Parts department positions
11 positions, each with what the role does, when a store needs it, what it pays and one flat fee per hire.
The parts department feeds the shop, sells at the counter and, at many stores, runs a wholesale business to body shops. The right team keeps technicians from waiting and parts dollars from sitting on shelves.
How to pick the right level
- Every store needs parts advisors and a parts manager.
- Drivers, wholesale representatives and a wholesale manager build outside parts sales.
- Shippers, warehouse associates and an inventory specialist fit large parts departments.
- A parts director sets inventory and wholesale strategy across a group.
Every level, what it pays and the fee
Parts Driver
$500 per hireDelivers wholesale parts to body shops and repair shops and picks up returns.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $29,540 to $37,580 a year.
Parts Warehouse Associate
$1,500 per hirePicks, bins and stocks parts in a large parts department or group warehouse.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $34,270 to $44,440 a year.
Accessories Sales Specialist
$1,500 per hireSells accessories to sales and service customers and builds accessory packages for inventory.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $34,910 to $63,550 a year.
Parts Shipper and Receiver
$1,500 per hireReceives stock orders, ships wholesale orders and keeps the parts room accurate.
When a store needs it: Mid-size stores and up. Pay: $35,900 to $46,570 a year.
Parts Inventory Specialist
$1,500 per hireManages stock orders, obsolescence and returns so parts dollars are not wasted.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $39,090 to $55,040 a year.
Parts Advisor
$2,500 per hireCounter and wholesale parts people who keep the shop and the customers supplied. Full details for this position.
When a store needs it: Every store. Pay: $36,140 to $60,310 a year.
Assistant Parts Manager
$2,500 per hireRuns the parts counter day to day and covers for the parts manager.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $52,740 to $74,760 a year.
Wholesale Parts Representative
$3,500 per hireSells parts on the road to body shops and independent repair shops.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $42,540 to $103,790 a year.
Wholesale Parts Manager
$3,500 per hireBuilds wholesale parts sales to body shops and independents with a team of outside reps.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $64,580 to $97,500 a year.
Parts Manager
$5,500 per hireParts leaders who run inventory, obsolescence, wholesale and the counter.
When a store needs it: Every store. Pay: $64,090 to $126,920 a year.
Parts Director
$10,000 per hireSets parts inventory and wholesale strategy across a dealer group.
When a store needs it: Dealer groups. Pay: $126,920 to $323,010 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.