Director of Service

Director of Service

The Dobbs Truck Group is a growth company that successfully expands our operations and customer base through a high-quality team of employees. Dobbs Truck Group operates 25 commercial truck dealerships through two operating companies – Dobbs Peterbilt and Western Truck Center. These dealerships represent some of the best commercial truck brands including Peterbilt, Volvo, Mack, Autocar, and Hino and include locations in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington.

We offer a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, life insurance, and 401(k), as well as paid vacation and sick leave. Our Company is looking for long-term employees that we can invest in and grow with as we pursue our mission of being the premier commercial truck dealer group.

The Director of Service is responsible for providing leadership, oversight, and execution support for Service and Body operations across assigned dealership locations. This position supports the VP of Service in carrying out company service strategy, business plans, operational standards, customer service expectations, employee development initiatives, warranty processes, safety practices, and financial performance objectives. Frequent travel to assigned dealership locations, company meetings, customer or vendor meetings, and other business-related activities is expected as part of this role. The VP of Service retains enterprise-level strategic direction, final approval, and overall accountability for service performance, while the Director of Service helps translate that direction into consistent operational execution across assigned locations.

The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Performance and Business Planning

• Support the VP of Service in the development and execution of Service and Body business plans, including revenue objectives, gross profit targets, expense controls, capital planning inputs, labor rate recommendations, and market competitiveness analysis.
• Monitor Service and Body financial performance across assigned locations, review plan-versus-actual results, identify variances, and work with regional and store leadership to develop corrective action plans aligned with VP of Service direction.
• Drive execution support for gross profit improvement, net profit awareness, technician productivity, overtime control, work in process management, expense discipline, and service capacity utilization within assigned areas of responsibility.

Operational Standards and Execution

• Support the development, communication, implementation, and reinforcement of operating standards established by the VP of Service, including work order management, repair cycle time, estimate accuracy, scheduling, shop throughput, service advisor processes, and customer communication.
• Ensure assigned locations understand and execute against OEM certification requirements, facility standards, tooling expectations, safety practices, environmental requirements, and company operating procedures, escalating gaps or resource needs to the VP of Service as appropriate.
• Promote consistent use of OEM, supplier, dealer management, and reporting systems to support reporting discipline, operational visibility, and informed decision making by store, regional, and executive leadership.

Customer Experience and Market Growth

• Support the VP of Service and store leadership in improving customer experience by helping ensure disputes, escalations, communication concerns, and service recovery opportunities are addressed in a professional and timely manner.
• Review customer satisfaction feedback, operational data, and field input to identify trends, recommend actions, and support execution of customer retention and service quality improvements approved by leadership.
• Collaborate with sales, parts, marketing, and store leadership to support local execution and awareness of service capabilities, truck care programs, engine certification capabilities, mobile service opportunities, and hours of operation consistent with company strategy.

People Leadership and Technician Development

• Provide leadership, coaching, and execution support to Service and Body leadership teams across assigned locations, helping ensure alignment with VP of Service expectations and company operating priorities.
• Assist the VP of Service, Human Resources, regional leadership, and store management with recruiting, selection, onboarding, retention, succession planning, and performance management activities for key service leadership and technician roles.
• Support implementation of technician training, OEM education, apprentice development, productivity improvement, and proficiency growth programs in alignment with direction established by the VP of Service, company leadership, and manufacturer expectations.
• Reinforce professional communication, accountability, customer focus, teamwork, and continuous improvement within Service and Body operations, ensuring store-level behaviors support broader service department objectives.

Warranty, Compliance, and Continuous Improvement

• Work with the Warranty Manager, vendors, OEM representatives, and store teams to support accurate and timely warranty claim submission, follow-up, and collection in accordance with manufacturer requirements, company processes, and priorities established by the VP of Service.
• Identify process improvement opportunities, provide recommendations to the VP of Service, and help implement approved best practices that support customer satisfaction, financial performance, technician efficiency, and operational consistency.

Minimum Job Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, operations, transportation, management, or a related field preferred; equivalent combination of education, leadership experience, and relevant service operations experience may be considered.
• Ten or more years of progressive experience in commercial truck, dealership service, heavy-duty repair, fleet maintenance, transportation, or a related service operations environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading or supporting service department operations, including financial performance follow-up, KPI review, employee development, customer service processes, safety, warranty administration, and operational improvement initiatives.
• Prior experience managing, coaching, or influencing service managers, body shop managers, foremen, advisors, warranty personnel, or technician teams in support of consistent execution and accountability.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently to dealership locations and other business-related destinations as needed to support operational execution, leadership alignment, customer support, and company initiatives.

Desired Job Qualifications

• Experience supporting multi-location service operations within a commercial truck dealership group, heavy-duty repair network, fleet maintenance organization, or transportation service environment.
• Strong working knowledge of service department financial drivers, including revenue, gross profit, labor sales, effective labor rate, technician productivity, efficiency, WIP management, expense control, overtime, and operating budget concepts.
• Familiarity with OEM standards, warranty guidelines, dealer management systems, labor operation processes, KPI reporting, operational scorecards, and service performance review routines.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, dealer management systems, OEM systems, and business reporting tools used to review performance, identify trends, and support follow-up actions.
• Effective communication, organization, coaching, collaboration, change management, problem solving, and follow-through skills, with the ability to influence store and regional leaders without assuming VP-level final authority.

Mental Capability Requirements

• Comprehension: Ability to understand service operations, financial performance, customer concerns, employee matters, OEM requirements, and store-level challenges; evaluate multiple viewpoints; and help align teams around practical solutions consistent with VP of Service direction.
• Organization: Ability to manage multiple priorities across assigned locations, follow up on action items, support operating routines, coordinate with store and regional leaders, and maintain focus on key service department objectives.
• Reasoning and Decision Making: Ability to assess operational issues, interpret available data, identify root causes, recommend corrective actions, and make timely decisions within assigned authority while escalating strategic, financial, or high-risk matters to the VP of Service.
• Communication: Ability to communicate clearly with executive leadership, store leaders, employees, OEM representatives, vendors, and customers; prepare operational summaries, performance updates, recommendations, and presentations that support decision making and consistent execution.
• Mathematics and Analysis: Ability to review and interpret service department financials, KPI reports, warranty trends, technician productivity, labor sales, WIP, overtime, forecasted workload, and other operational data to support recommendations and follow-up actions.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, use hands and arms to handle or feel objects, tools or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, talk or hear, and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities