Assistant Manager [Bearden]

Harper Volkswagen; Knoxville (TN); On-site; USD 37,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

401(k) Plan

Employer‑Paid Life Insurance

Paid Holidays

Paid Vacation

Paid Sick Time

Opportunities for Advancement

Healthy Work/Life Balance

Job summary

Harper Auto Wash in Knoxville is seeking a hands‑on Assistant Manager to lead people, elevate operations, and grow membership at our Bearden location. You will manage daily tunnel and Finish Lane tasks, coach a frontline team, and drive profitability while maintaining a premium guest experience.

The role requires strong leadership, operations discipline, and a safety‑first mindset in a fast‑paced retail car wash environment. Competitive benefits and growth opportunities are offered.

Qualifications

• Experience leading front-line teams in retail, car wash, automotive, or service operations.
• A coaching mindset: consistent feedback, fair discipline, and a track record of growing people into leaders.
• Operational discipline and a safety‑first approach; standards, checklists, and clean, guest‑ready facilities.
• Sales energy with integrity; confidence guiding guests to the right plan and modeling premium service.
• Comfortable with tools/ladders and basic mechanical troubleshooting (we’ll train on the specifics).
• Clear communication, strong judgment, and follow‑through in a fast‑moving environment.

Responsibilities

• Run a tight ship: keep the tunnel, vacuums, grounds, lounge, restrooms, and exterior spotless and guest‑ready all day; ensure pay stations and systems run smoothly.
• Own results: Hit labor‑efficiency targets (cars-per-labor-hour; CPLH), schedule smartly, and keep labor, chemical, utilities, and repair costs on plan.
• Grow the top line: Increase car count, drive Unlimited Pass sales, and execute promos.
• Protect the brand: Reduce re‑cleans and prevent damage with strong QC and loading procedures; maintain a 4.5+ Google rating through proactive feedback follow‑up and recovery.
• Lead & develop a team: Coach, cross‑train, and motivate Customer Experience (CX) Champions; foster a positive, accountable, safety‑first culture.
• Keep us running: Troubleshoot equipment, execute daily/weekly/monthly PM, and coordinate vendor/tech support to maximize up‑time.
• Admin that matters: Build people‑first schedules aligned to CPLH and P&L goals, approve time‑cards/breaks, submit payroll, complete checklists, and file daily/weekly reports on time.
• Model operational mastery (Tunnel & Finish Lane): Vehicle handling & safety, interior cleaning flow, time‑to‑clean targets.

Job description

Join Knoxville's Luxury Car Wash

Harper Auto Wash (4 locations + 3 in development) delivers a clean, safe, friendly, and premium customer experience—outside in our express wash tunnel and inside with our Finish Lane interior cleaning service. We’re hiring a hands‑on Assistant Manager to lead people, elevate operations, and grow membership at our Bearden location!

What you’ll do

• Run a tight ship: Keep the tunnel, vacuums, grounds, lounge, restrooms, and exterior spotless and guest‑ready all day; ensure pay stations and systems run smoothly.

• Own results: Hit labor‑efficiency targets (cars-per-labor-hour; CPLH), schedule smartly, and keep labor, chemical, utilities, and repair costs on plan.

• Grow the top line: Increase car count, drive Unlimited Pass sales, and execute promos.

• Protect the brand: Reduce re‑cleans and prevent damage with strong QC and loading procedures; maintain a 4.5+ Google rating through proactive feedback follow‑up and recovery.

• Lead & develop a team: Coach, cross‑train, and motivate Customer Experience (CX) Champions; foster a positive, accountable, safety‑first culture.

• Keep us running: Troubleshoot equipment, execute daily/weekly/monthly PM, and coordinate vendor/tech support to maximize up‑time.

• Admin that matters: Build people‑first schedules aligned to CPLH and P&L goals, approve time‑cards/breaks, submit payroll, complete checklists, and file daily/weekly reports on time.

• Model operational mastery (Tunnel & Finish Lane):

  • Vehicle handling & safety: Demonstrate and train proper loading (clear gestures, eye contact, confirm Neutral, truck‑bed/roof‑rack checks, use emergency stop and NoPileUps System when needed), and front/rear brush and foam gun prep.

  • Interior cleaning flow (Finish Lane): Set standards for team‑based cleaning (windows, dash/cup holders, vacuuming, tire shine/wheel wipe), QA (No Drive Off Without Sign Off), and time‑to‑clean targets.

What you’ll bring

• Experience leading front‑line teams in retail, car wash, automotive, or service operations.

• A coaching mindset: consistent feedback, fair discipline, and a track record of growing people into leaders.

• Operational discipline and a safety‑first approach; standards, checklists, and clean, guest‑ready facilities.

• Sales energy with integrity; confidence guiding guests to the right plan and modeling premium service.

• Comfortable with tools/ladders and basic mechanical troubleshooting (we’ll train on the specifics).

• Clear communication, strong judgment, and follow‑through in a fast‑moving environment.

Physical & schedule requirements

• On your feet 6–10 hours per day; bending, stooping, ladder work; lift/carry up to 75 lbs as needed.

• Work indoors/outdoors in changing weather.

• Availability on weekdays, weekends, and some holidays based on business needs.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

• 401(k) Plan

• Employer‑Paid Life Insurance

• Paid Holidays

• Paid Vacation

• Paid Sick Time

• Opportunities for Advancement

• Healthy Work/Life Balance

Eligibility

• Valid Driver’s License

• Ability to pass a drug screening per company policy

Success looks like

• Profitability: Hitting CPLH and cost targets while growing volume and memberships.

• Customer satisfaction: 4.5+ reviews, fast recovery, and a consistently premium experience.

• Team leadership: A fully cross‑trained team, high engagement, and a ready bench for promotions.

• Operational excellence: Safe loading, clean site, on‑time, preventative maintenance & checklist compliance, and minimal downtime.

Reporting

• Reports to: Store Manager

• Direct reports: Supervises staff during assigned shifts

Pay & perks

• Competitive pay‑rate, $18.00-21.00/hr. with a clear growth path in a fast‑growing local brand.

• Health & wellness benefits, uniforms, and training.