Parts Manager Jobs
Parts managers oversee inventory and sales for the dealership parts department, supporting both the service shop and retail or wholesale customers.
A parts manager owns the department's stock, margin and service level to the shop and the counter. You are judged on whether technicians have the right part when they need it and whether the shelves earn their keep. Most come from the counter, so the new skills are buying, pricing and reading inventory.
Data as of October 20, 2026.
Open Parts Manager positions
Also known as dealership parts manager.
No Open Parts Manager Jobs Right Now
New openings are posted regularly. Browse every open role, or create a profile so employers can find you.
A day as a Parts Manager
Mornings start with overnight deliveries and the shop's first requests, while receiving, put-away and returns all move at once. You match back orders to ROs waiting on them and call another dealer when a warranty job needs a part today. A late part stalls a bay, and the shop will tell you.
Later you review what sold and what did not, special orders waiting on customers, cores waiting for credit and wholesale accounts running late. A wrong-part return can miss its window and cost credit. You count a section of shelves and go over numbers with the fixed operations director. It suits you if you can tell a technician no on a part that will not sell.
How to get in
Work Up from the Counter
The usual route is driver or stocker, counter associate, parts advisor, then assistant or manager. Learn special orders and returns, then ask to place a stock order under supervision and note what it changed.
Move Over from the Service Side
Technicians and advisors know what the shop needs. You will need inventory, pricing matrix and accounts. Start at the counter so your parts counter experience starts counting toward ASE.
Come from Another Parts Business
Retail, wholesale and heavy-truck parts teach buying and accounts. Dealerships add manufacturer rules on returns, stocking and pricing, so name what you would study for the new brand's program.
Skills and credentials
Inventory and Buying
- Reading sales history to decide what to stock and what to special order.
- Cycle counts that keep system quantities honest.
- Cores, supersessions and back orders handled before the shop waits.
- The manufacturer's stock order, return and obsolescence rules.
Counter and Accounts
- Fast service for technicians without losing fitment accuracy.
- Wholesale accounts, pricing matrix and collecting from slow payers.
- Settling a wrong-part dispute without blame.
- Coaching counter staff on VIN lookups.
Credentials and Systems
- ASE P2 Automobile Parts Specialist, or P1 for trucks, with 2 years of parts counter experience.
- The DMS parts module, electronic catalogs and ordering portal.
- Brand experience with years on the manufacturer's parts program.
- Pay types: customer-pay, warranty, internal.
How the job is paid
Parts managers are often salaried with a bonus, or paid a base plus a percentage of department gross profit. Some plans reward inventory turn or fill rate and take from the bonus for obsolete stock. Ask what drives the number and who sets the matrix.
Look at what you inherit. Old stock, late wholesale accounts and a loose cycle count can drag your bonus before you fix anything. Ask for the last inventory report, aged receivables and return history. There is no exact BLS occupation for parts managers, so no official wage figure is shown here.
Build your AutoHire profile
- Headline it Parts Manager plus your brand so title and brand searches find you.
- Describe the department you ran in work history: counter staff, drivers, wholesale accounts, the shop you supplied.
- Put duties in countable terms: stock orders placed, cycle counts run, returns handled, core credits recovered.
- Add brand experience with years, and list ASE P2 or P1 under certifications if you hold them.
- Your bio is the place for one result, like clearing aged stock or tightening returns.
- Turn on open-to-work and watch notifications; a Spark points to a specific open job and arrives in the app and by email.
Interview questions to expect
- Q1
How do you decide what to stock?
How to answerUse last year's sales and frequency, how urgent the shop's need is, and what the manufacturer allows for returns. Special order slow movers and review regularly.
- Q2
A technician has the wrong part on the bench. What is your process?
How to answerCompare the RO, VIN and order to the part in hand, find where the miss happened, process the return within the window and fix the cause.
- Q3
How do you handle a late wholesale account?
How to answerCall the contact, check the terms, hold new credit if it stays unpaid, and involve the controller. Protect the relationship, but not at the cost of the account.
- Q4
What do you do with obsolete stock?
How to answerSee whether the manufacturer takes it back, offer it to wholesale customers, discount it, and write down the loss with the controller. Holding it hides the problem.
- Q5
What would you check in week one?
How to answerLast inventory count, aged receivables, return history, bonus formula and the counter staff's strengths. Say you would change nothing before reading them.
- Q6
How do you keep the shop from waiting on parts?
How to answerLook at tomorrow's appointments, order for known jobs, track back orders daily, and tell the service manager and advisors the moment a part is late.
Where the career goes
- 01
Fixed Operations Director
You oversee both departments, so learn service, warranty and labor pricing first.
- 02
Multi-store Parts Role
Groups sometimes put one manager over parts at several stores to centralize buying and returns, with more travel.
- 03
Manufacturer Field Role
A regional parts team advises dealers on stocking and programs, trading daily inventory for visits and audits.
Terms you will hear
- Inventory Turn
- How many times the stock sells and is replaced in a year.
- Obsolete Stock
- Parts that have not sold for a long time and may not be returnable.
- Special Order
- A part ordered for a specific job because it is not stocked.
- Core
- A used part returned for credit when a replacement is sold.
- Cycle Count
- A regular count of part of the inventory compared against the system.
- Matrix
- A pricing table that sets selling price by cost range and customer type.
- Stock Order
- A regular replenishment order that brings inventory back to target levels.
- Fill Rate
- The share of requests filled from stock at the moment they are made.
Parts Manager jobs: questions job seekers ask
How do I become a parts manager?
Most work up from driver, stocker or counter. Learn the catalog, special orders and returns, then take on ordering and counts.
Do I need ASE parts certification?
No. ASE offers P2 for automobiles and P1 for medium-heavy trucks, each needing 2 years of parts counter experience.
Is the GM parts certification still offered?
No. ASE retired the P4 General Motors Parts Consultant test after January 1, 2026.
What is the difference between a parts advisor and a parts manager?
An advisor works the counter and phones. A manager buys, prices, manages stock and people, and answers for results.
Do I need a technician background?
No, but vehicle knowledge helps you spot wrong-part requests. Counter experience matters more.
Is wholesale part of the job?
Often. Many dealers sell to independent shops, which adds volume and receivables to manage.
Sources
- ASE: Parts Specialist tests P1 and P2 (data as of October 20, 2026)
- ASE: Work experience requirements (data as of October 20, 2026)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (data as of October 20, 2026)
Data as of October 20, 2026.
Browse other roles
Browse jobs by city
Hiring a Parts Manager?
Post your opening on AutoHire and reach automotive professionals who are ready to work.