Service Manager Jobs
Service managers run the dealership service department, balancing technician productivity, customer satisfaction and shop profitability.
A service manager runs the shop's people, workflow and numbers, and takes the call when a customer or a technician is unhappy. Most arrive from the advisor desk or the shop floor, and employers look for what you did with comebacks, CSI and warranty, not just a title. Know how the bonus is built, because it often rests on numbers you only partly control.
Data as of October 20, 2026.
Open Service Manager positions
Also known as automotive service manager and dealership service manager.
No Open Service 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 Service Manager
You are in before the first advisor, comparing the schedule to the technicians who showed up. If two called out, you move work or push appointments before customers arrive. During the rush you stand at the drive and take the hard conversations. Technicians ask you about approvals, parts delays and pay, and advisors ask whether a goodwill adjustment is allowed.
Midday is numbers: open ROs, aged warranty claims, comebacks, sold hours against clocked hours. Weekly, you walk each advisor through their ROs. You are not writing ROs or turning wrenches most days, and you answer for every miss. It fits people who would rather build a shop where good technicians stay than fix the car themselves.
How to get in
Step Up from Service Advisor
You know the customers, the DMS and the ROs. Add dispatch, scheduling, technician pay and warranty. Ask your manager to hand you a week of the schedule and the aged warranty report, and keep a note of what you changed.
Step Up from Foreman or Lead Technician
The shop already listens to you. Your gaps are pricing, customers and reading a financial statement. In the interview, describe a hard customer call or a pay dispute you handled.
Start as an Assistant or Shift Manager
Larger stores and groups run assistant managers or a Saturday or night manager. You run a shift with a safety net. Ask who signs off on your decisions and what you must own by the end of year one.
Skills and credentials
Running the Shop
- Dispatch that fits sold hours to technician capacity.
- Reading technician efficiency, hours per RO and effective labor rate.
- Finding the cause of a comeback, not just fixing the car.
- Warranty documentation that survives rejection and audit.
People
- Coaching advisors on write-ups without taking over the drive.
- Giving technicians clear work, parts on time and a plan they can follow.
- Taking the customer once the advisor is out of options.
- Hiring and firing cleanly; check what your state and HR require.
Credentials and Tools
- No ASE test exists for managers; C1 or technician certifications show you know the work.
- Manufacturer service manager and CSI training, which varies by brand.
- The DMS reports, scheduler and warranty portal your store uses.
- Brand experience with years.
How the job is paid
Managers are usually salaried with a bonus, or paid a base plus a percentage of department gross or net. Others lean on CSI, retention or technician productivity. Ask what the bonus is calculated on, how often it pays, and what managers there actually earned.
Check what sits outside your control: chargebacks, a survey the manufacturer can change, labor rates and discounts someone else sets. There is no exact BLS occupation for service managers, so no official wage figure is shown here. Compare guarantee length, team size and whether the shop is fully staffed. A staffed shop on a modest plan often beats a short one on a big plan.
Build your AutoHire profile
- Headline the seat and brand, for example Service Manager, Ford, for title and brand searches.
- In work history, give the size of the team you led and the reports you ran the department from.
- Write duties as decisions: scheduling shortfalls, comebacks, warranty rejections, not the word manage.
- Add brand experience with years for each manufacturer, and list manufacturer training or ASE certifications you hold.
- Use the bio for one result in your own words, like fewer comebacks, and what you did to get it.
- If you would move for the right store, say so; employers can filter by willingness to relocate. Turn on open-to-work.
Interview questions to expect
- Q1
How do you cover the schedule when two technicians call out?
How to answerGive your order of work: which jobs are promised today, who can finish them, calls to customers whose times will slip, loaners or rides. Say who you tell and when.
- Q2
A warranty claim was rejected and the notes are thin. What do you do?
How to answerRead the reason code and RO, ask the technician for concern, cause and correction, resubmit with the warranty administrator, then fix what caused the thin notes.
- Q3
How do you coach an advisor with low hours per RO?
How to answerCheck whether inspections are done and shown, whether maintenance is offered at write-up, and the RO mix. Sit in on the drive and listen; do not just say sell more.
- Q4
A senior technician says the pay plan is unfair.
How to answerListen, pull the actual tickets and rate, and take it to the fixed operations director if the plan needs changing. Promise nothing you do not control.
- Q5
What do you need to know about this department?
How to answerTechnician and advisor count, the bonus basis, why the last manager left, and what the general manager expects in the first quarter.
Where the career goes
- 01
Fixed Operations Director
You lead service and parts together, answer for department profit and work with the general manager on staffing and budget.
- 02
Multi-store Group Role
Dealer groups promote strong managers to oversee several shops and train new managers. Expect travel.
- 03
General Manager Track
This needs sales and F&I exposure and an understanding of the financial statement. Ask whether the group supports cross-training.
Terms you will hear
- Capacity
- The labor hours the shop can produce based on technicians present and scheduled.
- Technician Efficiency
- Hours billed divided by hours clocked on repair orders.
- Effective Labor Rate
- Customer-pay labor sales divided by hours billed, after discounts and menu pricing.
- Chargeback
- A deduction by the manufacturer after an audit finds a warranty claim paid in error.
- Flat Rate
- Technicians are paid by the hours a job is worth, not the hours they spend.
- Goodwill
- Repair paid by the manufacturer or dealer as a courtesy outside normal coverage.
Service Manager jobs: questions job seekers ask
How do I become a service manager?
Most come from advisor, foreman or technician roles. Learn dispatch, scheduling and warranty, and take pieces of the job from your current manager.
Do service managers need to have been technicians?
No. Plenty came from the advisor desk. You need enough technical sense to ask a good question and be believed.
Is there an ASE certification for service managers?
No. ASE offers C1 for advisors and technician tests, nothing specific to managers.
How are service managers paid?
Usually salary plus a bonus on gross, net profit, CSI or productivity. Ask what it covers and how it has paid.
What should I check before taking a service manager job?
Technician count, turnover, how warranty is handled, who sets prices and why the last manager left.
Can a service manager become a general manager?
It is possible but needs sales and finance experience. Some groups support cross-training; ask.
Sources
- 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 Service Manager?
Post your opening on AutoHire and reach automotive professionals who are ready to work.