A bodyshop manager directs the work activities of automotive body shop employees. This might include ensuring deadlines are met, standards of work being upheld and maintaining productivity levels within the team. Essential duties could include: training staff, taking corrective measures, providing technical advice, verifying documentation, and purchasing parts and other supplies needed for the relevant repairs.
What does a Bodyshop Manager do?
Day-to-day responsibilities of a partner may consist of:
- Effective management of the dealership’s bodyshop function, meeting and exceeding all KPIs
- Maximising the use of all available resources to ensure the department is run in the most effective manner
- Delivering a positive customer experience
- Anticipating and identifying customer needs, meeting and exceeding them
- Working with customers to the highest ethical and professional standards to build long-term profitable relationships
- Demonstrating exceptional product knowledge and communicating this appropriately with customers
- Identifying opportunities for reducing waste/inefficiency or improving quality
- Finding opportunities to manage, coach and develop colleagues
- Identifying and recruiting new talent
Here is a video which also explains more about a bodyshop manager’s role, from the Institute of the Motor Industry:
What key skills should a Bodyshop Manager have?
The key skills that will likely be needed for this role include:
- Technical competence e.g. NVQ, ATA of HFC
- Leadership/management skills
- The ability to coach and develop others
- Excellent communication skills
- Strong organisational skills
- Self motivated
- Resilient
What qualifications will I need to be a Bodyshop Manager?
- A full, valid driving license
- Previous experience thriving in a bodyshop role
- Ideally, management experience
- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)
How much does a Bodyshop Manager earn?
The starting salary for a bodyshop manager is usually around £30,000.
The average salary for a bodyshop manager is £42,170.42, according to 2019 InAutomotive data.
