Service management positions
5 positions, each with what the role does, when a store needs it, what it pays and one flat fee per hire.
Service and parts can cover most of a store's overhead, and the service manager decides whether they do. Large stores split the work under a service director; fixed operations directors run service, parts and collision together for a store or a group.
How to pick the right level
- Every store needs a service manager who owns hours, effective labor rate and retention.
- An assistant service manager fits drives with four or more advisors.
- A service director leads a large service operation with several managers.
- A fixed operations director owns service, parts and collision together; group directors set the standard for every store.
Every level, what it pays and the fee
Assistant Service Manager
$5,500 per hireRuns the drive day to day under the service manager: advisors, workflow and customer issues.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $84,420 to $118,390 a year.
Service Manager
$8,500 per hireFixed ops leaders who run the drive, the shop and the numbers.
When a store needs it: Every store. Pay: $118,390 to $151,070 a year.
Service Director
$10,000 per hireLeads a large service operation with several managers, often including quick lane and collision.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $89,970 to $219,560 a year.
Fixed Operations Director
$15,000 per hireOwns service, parts and collision together: absorption, technician retention and fixed gross.
When a store needs it: Large stores. Pay: $219,560 to $401,890 a year.
Group Fixed Operations Director
$15,000 per hireSets fixed operations strategy, pay plans and processes across a dealer group.
When a store needs it: Dealer groups. Pay: $219,560 to $401,890 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.
Related positions
Service drive positions · Shop operations positions · Reconditioning and detail positions · Lot and transport positions