What does a parts coordinator do?
A parts coordinator usually works at retail establishments and warehouses where they are primarily in charge of coordinating with suppliers and vendors to maintain an adequate supply of materials and spare parts. They are also responsible for managing backorders, overseeing shipments and deliveries, maintaining records, and supervising operations to ensure that all issues get resolved in a timely and efficient manner. Moreover, a parts coordinator may work directly with clients, assisting them by answering inquiries, providing price quotes, and updating them about their orders.
Parts coordinator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real parts coordinator resumes:
- Manage DIY services including battery installation, testing, wiper installs, etc.
- Create requisition for AOG parts in AAR's system TRAX.
- Move back to Lexington as an expediter shipping parts to vendors.
- Develop relationships with personnel from other Chrysler dealerships to participate in a mutually beneficial parts purchase and delivery co op.
- Deliver items to customers, whether they are a dealership, bodyshop or regular customer.
Parts coordinator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Parts Coordinators are proficient in Customer Service, Purchase Orders, and Data Entry. They’re also known for soft skills such as Selling skills, Customer-service skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Parts Coordinators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 24%
Provided customer service, performed general office duties and entered documents on company computer system.
- Purchase Orders, 11%
Resolved purchase order problems and conduct follow-up activities as necessary to finalize and confirm purchase order transactions.
- Data Entry, 9%
Maintained the ordering and receiving of parts nationally and internationally; provided data entry; communicated with part vendors and customers
- Inventory Control, 6%
Maintained inventory control reducing inventory from 3million to under 1.4 million without hindering production needs.
- Parts Inventory, 5%
Ensured parts inventory was accurate and organized effectively.
- Cycle Counts, 4%
Performed daily/weekly cycle counts and adjusted inventory records as necessary.
"customer service," "purchase orders," and "data entry" are among the most common skills that parts coordinators use at work. You can find even more parts coordinator responsibilities below, including:
Selling skills. The most essential soft skill for a parts coordinator to carry out their responsibilities is selling skills. This skill is important for the role because "retail sales workers must be persuasive when interacting with customers." Additionally, a parts coordinator resume shows how their duties depend on selling skills: "place orders for mechanics to caterpillar dealers and outside vendors. "
Customer-service skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling parts coordinator duties is customer-service skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "retail sales workers must be responsive to the wants and needs of customers." According to a parts coordinator resume, here's how parts coordinators can utilize customer-service skills in their job responsibilities: "monitored parts inventory levels, coordinated order fulfillment on customer shipments, handled & resolved customer issues to client's satisfaction. "
Math skills. parts coordinators are also known for math skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to parts coordinator responsibilities, because "retail sales workers must have the ability to calculate price totals, discounts, and change owed to customers." A parts coordinator resume example shows how math skills is used in the workplace: "analyzed and evaluated, quantitatively and qualitatively, the effectiveness of training programs in meeting established goals and objectives. "
The three companies that hire the most parts coordinators are:
- Caliber Collision91 parts coordinators jobs
- Gerber NCS
31 parts coordinators jobs
- ITW18 parts coordinators jobs
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Compare different parts coordinators
Parts coordinator vs. Timer
Parts runners are essential to the function of the parts department. They are responsible for either delivering the part of the automotive to customers or picking up the parts for a shop job. Their duties include picking up the payment for items ordered, delivering several automotive parts to different routes, and picking up parts needed to complete the automotive repair. Also, they pick up returned items from clients, examine the parts to match the parts sold to them, and provide the customer with the return receipt. In addition, parts runners maintain the vehicle used for the delivery.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, parts coordinator responsibilities require skills like "purchase orders," "data entry," "inventory control," and "parts inventory." Meanwhile a typical timer has skills in areas such as "sales floor," "mowing," "windows," and "database systems." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that timers earn slightly differ from parts coordinators. In particular, timers are 10.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a parts coordinator. Additionally, they're 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Parts coordinator vs. Parts department supervisor
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, parts coordinator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "data entry," "phone calls," "repair orders," and "logistics." Meanwhile, a parts department supervisor has duties that require skills in areas such as "safety procedures," "parts counter," "delivery truck," and "warehouse operations." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, parts department supervisors achieve similar levels of education than parts coordinators. They're 0.0% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Parts coordinator vs. Parts sales person
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, parts coordinators are more likely to have skills like "purchase orders," "data entry," "repair orders," and "warranty claims." But a parts sales person is more likely to have skills like "basic math," "parts counter," "automotive knowledge," and "sales contracts."
Parts sales people typically earn similar educational levels compared to parts coordinators. Specifically, they're 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Parts coordinator vs. Parts runner
Types of parts coordinator
Updated January 8, 2025
