorway' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/commercial-director-motorway-london-zz7539r02b3a' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-26' --- # Commercial Director at Motorway - **Company:** Motorway - **Location:** London, United Kingdom - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-10-21 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-26 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/motorway/00683b28-0160-4c8d-a805-9b9a2df72869 ## Job description ## About Motorway Motorway is the UK's largest online car-selling platform. We connect private sellers directly with over 8,000 dealers nationwide. Our online platform helps sellers achieve great prices for their cars while giving dealers fast, reliable access to the stock they want for their dealerships. Founded in 2017, our award-winning, technology-led approach has redefined the experience of selling a car. Motorway is backed by some of the world’s leading technology investors, having raised £143 million in Series C funding. This is a unique opportunity to join a fast-growing scale-up at a crucial phase of growth and help change an industry for the better. ## About us Motorway is the first and largest car-selling marketplace in the UK, connecting private sellers directly with over 8,000 verified dealers nationwide. Our online platform helps sellers achieve market leading prices for their cars while giving dealers fast, reliable access to the stock they want to grow their businesses profitably. Founded in 2017, Motorway's technology-led approach has transformed the car-selling experience. We now facilitate hundreds of thousands of car sales each year, with 2,500 cars in our daily auction. We employ 400+ people across the UK. Valued at over $1bn and backed by leading global technology investors, including Index and Iconiq. Motorway is now entering a critical phase focused on scale, growth and profitability. This is a rare opportunity to join a high-growth scale-up at a pivotal moment and help shape the services that sit around every car sold on Motorway. ## About the job As Commercial Director of Dealer Solutions, you will own what happens after Motorway's daily auction closes: inspecting and transporting the car, making sure everyone gets paid, and helping dealers fund the stock they buy. Transport, Payments and Dealer Finance are central to Motorway's next phase of growth. They shape how dealers experience Motorway, how much of each transaction we serve, and how we grow revenue beyond the core marketplace. There is significant work to do across all three, with scope to add new dealer solutions over time. This is a senior commercial leadership role. You will set the strategy, own the P&L for these services and lead experienced specialist teams, bringing commercial clarity, pace and ambition. You will be as comfortable framing an investment case for the executive team as you are working through an operational problem with your team. You will work closely with Sales, Marketing, Operations, Product and Engineering, as well as a network of external partners that support the delivery of Dealer Solutions. Our dealer base and partnerships are growing, and our Dealer Solutions need to scale ahead of that demand while staying simple and reliable for dealers and sellers. The Commercial Director reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer, James Wilson, and is part of Motorway's senior leadership team. ## Responsibilities This role is responsible for turning Motorway's Dealer Solutions into a scaled, profitable part of the business. You will set clear priorities, make explicit trade-offs and move between strategy and detail as the situation needs. Strategy & Commercial Leadership - Set the vision, strategy and goals for Transport, Payments and Dealer Finance, with clear priorities across short and long-term horizons - Own the P&L for Dealer Solutions, making explicit trade-offs between growth, margin and customer experience - Build and present investment cases to the executive team and contribute to Motorway's wider strategy Transport & Fulfilment - Lead the strategy and performance of Motorway's vehicle transport proposition, making sure capacity keeps pace with demand - Build and manage a scalable network of logistics partners, with strong commercial terms and clear performance management - Improve reliability, speed and cost so dealers and sellers get a fast, predictable experience Payments - Own the commercial performance of Motorway's dealer payment products, driving adoption and a smooth, secure payment experience - Partner with Product and Engineering to launch and scale improvements, using phased rollouts and clear success measures Dealer Finance - Shape and grow Motorway's dealer finance proposition, including stock funding, working with internal teams and external partners - Develop the commercial model, partnerships and go-to-market approach needed to scale it Performance & Operating Rhythm - Set clear metrics for each service and a regular operating cadence, using data to find root causes and drive improvement - Make sure operations can absorb growth and seasonal peaks without the customer experience suffering Leadership & Collaboration - Lead and develop experienced specialist teams, adding commercial framing and clear priorities while giving experts room to lead - Build strong working relationships with Sales, Marketing, Operations, Product and Engineering teams - Manage key partners and suppliers, getting full value from existing relationships and identifying and onboarding new partners as required - Role-model Motorway's values as part of the senior leadership team ## Requirements This role requires a senior commercial leader who combines strategic thinking with operational delivery. You should be comfortable in a fast-moving environment, able to set direction at an executive level and get into the detail with your team when it matters. - Strategy: Ability to set and communicate a clear commercial strategy, translating growth plans and constraints into a prioritised roadmap over multiple horizons - Commercial: Proven experience owning a P&L or major commercial line in a high-growth, technology-led business, ideally a marketplace. - Operations: A track record of running operational teams and improving how they perform as the business grows. - Situational leadership: Experience leading senior specialists, knowing when to step into the detail and when to step back - Judgement: A pragmatic, outcome-driven mindset with strong ownership and high business judgement - Composure: Calm and decisive when operations are under pressure, and focused on fixing root causes afterwards - Influence: Able to align senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams around clear priorities and trade-offs - Communication: Explains complex commercial and operational trade-offs clearly, adjusting the message for audiences from the executive team to front-line colleagues - Location: Based in our London office, with regular time in our Brighton office where our operational teams are based Transport or payments experience would be useful, but isn't a requirement. ## About Motorway ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Motorway is the UK’s leading online marketplace that connects private car sellers directly with a national network of verified dealers, using a daily auction system to deliver the best price fast. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series C / Venture Capital-Backed) - **Headquarters**: London, England, United Kingdom (Fitzrovia office) with a second office in Brighton. - **Founded**: 2017 - **Founders**: Tom Leathes (CEO) and Harry Jones ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Automotive marketplace, used car sales, online vehicle auctions, fintech (Motorway Pay). - **Target customers**: Two-sided marketplace serving consumers (private sellers) and B2B buyers (over 8,000 verified car dealers). - **Mission or purpose statement**: To build a better car market by making car selling simpler, faster, and fairer for everyone. ## Products & Services - **Motorway (Consumer Platform)**: A fully online service where private car owners get a free instant valuation, profile their car using a mobile app, and list it in a daily auction where 8,000+ verified dealers bid. The highest offer is presented to the seller. Includes home collection, same-day payment via **Motorway Pay**, and automatic settlement of outstanding finance. - **Motorway for Dealers**: A B2B platform allowing dealers to buy privately-owned used vehicles directly from sellers, bypassing traditional wholesale middlemen. - **Motorway Remarketing (Enterprise Service)**: A new B2B line launched in 2025/2026 giving dealers direct access to end-of-finance vehicles from fleet and finance partners (e.g., Mobilize Financial Services). ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed. - **Key Metric**: Total funding raised is **$308.75M** (approx. £250M+). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Backed by world-class investors including **Index Ventures**, **BMW i Ventures**, **Latitude**, **Unbound**, and **Trinity Capital** (which provided a £25M credit facility in May 2026). - **Growth Signals**: - Over **1 million cars sold** through the platform. - Rated **’Excellent’** with **100,000+ Trustpilot reviews**. - **84% of sellers** get more than market price for their car (independently validated). - Expanded into the **fleet remarketing** space in 2025/2026. - Team has grown to approximately **400 employees** across London and Brighton. ## Competitive Advantages - **True Two-Sided Network Effect**: A large base of private sellers attracts more dealers, which in turn drives better prices for sellers (84% beat market price), creating a powerful flywheel. - **Tech-First Experience**: Fully online, app-based valuation and listing process removes the friction of physical inspections and haggling. - **Motorway Pay**: An in-house payment system that enables instant, secure bank transfers on the doorstep, eliminating payment risk for both parties. - **Trust and Transparency**: No upfront fees (fee only charged on successful sale), combined with verified dealer network and high ratings. ## Strategic Focus - **Deepening the enterprise & fleet channel**: The launch of the remarketing service shows a move to capture more B2B supply. - **Scaling dealer services**: Expanding offerings for dealers beyond just auction access (e.g., financing, logistics). - **Data & AI investment**: Actively hiring a **Principal Generative AI Engineer** and **Senior Marketing Data Analyst**, indicating a focus on leveraging AI to improve matching, pricing, and operational efficiency. - **UK market dominance**: With $308M in funding, Motorway is well-capitalized to consolidate its position as the UK’s leading digital used car marketplace. ## Why Work Here - **Culture & Values**: Described as a community that cares about much more than cars. Core values include “Create new roads” (innovation), “Take the wheel” (ownership), and “Be humble” (ego-free teamwork). Features employee-led D&I, LGBTQ+, and Women’s committees. - **Hybrid Work**: London office operates on a **hybrid schedule**. Employees can also **work from Europe for up to 4 weeks a year**. - **Dog-Friendly**: Dogs welcome in the London office on Mondays and Fridays. - **Perks & Benefits**: - Financial: Employee stock option scheme, generous pension, save 40% on a new electric car. - Wellness: Comprehensive BUPA private health insurance, 24/7 Employee Assistance Program. - Family: Generous maternity/paternity leave, nursery fee coverage. - Office Life: Communal lunches, themed breakfasts, sea views in Brighton, and regular social events. - **Engineering Culture**: With ~400 people and a focus on data and AI, the engineering and product teams are central to the business. Current openings include a Principal Generative AI Engineer and Executive Assistant to the CPO, signaling a high-priority product organisation. ## Sources 1. [motorway.co.uk](https://motorway.co.uk/about) 2. [careers.motorway.co.uk](https://careers.motorway.co.uk/) 3. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/motorway) 4. [uk.linkedin.com](https://uk.linkedin.com/company/motorway-online-ltd.) ## Other roles at Motorway - [Principal Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-engineer-motorway-london-t4egc687fcwx) — London, United Kingdom - [Customer Escalations Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/customer-escalations-specialist-motorway-brighton-js54tw2sgp0b) — Brighton, United Kingdom - [Android Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/android-engineer-motorway-london-t16mftqsrw11) — London, United Kingdom - [Senior Developer Experience Security Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-developer-experience-security-engineer-motorway-london-zskb8ys7ya8v) — London, United Kingdom - [Senior Developer Experience Platform Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-developer-experience-platform-engineer-motorway-london-s7pt4dna4a3s) — London, United Kingdom - [Interim Head of Financial Control (3-6 month contract)](https://feeny.ai/job/interim-head-of-financial-control-3-6-month-contract-motorway-london-v35vpgjm6fj5) — London, United Kingdom - [Business Development Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-specialist-motorway-brighton-vmdbsyywdjzy) — Brighton, United Kingdom - [Head of Financial Control](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-financial-control-motorway-london-34hmfwhbszfa) — London, United Kingdom - [Quality Assurance Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/quality-assurance-specialist-motorway-brighton-v2d5dnk37n16) — Brighton, United Kingdom - [Senior Android Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-android-engineer-motorway-london-v7dcv68jxd3d) — London, United Kingdom