Service & Parts Manager

Death Valley Harley-Davidson – Victorville, California

Department: Fixed Operations – Service & Parts
Reports To: General Manager
Job Type: Full-Time
Classification: Non-Exempt
Schedule: Tuesday–Saturday, 8:00 AM–6:00 PM
Compensation: $80,000–$150,000+ annually
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k)

Join the Team at Death Valley Harley-Davidson

Death Valley Harley-Davidson is looking for a high-performing, hands-on Service & Parts Manager who knows how to lead from the front, develop people, drive accountability, maximize profitability, and deliver an exceptional customer experience.

We are not looking for someone who simply manages reports from an office.

We are looking for a leader who takes ownership of both departments, understands the numbers, actively manages shop productivity and Parts inventory, develops employees, and creates a culture of urgency, teamwork, and accountability.

The right candidate understands that Service and Parts must operate as one team. Strong communication, efficient workflow, inventory management, and customer retention are critical to dealership profitability and long-term success.

If you thrive in a fast-paced dealership environment, enjoy building high-performing teams, and know how to turn strong processes into consistent results, we want to hear from you.

Position Summary

The Service & Parts Manager is responsible for the overall performance, profitability, operations, culture, and customer experience of both the Service and Parts Departments.

This position will lead Service Advisors, Technicians, and Parts personnel while working closely with Sales and dealership leadership to maximize labor sales, parts and accessory sales, shop productivity, inventory efficiency, and customer retention.

The Service & Parts Manager is expected to understand both departments' financial performance, identify opportunities, and take immediate action to improve results.

A key objective of this position is developing two high-performing departments capable of contributing toward a dealership goal of 80% or greater fixed absorption, while maintaining an exceptional customer experience.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Department Management

• Lead, coach, motivate, and hold accountable Service and Parts Department personnel.

• Maintain a visible, hands-on leadership presence in both departments.

• Establish clear performance expectations and measurable departmental goals.

• Conduct daily department huddles and regular individual coaching.

• Recruit, hire, onboard, train, and develop high-performing employees.

• Create a culture of teamwork, urgency, accountability, and exceptional customer service.

• Monitor staffing levels, scheduling, payroll, and departmental expenses.

• Review departmental financial statements, reports, and KPIs daily, weekly, and monthly.

• Develop and execute action plans to improve departmental profitability.

• Ensure Service and Parts operate collaboratively rather than as separate departments.

• Address operational and performance issues quickly and professionally.

Service Department Operations

• Oversee daily Service Department operations, technician workflow, scheduling, and dispatch.

• Support Service Advisors with customer communication, estimating, selling service, and resolving customer concerns.

• Maximize technician productivity with a baseline expectation of approximately 100% productivity, while developing strong performers toward higher levels.

• Monitor technician efficiency, flagged hours, billed hours, 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) daily.

• Identify stalled repair orders and eliminate unnecessary delays.

• Ensure shop scheduling and workload align with available technician capacity.

• Promote consistent motorcycle inspection processes and appropriate maintenance recommendations.

• Increase customer-pay labor, maintenance business, tire sales, accessory installations, and service retention.

• Ensure repair orders accurately document customer concerns, approved repairs, declined services, recommendations, and technician findings.

• Maintain accurate and timely technician flagging, repair order processing, and billing.

• Ensure compliance with manufacturer warranty procedures, dealership policies, and safety standards.

• Maintain a clean, safe, organized, and productive shop environment.

Parts Department Operations

• Oversee all Parts Department operations, including retail, internal, wholesale, and service-related parts sales.

• Lead, train, coach, and hold accountable Parts Department employees.

• Drive parts and accessory sales while maintaining strong gross profit margins.

• Manage inventory purchasing, stocking levels, replenishment, and inventory accuracy.

• Monitor inventory aging, obsolete inventory, slow-moving parts, and overall inventory turnover.

• Develop strategies to reduce aged and obsolete inventory while maintaining appropriate availability of fast-moving parts.

• Establish and maintain effective inventory controls, including cycle counts, physical inventory, and discrepancy resolution.

• Monitor parts special orders, backorders, receiving, returns, and manufacturer claims.

• Ensure parts are ordered, received, and distributed accurately and efficiently.

• Work closely with Service Advisors and Technicians to ensure parts availability and minimize technician downtime.

• Improve parts fill rates and reduce repair delays caused by unavailable or incorrectly ordered parts.

• Maximize accessory sales opportunities through collaboration with Sales and Service.

• Maintain accurate parts pricing, cost controls, and gross profit performance.

• Ensure Parts Department merchandising, displays, and customer-facing areas are clean, organized, and professional.

• Develop relationships with vendors and manufacturer representatives to improve purchasing efficiency and product availability.

• Identify opportunities to increase retail parts sales, accessory installations, and customer retention.

Fixed Operations Profitability & Performance

• Take ownership of the combined financial performance of Service and Parts.

