Automotive Service Manager
Canton Ford – Canton, TX
Full-Time | Management | $75,000–$125,000 Annually
Lead the Service Department at Canton Ford
Canton Ford is seeking an experienced, driven, and people-focused Automotive Service Manager to lead our Service Department.
Compensation: $75,000–$125,000 annually, based on experience and performance.
This is a key leadership position responsible for the overall performance, profitability, customer experience, and culture of our service operation. We're looking for a leader who understands that a successful service department is built by taking care of customers, technicians, advisors, and the business.
Canton Ford combines the resources and opportunities of a Ford dealership with the hometown, family-style atmosphere of East Texas.
Position Summary
The Service Manager is responsible for the day-to-day leadership and performance of the Service Department, including technician productivity, service advisor performance, customer satisfaction, warranty compliance, expense control, employee development, and departmental profitability.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader who can build a team, establish accountability, improve processes, grow customer-pay business, and deliver an exceptional ownership experience.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, train, and develop Service Advisors, Technicians, and support personnel
- Establish clear performance expectations and hold team members accountable
- Drive Service Department sales, gross profit, and overall profitability
- Monitor technician productivity, proficiency, efficiency, and hours produced
- Manage shop capacity, workflow, scheduling, and repair-order dispatch
- Monitor Service Advisor performance, sales, customer communication, and closing effectiveness
- Maintain high levels of customer satisfaction and Ford customer experience performance
- Review department KPIs daily and take action when performance falls below expectations
- Increase customer-pay repair and maintenance business
- Improve customer retention and repeat service business
- Ensure timely and professional communication with customers
- Handle escalated customer concerns and work toward appropriate resolutions
- Recruit, onboard, train, and retain high-quality Service Department employees
- Conduct regular one-on-one coaching and performance discussions
- Partner with the Parts Department to improve shop efficiency and parts availability
- Work closely with dealership leadership to achieve overall dealership objectives
- Maintain compliance with Ford warranty policies and documentation requirements
- Ensure repair orders are complete, accurate, and properly documented
- Maintain a clean, professional, productive, and safe Service Department
- Ensure compliance with dealership policies and applicable safety requirements
- Control departmental expenses while maintaining appropriate staffing and service levels
Key Performance Indicators
The Service Manager will be expected to actively manage and improve key departmental metrics, including:
- Customer Satisfaction / Ford Experience Metrics
- Customer-pay labor sales
- Warranty labor sales
- Total labor gross profit
- Effective labor rate
- Technician productivity and efficiency
- Technician proficiency
- Hours per repair order
- Customer-pay repair order count
- Maintenance and repair sales
- Service Advisor performance
- Technician retention and turnover
- Customer retention
- Comebacks and repair quality
- Open repair orders and work-in-process aging
- Warranty compliance
- Departmental expense control
- Net departmental profitability
Leadership Expectations
At Canton Ford, the Service Manager is expected to be more than an administrator. This position requires an active leader who is visible in the department and engaged with employees and customers.
Our Service Manager should:
- Lead from the front
- Set clear expectations and consistently follow up
- Coach employees instead of simply managing numbers
- Recognize strong performance and address poor performance quickly
- Create accountability without creating unnecessary negativity
- Build relationships with technicians and Service Advisors
- Develop future leaders within the department
- Maintain a sense of urgency throughout the operation
- Make decisions based on both customer experience and sound business practices
- Communicate openly with dealership leadership
- Protect the reputation of Canton Ford in every customer interaction
Qualifications
- Previous automotive dealership Service Management experience strongly preferred
- Ford dealership experience preferred
- Strong understanding of dealership fixed operations
- Proven leadership and team-development abilities
- Working knowledge of technician productivity, labor gross, effective labor rate, and service department financials
- Strong understanding of dealership service processes and repair-order management
- Knowledge of manufacturer warranty procedures
- Strong customer-service and conflict-resolution skills
- Ability to analyze performance reports and use data to improve results
- Excellent communication and organizational skills
- Comfortable holding employees accountable to established expectations
- Ability to recruit, develop, motivate, and retain employees
- Valid driver's license and acceptable driving record
Compensation & Benefits
- $75,000–$125,000 annual compensation, based on experience and performance
- 401(k)
- Medical insurance available
- Dental insurance available
- Vision insurance available
- Life insurance available
- Career advancement opportunities
- Ford training and professional development opportunities
- Supportive dealership leadership
- Long-term career opportunity with a growing dealership
Canton Ford is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
