Spares Manager

Job Overview

An Automobile Showroom Spare Parts Manager directs the daily operations of the parts department, ensuring a steady supply of genuine automotive components for retail customers, workshop technicians, and wholesale accounts. This role balances inventory control, financial management, vendor relations, and team leadership to maximize dealership profitability and customer satisfaction.

Main Responsibilities

 Inventory Optimization: Maintain optimal stock levels of fast-moving and slow-moving parts to minimize carrying costs while preventing stockouts.

 Financial Performance: Drive department revenue, manage profit margins on parts sales, and control operating expenses.

 Team Leadership: Hire, train, supervise, and evaluate parts counter staff, warehouse personnel, and inventory clerks.

 Supplier Relations: Coordinate with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and authorized vendors for timely deliveries, warranty claims, and volume discounts.

 Customer & Service Support: Bridge the gap between the service workshop and retail buyers by fulfilling parts requisitions accurately and promptly.

Key Tasks & Daily Duties

1. Inventory & Warehouse Management

 Conduct regular physical cycle counts and annual comprehensive inventory audits to reconcile stock discrepancies.

 Identify obsolete or dead stock and implement clearance strategies (such as promotional discounts or returns to the manufacturer).

 Monitor bin locations, warehouse organization, and safety protocols to ensure proper storage and fast retrieval of heavy or fragile automotive parts.

2. Purchasing & Vendor Management

 Review automated inventory reports and place daily, weekly, or emergency stock orders with OEM suppliers.

 Negotiate pricing, credit terms, and delivery schedules with third-party vendors and aftermarket suppliers.

 Process core returns, freight damage claims, and warranty replacements efficiently to recover costs.

3. Sales & Customer Service

 Assist walk-in retail customers, insurance adjusters, and independent repair shops with part identification and pricing.

 Oversee wholesale accounts, providing quotes and managing B2B delivery schedules.

 Resolve customer complaints regarding incorrect parts, delayed shipments, or billing discrepancies professionally.

4. Workshop Support & Internal Coordination

 Coordinate closely with the Service Manager and master technicians to ensure repair orders are not delayed by missing parts.

 Issue parts to internal mechanics, logging transactions accurately into the dealership's Dealer Management System (DMS).

5. Administration & Reporting

 Generate weekly and monthly reports on sales volume, gross profit margins, inventory turnover rates, and lost sales (unfilled requests).

 Ensure compliance with manufacturer standards, environmental regulations regarding hazardous materials (like batteries, oils, and refrigerants), and local safety laws.

Qualifications & Requirements

 Experience: 3 to 5 years of experience in automotive parts management, inventory control, or service operations, preferably within a franchised dealership environment.

 Technical Knowledge: Deep understanding of automotive components, accessories, part numbering systems, and mechanical diagrams.

 Software Skills: Proficiency in specialized Dealer Management Systems (DMS) such as SAP, CDK Global, Reynolds and Reynolds, or Dealertrack, alongside strong spreadsheet capabilities (Excel).

 Soft Skills: Strong negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving abilities, coupled with effective leadership and communication skills.