Service Manager — Lead Shop Ops & Customer Experience

Wise Auto Group; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 78,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

401(k)

Job summary

Wise Auto Group is seeking a Service Manager to lead the Service Department, driving profitability, culture, workflow, and customer experience. This hands-on leadership role involves supporting customers, coaching advisors, managing workflow, and working with technicians to maximize productivity.

The ideal candidate will have 5+ years of progressive service leadership in a dealership, with a track record of building high-performing teams and delivering measurable results in a fast-paced

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive dealership service experience with leadership responsibility.
• Experience in motorcycle, powersports, automotive, RV, or similar dealership preferred.
• Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop a performance-driven team.
• Strong understanding of Service Department operations, workflow, and KPIs.
• Ability to manage productivity, dispatch, scheduling, and WIP.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, motivate, and hold accountable all Service Department personnel.
• Maintain a visible, hands-on leadership presence throughout the Service Department.
• Support Service Advisors with customer communication, estimating, selling service, scheduling, and difficult customer situations.
• Manage technician workflow and dispatch to maximize available shop capacity.
• Drive technician productivity with a baseline expectation of approximately 100% productivity, while developing strong performers toward higher levels.
• Monitor technician efficiency, flagged hours, billed hours, labor sales, effective labor rate, and labor gross profit.
• Maintain strong labor gross margins while remaining competitive in the market.
• Review and actively manage work-in-progress (WIP) every day.
• Identify stalled repair orders and eliminate unnecessary delays.
• Ensure appointments are properly scheduled and the shop is loaded appropriately based on technician capacity.
• Work closely with the Parts Department to improve parts availability, reduce technician downtime, and expedite customer repairs.
• Ensure repair orders accurately document customer concerns, approved repairs, recommendations, declined services, and technician findings.
• Promote a consistent inspection and recommendation process to identify current and future maintenance needs.
• Ensure customers receive clear communication regarding repair status, pricing, recommendations, and completion expectations.
• Create a culture where customers are greeted promptly, treated professionally, and viewed as long-term dealership relationships—not simply individual repair orders.
• Improve customer retention through consistent follow-up, future-service recommendations, and relationship building.
• Develop and execute strategies to increase customer-pay labor, maintenance business, accessory installation, tire sales, and service retention.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, train, and develop high-performing Service Advisors and Technicians.
• Conduct daily department huddles and regular individual coaching.
• Establish clear performance expectations and address performance issues quickly and professionally.
• Monitor department staffing levels and ensure staffing appropriately supports workload.
• Maintain a clean, safe, organized, and professional shop environment.
• Ensure dealership policies, manufacturer procedures, warranty requirements, and safety standards are followed.
• Review departmental reports and KPIs daily, weekly, and monthly.
• Manage departmental expenses and performance in alignment with dealership budgets and objectives.
• Ensure end-of-day documentation, reporting, repair order processing, technician flagging, and billing processes are completed accurately and on time.
• Work collaboratively with dealership leadership and other departments to improve overall dealership performance.

Skills

Service leadership

Motorcycle experience

Customer service

Communication

Leadership

Tools

Dealership management systems

CRM platforms

Microsoft Office

Job description

Wise Auto Group is seeking a Service Manager to lead the Service Department, driving profitability, culture, workflow, and customer experience. This hands-on leadership role involves supporting customers, coaching advisors, managing workflow, and working with technicians to maximize productivity.

The ideal candidate will have 5+ years of progressive service leadership in a dealership, with a track record of building high-performing teams and delivering measurable results in a fast-paced