• Understand departmental gross profit, expenses, net profitability, and contribution to fixed absorption.

• Develop strategies to grow customer-pay labor, parts sales, accessory sales, and service retention.

• Ensure effective coordination between Service and Parts to maximize shop efficiency.

• Identify operational inefficiencies and implement measurable improvements.

• Maintain appropriate inventory investment relative to sales demand.

• Review performance against budgets and departmental objectives.

• Collaborate with the General Manager to develop monthly and annual performance goals.

• Protect the customer experience while maximizing dealership profitability.

Key Performance Indicators

The Service & Parts Manager must be comfortable managing and improving performance in the following areas:

Service Performance

• Labor sales and labor gross profit

• Technician productivity and efficiency

• Flagged hours and billed hours

• Effective labor rate

• Hours per repair order

• Average repair order

• Shop capacity and utilization

• Work-in-progress aging

• Appointment show rate

• Repair cycle time

• Customer-pay versus warranty/internal labor mix

• Customer retention and satisfaction

Parts Performance

• Total parts and accessory sales

• Parts gross profit and gross margin

• Inventory turnover

• Inventory aging and obsolescence

• Inventory accuracy and shrinkage

• Parts fill rate

• Special-order and backorder management

• Retail versus internal parts sales

• Parts-to-labor sales performance

• Accessory sales and installation opportunities

• Inventory investment and purchasing efficiency

Combined Fixed Operations Performance

• Fixed absorption

• Combined departmental gross profit

• Departmental expenses

• Net profitability

• Employee productivity

• Customer retention

• Overall operational efficiency

What We Are Looking For

• 5+ years of progressive dealership Service and/or Parts experience, with prior leadership or management responsibility strongly preferred.

• Motorcycle, powersports, automotive, RV, or similar dealership experience preferred.

• Experience managing both Service and Parts Departments strongly preferred.

• Proven ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold employees accountable.

• Strong understanding of dealership Fixed Operations and the relationship between Service and Parts.

• Ability to manage technician productivity, dispatch, scheduling, shop loading, and WIP.

• Strong understanding of inventory management, purchasing, inventory aging, and parts profitability.

• Ability to read and understand departmental financial statements and operational reports.

• Strong understanding of labor sales, gross margins, effective labor rate, and departmental profitability.

• Comfortable using KPIs to identify opportunities and make operational decisions.

• Strong customer service, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.

• Excellent leadership, organizational, and time-management skills.

• Ability to create urgency while maintaining a positive and professional work environment.

• Experience with dealership management systems, CRM platforms, and digital communication tools preferred.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office or similar business applications.

• Passion for motorcycles and the Harley-Davidson brand and lifestyle strongly preferred.

• Valid driver's license required.

• Motorcycle endorsement preferred or willingness to obtain.

Leadership Expectations

The Service & Parts Manager at Death Valley Harley-Davidson is expected to:

• Lead from the front.

• Take full ownership of both departments and their results.

• Know what is happening in the shop and Parts Department throughout the day.

• Coach employees rather than simply manage them.

• Understand the numbers and take action when performance falls short.

• Address problems early instead of allowing them to become larger problems.

• Create accountability without creating unnecessary negativity.

• Eliminate unnecessary delays between Parts and Service.

• Maintain inventory discipline without sacrificing customer service.

• Protect the customer experience while protecting dealership profitability.

• Build relationships that keep riders returning for service, parts, accessories, and motorcycles.

• Treat every customer interaction as an opportunity to build a long-term dealership relationship.

Physical Demands

This position may require frequent standing, walking, bending, stooping, crouching, and lifting of up to 50 pounds.

The employee must be capable of safely assisting with the movement and positioning of motorcycles weighing up to approximately 750 pounds, with assistance or appropriate equipment when necessary.

Work Environment

This position is performed within a Harley-Davidson dealership, Service Department, Parts Department, and warehouse environment.

The employee may be exposed to moderate noise, motorcycles and other vehicles, tools, lifts, mechanical equipment, oils, lubricants, exhaust, and other conditions typical of a dealership repair facility.

All dealership safety policies and procedures must be followed.

Evening, weekend, holiday, or extended hours may occasionally be required based on dealership operations, staffing, seasonal demand, special events, or customer needs.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Death Valley Harley-Davidson is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We consider qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion or religious creed, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation during the application or hiring process may contact the hiring manager.

Employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, business needs, performance expectations, and other lawful considerations.

Employment Authorization

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Employment eligibility will be verified in accordance with applicable federal law.

Additional Information

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed in this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every responsibility, duty, qualification, or working condition associated with the position.

Responsibilities may change or additional duties may be assigned based on dealership and business needs.

Employment is subject to company policies and all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Apply Today

If you are an experienced dealership leader who wants to take ownership of two critical departments, build a strong team, improve performance, develop people, grow profitability, and create a Fixed Operations operation that riders trust and return to, we encourage you to apply.

Death Valley Harley-Davidson
Victorville, California