Senior Parts Specialist

Changan Automobile; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Changan Automobile seeks a strategic Parts & Supply Chain Manager to build the Australian parts business, forecast demand, manage warehousing and coordinate logistics with Head Office, dealers and suppliers. The role will drive inventory health, policy development and dealer performance while improving profitability and service levels across the Australian network.

The position requires strong analytical capability, Excel proficiency and cross-functional collaboration, with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant professional experience in automotive parts or aftersales.
• Australian local experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of automotive parts operations and supply chain.
• Experience with demand forecasting, inventory management, warehousing and logistics.
• Strong Excel skills and advanced data analysis.
• Excellent written and spoken English; willingness to travel.

Responsibilities

• Build and operate the Australian parts business framework.
• Develop parts demand forecasts for the Australian market.
• Manage Australian parts warehousing operations and inventory records.
• Oversee international parts logistics to Australia and domestic distribution.
• Support and manage dealer parts operations and commercial terms.
• Develop policies, incentives and compliance processes.
• Coordinate with Head Office, dealers, suppliers and logistics partners.
• Monitor KPIs like availability, inventory turnover, stock-out rate, profitability.

Skills

Analytical skills

Advanced Excel

Cross-functional communication

Problem solving

English proficiency

Tools

DMS

ERP

Job description

1. Australian Parts Business Development

• Build and operate the Australian parts business framework.
• Develop the overall parts business architecture, governance model and operating structure.
• Establish parts processes, standards, policies and operating mechanisms.
• Define responsibilities and interfaces between Head Office, the Australian business, warehouse/logistics providers, dealers and suppliers.
• Develop parts KPIs, reporting and performance management mechanisms.
• Continuously improve the operating model as vehicle parc and business volume grow.

2. Parts Demand Forecasting & Supply Planning

• Develop and maintain rolling parts demand forecasts for the Australian market.
• Forecast demand based on vehicle sales, vehicle parc, model mix, service intervals, historical consumption, failure rates and market activities.
• Align parts demand with vehicle sales plans and parc development.
• Develop purchasing, replenishment and inventory plans.
• Monitor Head Office production, procurement and shipment schedules.
• Identify critical parts, supply risks, shortages and potential excess inventory.
• Develop corrective actions for stock-outs, excess and obsolete inventory.

3. Warehouse & Inventory Management

• Manage Australian parts warehousing operations and warehouse capability development.
• Support warehouse location, operating model and implementation planning.
• Manage receiving, storage, picking, dispatch, returns and stocktaking processes.
• Ensure accurate inventory movement and inventory records.
• Establish safety stock, reorder points and inventory control parameters.
• Monitor inventory accuracy, value, structure, turnover and overall inventory health.
• Control shortages, excess, slow-moving and obsolete inventory.
• Manage third-party logistics warehouse providers where applicable.

4. Parts Logistics Management

• Manage international parts transportation from Head Office to Australia.
• Manage domestic distribution from ports/warehouse to dealers and authorised service providers.
• Monitor shipment schedules, delivery status and logistics exceptions.
• Coordinate logistics providers to resolve delays, loss, damage and other transportation issues.
• Monitor parts delivery performance and on-time delivery.
• Improve transportation efficiency, network design and logistics cost.
• Support the development of the Australian parts distribution network.

5. Dealer Parts Business Management

• Support and manage dealer parts operations.
• Establish and improve dealer parts ordering, sales and inventory processes.
• Manage parts sales agreements and relevant commercial terms.
• Monitor dealer purchasing, inventory and parts sales.
• Analyse dealer demand and inventory structure.
• Support dealers in maintaining appropriate inventory levels and parts availability.
• Monitor dealer parts KPIs and drive improvement actions.

6. Parts Policies & Dealer Incentive Mechanisms

• Develop, implement and continuously improve Australian parts policies.
• Establish rules and operating mechanisms covering parts ordering, inventory, supply and returns.
• Develop dealer incentive and control mechanisms based on relevant business performance.
• Manage the execution, calculation, settlement and effectiveness tracking of incentive programs.
• Monitor policy implementation and identify execution gaps.
• Drive corrective actions and ensure consistent implementation across the dealer network.

7. Parts Returns, Exchanges & Quality Management

• Manage parts returns and exchange processes.
• Review and track dealer return/exchange requests and abnormal parts.
• Coordinate with Head Office, suppliers and dealers on parts quality and supply issues.
• Analyse recurring quality, packaging and transportation issues.
• Follow up supplier and Head Office corrective actions.
• Support warranty parts and related claims processes.
• Ensure parts returns and related processes comply with company policies and applicable Australian requirements.

8. Head Office, Dealer & Local Supplier Coordination

• Coordinate with Head Office parts, procurement, supply chain, technical and quality teams.
• Work closely with Australian dealers and authorised service providers.
• Manage interfaces with local parts suppliers, warehouse providers and logistics partners.
• Resolve parts supply, pricing, quality, logistics and inventory issues.
• Establish early-warning mechanisms for critical parts supply risks.
• Escalate and resolve major supply interruptions and service-impacting risks.
• Ensure timely and stable parts supply to the Australian aftersales network.

9. Parts Commercial & Profitability Management

• Manage and optimise the Australian parts pricing structure and commercial terms.
• Analyse purchasing cost, logistics cost, warehousing cost and selling price.
• Monitor parts gross margin and profitability.
• Support pricing strategy and price adjustments by model, parts category, market demand and competitive environment.
• Analyse sales volume, product mix, margin and inventory investment.
• Identify low-margin, high-inventory and low-turnover areas and develop improvement actions.
• Balance parts availability, price competitiveness, inventory investment and business profitability.

10. Data Analysis & Management Reporting

• Manage parts business data and reporting.
• Analyse demand, purchasing, supply, inventory, sales and logistics performance.
• Monitor key KPIs including:
• Parts availability
• Inventory accuracy
• Inventory turnover
• Stock-out rate
• Inventory value
• Parts sales and gross margin
• Identify trends, abnormalities and potential risks.
• Prepare regular parts business analysis and management reports.

Qualifications & Experience

• 5+ years of relevant professional experience, including at least 3 years in automotive parts, automotive aftersales, automotive supply chain, dealer parts management or a related field.
• Australian local experience is preferred.
• Australian automotive industry or automotive parts experience is highly preferred.
• Experience with an automotive OEM, importer, dealer group, parts supplier or aftersales organisation.
• Strong understanding of automotive parts operations and the aftersales parts supply chain.
• Experience in demand forecasting, inventory management, warehousing and logistics.
• Experience in dealer parts management.
• Experience with supplier and third-party logistics management.
• Strong analytical skills and advanced Excel capability.
• Strong cross-functional communication and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to independently build and operate an Australian parts function.
• Strong ownership and execution capability.
• Good written and spoken English.
• Willingness to travel when required.

Preferred Experience

• Australian OEM/importer/dealer parts experience.
• Experience building a new parts operation or automotive brand from 0 to 1.
• Parts warehouse establishment or 3PL management.
• Dealer parts policies, incentives and commercial mechanisms.
• Parts demand forecasting and inventory optimisation.
• International import and Australian domestic logistics.
• Dealer parts sales and commercial management.
• DMS, ERP or automotive parts management systems.
• Familiarity with Australian automotive aftersales, warranty and consumer regulatory requirements.

Core Competencies

• Automotive Parts Expertise
• Parts Business Development
• Demand Forecasting & Supply Planning
• Inventory Management
• Warehouse & Logistics Management
• Dealer Parts Management
• Data Analysis
• Problem Solving
• Stakeholder Management
• Ownership & Execution

Key Success Measures

• Australian parts business structure, processes and governance successfully established.
• Stable and timely supply of critical parts.
• Healthy and accurate inventory with controlled stock-outs, excess and obsolete stock.
• Stable warehouse operations and reliable dealer delivery performance.
• Effective dealer parts ordering, inventory and policy management.
• Effective implementation of incentive and control mechanisms.
• Appropriate parts pricing, margin and inventory investment.
• Continuous improvement in parts business efficiency and profitability.