Shop/Service Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Shop / Service Manager
Buddy Isles Tire & Automotive Littleton, NC

Position Overview:
This is a hands-on shop and service leadership role. You run the floor and own the service experience from write-up through delivery. You keep work moving, jobs done right the first time, techs productive, and customers informed. You are the bridge between the bays and the front counter—technical resource, dispatcher, quality checkpoint, and the person who makes sure every vehicle leaves ready and every customer knows where they stand.

We work on a wide range of vehicles, trailers, fleet, and occasional RVs/campers. We are a one-stop shop. If you like variety, this is the place.

You report to ownership and serve as the shop/service manager day to day.

What Makes Our Shop Different:

• Established and trusted local business.
• Large, modern facility with strong car count.
• Supportive ownership and team culture.
• Opportunity to grow into leadership roles.
• Training available for the right person.
• Stable, long-term career opportunity.

Key Responsibilities:

Shop Operations & Workflow:

• Own daily shop-floor operations: dispatch repair orders, balance workload, and keep jobs on schedule.
• Assist technicians with diagnostics, complex repairs, and second opinions—including heating and A/C systems.
• Perform quality control on completed work before it goes back to the customer.
• Maintain a clean, organized, safe shop. Enforce shop protocols, PPE, and equipment care.
• Monitor technician productivity, efficiency, and clocked hours. Coach in real time.
• Source, quote, and order parts so jobs are not waiting on parts or overpaying for them.
• Oversee shop cleanliness and upkeep of company fleet vehicles.

Service Management & Customer Experience:

• Partner with Service Advisors on estimates, approvals, status updates, and job complexity so customers get clear, timely communication.
• Help keep repair orders accurate and complete (concerns, findings, authorizations, parts, times).
• Track work-in-progress and flag delays, comebacks, or capacity issues early.
• Support a high standard of first-time quality and customer satisfaction—not just “fixed,” but done right and explained well.
• Step in on difficult conversations or technical explanations when the counter needs backup.

Team Leadership:

• Lead from the floor: professionalism, work ethic, and technical skill.
• Mentor and train technicians on procedures, diagnostics, HVAC, and shop standards.
• Give informal coaching and feedback. Escalate performance or policy issues to ownership.
• Help onboard and evaluate prospective techs when needed.
• Run or support morning production meetings (Toolbox Talks) and other shop meetings.
• Promote a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement—no ego, no excuses.

Admin & Communication:

• Keep ownership informed on shop issues, staffing needs, process gaps, and equipment problems.
• Enforce shop policies and assist with corrective action when required.
• Cover shop leadership in the owners’ absence.

Qualifications:

• Proven experience as a lead technician, shop foreman, or service manager in a busy independent or multi-bay shop — required .
• Strong diagnostic and repair knowledge across general automotive (tires, brakes, suspension, engines, electrical, inspections) plus heating and A/C.
• Comfortable dispatching work, managing flow, and talking to both techs and customers.
• Clear communicator and problem-solver. High attention to detail and safety.
• Familiarity with shop management / estimating software (Tekmetric preferred) plus ALLDATA / Identifix or equivalent.
• ASE certifications or equivalent hands-on experience preferred (A7 Heating & Air Conditioning a plus).
• Must be able to work in a family-owned shop that values integrity, ownership, and going the extra mile—not just clocking in.

This role is for someone who can run the bays and keep the service side tight. If you only want to stay in the stall or only want a desk, this is not the fit.