job description for service/parts director

[tom e.]

Can someone describe what they believe a job description for a service/parts director would be? I am interested in seeing what varying answers I would get from dealership to dealership.

[jargonaut]

I always thought of the service /parts director as the "big guy" in fixed operations who runs the whole show and quite often but not always has clear polish on his finger nails (not meant to be pejorative here, just a side observation on my part).
They usually also have total responsibility for what ever goes on in service.

[Ron P]

The Service/Parts director simply put... Is the backbone of any dealership... You have a good one and your on your way to success.. You have a bad one and your on your way to failure....

You can point a good one out in any store - He/She is the person that has the libne waiting to talk to them...

If you want a tachnical Job Descrition... One can be provided.. But simply... The "do-er" sort of covers it well..

[Ronc925]

The P&S director is the General Sales Manager of the Parts and Service departments. Responsible for overall operations and coordination of the 2 departments. This includes: process improvement & people management (efficiency), marketing and advertising planning (income), expense control (profitability), and customer retention (customer satisfaction).

I have found good parts and service directors follow this general guide.

He is not the "big guy" running the whole show. He is the coordinator of events and the motivator of the people under him. It's the people under him that get it done, if the person has good people under him.

And yes, it is all his responsibility in the end.

PS: A parts manager or service manager has the same functionaltiy, only focused in one area, Parts or Service.

[outlawjrj]

Well, after reading the question, I had to apply. I was for over 6 years a FOD for an automotive group with several stores around the country. The job was challenging to say the least, but travel will kill. I then transferred to a large store, but was hampered by the inability of the management staff to agree upon hiring experienced staff. Thus, I for the most part was regulated to service manager, which as you all know, does not allow much time do anything else. We averaged over 75 ROS per day, and all the opportunities that go along with it. I have since taken a step back to manage a parts department so as I can spend more time with my family. A lot less stress. The key would be to surround yourself with several key personnel, if allowed. I agree with RonC925 with his summary of the position. His statement:
"He is the coordinator of events and the motivator of the people under him. It's the people under him that get it done, if the person has good people under him. " is so very true.

[mmarvin]

My experiences with Service Directors has found them to be people who can expertly position themselves to take credit and dodge blame