Location: Columbia City Cars, Columbia, SC
Job Type: Full-Time
Compensation: Guaranteed base salary of $90,000 to $130,000 per year, plus pay for personally completed production, plus department performance bonuses.
Build the Shop. Lead the Process. Keep Turning Wrenches.
You're the technician other people come to when they can't figure something out.
You know how to diagnose, not just replace parts and hope. You understand workflow, you recognize wasted time, and you know exactly what needs to happen to get vehicles repaired properly and back on the road.
You may already be acting like the leader in your current shop. But you don't have the title, the authority, or the compensation to match.
If you're already the person fixing the hardest cars, helping the other technicians, and figuring out how to get the work out the door, we want to talk to you.
Columbia City Cars is hiring a hands-on Working Service Manager / Master Technician to take control of our internal service and reconditioning operation. This is not a desk-only management position, and it is not another technician position. You will fix cars and run the shop.
Who We Are
Columbia City Cars is part of Northeast Auto Holdings, a fast-growing group with eight dealerships across five states, including new car franchise stores and high-volume pre-owned operations. We promote from within, and we keep adding stores. When we say there's room to grow here, we can point to the map.
Your First Mission: Build a High-Performing Internal Shop
Your primary responsibility at the start is servicing and reconditioning our dealership inventory. You will not be expected to build a retail customer base on day one. Your job is to create an organized, productive operation that gets vehicles diagnosed accurately, repaired correctly, and frontline-ready fast.
Once that foundation is in place, there will be an opportunity to expand into outside retail service, and you will be positioned to lead that growth.
What You Will Own
- Diagnose and repair vehicles across domestic, Asian, and European makes and models, including advanced electrical, drivability, engine performance, HVAC, brakes, and suspension
- Inspect incoming inventory, produce accurate repair recommendations, and decide what gets repaired in-house versus outsourced
- Dispatch work based on technician ability, parts availability, urgency, and dealership priorities
- Track every open vehicle, pending part, and completion date, stay ahead of parts ordering, and eliminate avoidable downtime
- Perform final quality control before vehicles are released, and drive down comebacks and wasted labor
- Train and lead other technicians by setting clear standards and holding people accountable
- Communicate clearly with dealership management about priorities, costs, delays, and results
Who We Want
- A master-level diagnostician who solves hard problems without guesswork
- Fluent with modern scan tools, electrical testing, and repair information systems
- Able to organize and prioritize a busy shop and earn technicians' respect by outworking them
- Understands that fast work is worthless if the vehicle comes back
- Makes sound decisions without constant supervision and takes responsibility for results
- Wants to participate financially in the success of the department they build
Experience as a shop foreman, lead technician, dispatcher, or service manager is strongly preferred. But we will absolutely consider an exceptional master technician ready to move into leadership.
One honest note: this is not the job for someone who wants a management title but no longer wants to work on cars. The manager of this shop works the floor.
Requirements
- Significant professional automotive repair and diagnostic experience
- Ability to perform physically demanding automotive work
- Valid driver's license and acceptable driving record
- Professional set of automotive tools
- ASE certifications preferred, but not required if your ability demonstrates master-level competence
How to Apply
Apply through Indeed with your resume or detailed work history, and answer these two questions:
- What is one difficult diagnostic problem you solved that other technicians couldn't?
- If you inherited a shop with 15 cars waiting for diagnosis or repair, how would you get control of it?
We care about your actual ability, judgment, and leadership. Not how polished your resume looks.
Pay: $90,000.00 - $130,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
