| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Automobile Dealership |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Dealer Principal |
| Direct reports | Dealership Sales Manager, Workshop Manager, Parts Manager, Used Car Manager |
| Experience | 10 to 15 years in auto retail with department leadership |
Dealership General Manager job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Dealership General Manager
Department: Automobile Dealership
Reports to: Dealer Principal
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Dealership General Manager runs the daily operations of an automobile dealership across every department. They coordinate sales, service, parts, body shop and used cars, keep targets and customer satisfaction on track, and solve the cross department problems that slow the business. The role reports to the Dealer Principal. A good dealership general manager keeps all departments pulling together, turns the dealer principal plans into daily action, holds managers to their numbers, keeps customers satisfied, and steps in fast when a department or a big customer needs attention.
Key responsibilities
- Run daily operations across sales, service, parts, body shop and used cars and keep them coordinated.
- Turn the dealer principal targets into department plans and daily action.
- Review department performance every day and clear the blockers between them.
- Keep sales and service customer satisfaction scores on track and act on complaints.
- Control operating costs and coordinate stock across vehicles and parts with the managers.
- Approve discounts, estimates and expenses within the limits set by the dealer principal.
- Handle escalations from customers and staff that department managers cannot close.
- Coordinate manufacturer visits, audits, launches and campaigns across departments.
- Plan manpower, rosters and training with the managers so no department is short.
- Report performance, risks and wins to the dealer principal each week.
Requirements
- Graduate in any stream, an MBA is an advantage
- Experience across dealership departments
- Knowledge of dealership systems and processes
- 10 to 15 years in auto retail with department leadership
KRAs and KPIs for a Dealership General Manager
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Department targets | Sales, service and parts targets met across departments each month |
| Customer satisfaction | Sales and service satisfaction scores above the set benchmark |
| Cost control | Operating costs held within the department budgets |
| Coordination | Cross department escalations closed within the agreed time |
| Stock health | Vehicle and parts stock ageing kept within the agreed limits |
| Manpower | Departments staffed and rostered without gaps against the plan |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Dealer management system, Manufacturer portals, MS Excel, CRM software, Business dashboards.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Dealer Principal, Regional Manager, Business Head
Interview questions for a Dealership General Manager
- How do you keep sales, service and parts working together rather than in silos?
- How do you turn a dealership target into daily action for each department?
- How do you handle a customer escalation that a department manager could not close?
- How do you control operating costs without hurting customer experience?
- How do you plan manpower and rosters across departments with peaks and leave?
- A department is missing its target three months running. What do you do?
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What does a Dealership General Manager do?
A Dealership General Manager runs the daily operations of a dealership across sales, service, parts, body shop and used cars. They turn the dealer principal targets into action, coordinate departments, keep customer satisfaction on track, control costs, handle escalations and plan manpower. They keep the whole dealership pulling together.
What is the difference between a General Manager and a Sales Manager at a dealership?
A Dealership Sales Manager runs only the new vehicle sales team and its targets. A Dealership General Manager runs every department, including service, parts and body shop, and coordinates between them. The general manager sits above the department managers and answers to the dealer principal.
What experience does a Dealership General Manager need?
Most roles ask for ten to fifteen years in auto retail with experience leading more than one department, so the manager understands both sales and after sales. Strong coordination, cost control and customer handling matter, and an MBA can help for the business and leadership side.