How To Become An Automotive Services Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is an automotive services manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

An automotive services manager is at the side of every customer that comes in because their precious chariot has started making rattling noises. They ensure that every vehicle is taken care of, whether by taking care of the repair themselves or managing the team of repair staff.

The automotive services manager ensures that the services team does their work efficiently and with care. They also take care of the logistical aspects of running the shop, such as managing the payroll, following OSHA regulations, and obtaining repair supplies from vendors. An automotive services manager sometimes acts as the face of the shop and greets customers, making sure that they have a pleasant experience.

An automotive services manager needs to have experience working with cars; however, often, that knowledge doesn't always come from formal education. Only 22% of automotive services managers have bachelor's degrees. Many have trade school degrees and extensive experience in customer service and the automotive industry.

ScoreAutomotive Services ManagerUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $50,282

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.3

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.24%

Asian 2.10%

Black or African American 8.22%

Hispanic or Latino 15.72%

Unknown 4.50%

White 68.21%

Gender

female 8.61%

male 91.39%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress level

9.3

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an automotive services manager

Explore automotive services manager education requirements

Most common automotive services manager degrees

Associate

33.6 %

Bachelor's

31.2 %

High School Diploma

22.0 %

Start to develop specific automotive services manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Complaints	23.63%
Strong Customer Service	11.71%
Repeat Business	7.56%
Quality Service	7.44%
Customer Inquiries	7.28%

Complete relevant automotive services manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New automotive services managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an automotive services manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real automotive services manager resumes.

Research automotive services manager duties and responsibilities

Manage all aspects of the Chrysler automotive service department.
Manage vendor relationships to include outsource contracted services, contractors and maintain establish SLA's as needed.
Manage employees and make sure the store and sales and orders go smoothly and run up to operation.
Lead all Chrysler service departments to 5-Star rating in 2000 (no stores have qualified in 15 years prior).

Prepare your automotive services manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your automotive services manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an automotive services manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable automotive services manager resume templates

Build a professional automotive services manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your automotive services manager resume.