An automotive repair shop manager is responsible for running a given repair shop, maintaining its employees and inventory. An automotive repair shop manager will be required to order specific parts needed in the repairs, oversee the work of mechanics working in the shop, and work with clients. As a manager, he/she’s also responsible for handling the shop’s relationships with other companies, for example if the repair shop outsources their painting jobs to a third party. An automotive repair shop manager may sometimes be required to contribute their own labor to a project if it’s falling behind schedule.
Becoming an automotive repair shop manager requires two basic sets of skills – being a good mechanic, and having good management skills. Auto repair shops are very rarely managed by people not coming from the field of work themselves, as it’s crucial for an auto repair shop’s manager to be well-familiar with the mechanics’ operations and the procedures related to performing a specific repair or modification. A formal education in mechanics is usually required, as are good people skills in order to be able to handle personnel more efficiently.
The median salary for an auto repair shop manager is around $40,000 for most states of the US, with some going higher, up to $55,000 annually. Indianapolis tends to offer the lower compensation for them, going just under $30,000 as a median salary.