Collision center positions
12 positions, each with what the role does, when a store needs it, what it pays and one flat fee per hire.
A dealership collision center lives on cycle time and insurance relationships. Body, frame and paint technicians produce the work; estimators, parts coordinators and production managers keep it moving and paid.
How to pick the right level
- Hire technicians in pairs with painters so the paint booth is not the bottleneck.
- An estimator frees the manager to run production and insurer relationships.
- A production manager fits shops with more vehicles in process than the manager can track.
- A collision director leads several collision centers across a group.
Every level, what it pays and the fee
Collision Customer Service Representative
$1,500 per hireKeeps collision customers and insurers updated from estimate to delivery.
When a store needs it: Stores with a body shop. Pay: $35,590 to $49,710 a year.
Collision Parts Coordinator
$1,500 per hireOrders and tracks parts for every collision repair so jobs are not held up.
When a store needs it: Stores with a body shop. Pay: $36,140 to $60,310 a year.
Paint Prep Technician
$1,500 per hireSands, masks and primes vehicles so the painter can spray.
When a store needs it: Stores with a body shop. Pay: $37,310 to $44,790 a year.
Auto Glass Technician
$2,500 per hireReplaces windshields and glass, often paired with camera recalibration.
When a store needs it: Stores with a body shop. Pay: $36,860 to $65,000 a year.
Collision Technician
$3,500 per hireRepairs body damage, replaces panels and restores vehicles to factory condition.
When a store needs it: Stores with a body shop. Pay: $46,120 to $65,200 a year.
Collision Estimator
$3,500 per hireWrites collision estimates and negotiates repairs with insurance companies.
When a store needs it: Stores with a body shop. Pay: $65,050 to $91,880* a year.
Auto Body Painter
$5,500 per hireMatches colors and refinishes repaired vehicles to a factory-quality finish.
When a store needs it: Stores with a body shop. Pay: $51,590 to $93,730 a year.
Paintless Dent Repair Technician
$5,500 per hireRemoves dents and hail damage without paint, for collision, used recon and the sales lot.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $52,040 to $94,980 a year.
Collision Production Manager
$5,500 per hireSchedules repairs through body, paint and reassembly and manages cycle time.
When a store needs it: Stores with a body shop. Pay: $62,350 to $118,390 a year.
Frame Technician
$5,500 per hireMeasures and straightens frames and unibodies on structural collision repairs.
When a store needs it: Stores with a body shop. Pay: $65,200 to $94,980 a year.
Collision Center Manager
$7,500 per hireRuns the body shop's people, insurance relationships, cycle time and profit.
When a store needs it: Stores with a body shop. Pay: $118,390 to $151,070 a year.
Collision Director
$10,000 per hireLeads several collision centers and their insurance partner programs.
When a store needs it: Dealer groups. Pay: $132,700 to $219,560 a year.
About store size and pay
Store size guidance reflects how dealerships typically staff as they grow, drawn from our 25 years inside dealerships and recruiting for them since 2012. Every store is different, so we confirm the right level on your intake call.
- Every store: Any franchised or independent dealership
- Mid-size stores: About 100 or more new and used retail units a month, or 50 or more employees
- Large stores: About 250 or more units a month, or 150 or more employees
- Dealer groups: About 3 to 10 rooftops
- Large dealer groups: 10 or more rooftops
- Stores with a body shop, stores with in-house financing and specialty dealers: roles that depend on the business, not its size
Pay bands are what people in each role earn at automobile dealers, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025), including commissions and bonuses. Most bands run from the 25th to the 75th percentile; senior levels use the upper range of the same occupation. A band marked * uses all-industry figures because BLS does not report that role for auto dealers.