F&I positions
7 positions, each with what the role does, when a store needs it, what it pays and one flat fee per hire.
The F&I office earns a large share of a store's variable gross and carries most of its compliance risk. The right F&I manager gets more deals bought, presents products the customer understands and keeps every file clean.
How to pick the right level
- Most stores run one F&I manager for about every 60 to 80 deals a month.
- Add an F&I assistant or funding specialist when contracts in transit age past a few days.
- A special finance manager builds subprime volume the regular F&I office turns away.
- F&I directors and compliance managers fit large stores and groups with several F&I offices.
Every level, what it pays and the fee
F&I Assistant
$1,500 per hirePrepares contracts, gathers stipulations and supports the F&I managers so deals fund faster.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $38,990 to $54,480 a year.
Funding Specialist
$1,500 per hireClears contracts in transit, chases stipulations and makes sure lenders fund every deal.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $38,990 to $54,480 a year.
F&I Compliance Manager
$5,500 per hireAudits deal files and F&I practices against federal and state rules, and trains the team on them.
When a store needs it: Dealer groups. Pay: $82,110 to $110,400 a year.
Special Finance Manager
$10,000 per hireGets credit-challenged customers approved, working subprime lenders and building a special finance pipeline.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $65,410 to $164,070 a year.
F&I Manager
$10,000 per hireCompliant finance managers who hold product penetration and PVR.
When a store needs it: Every store. Pay: $106,000 to $233,040 a year.
F&I Director
$15,000 per hireLeads the F&I office: product menus, lender relationships, compliance and per-unit income.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $138,970 to $313,950 a year.
Group F&I Director
$15,000 per hireSets F&I products, pricing, training and compliance across a dealer group.
When a store needs it: Dealer groups. Pay: $208,030 to $313,950 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.