Job Description: Service Manager
We are seeking a highly organized, proactive, and leadership-driven Service Manager to oversee our service department operations. In this role, you will lead a dedicated team—including technicians, the shop foreman, washbay staff, service writers, and yard/delivery personnel—to ensure peak operational efficiency, high-quality customer service, and strong financial performance.
The ideal candidate has a solid background in agricultural or heavy equipment service operations (experience with John Deere systems is a major asset), excellent communication skills, and a proven track record of managing workflow, personnel, and departmental profitability.
Key Responsibilities & Daily Tasks Department Leadership & People Management
- Direct Supervision: Manage and lead all service department personnel, including technicians, shop foreman, washbay staff, service writers, and yard & delivery employees.
- Performance Management: Track employee efficiencies, identify areas of strength and improvement, and conduct regular one-on-one quarterly feedback sessions.
- Recruitment & Talent Development: Actively recruit and source new technician talent using online job boards (e.g., Indeed). Maintain a robust apprenticeship program to foster growth from within.
- Training & Compliance: Monitor and schedule technician training, including managing apprentice attendance at John Deere school and tracking the completion of JDU (John Deere University) online and instructor-led learning paths.
- Payroll Administration: Review and sign off on department timecards twice a month for payroll processing.
Workflow & Operations Management
- Workflow Optimization: Efficiently schedule service work, create accurate quotes, and assign tasks to ensure "the right technician is on the right job."
- Work-In-Progress (WIP) Control: Monitor daily WIP to ensure work orders are finalized and closed in a timely manner, maintaining a strict goal of no more than one month of outstanding labor at any given time.
- Quality Assurance: Review finalized work orders prior to closing to verify that service stories, parts, descriptions, and labor hours are complete and accurate.
- Asset & Facility Upkeep: Coordinate the maintenance of service vehicles (tracking mileage and scheduling services) and ensure the shop remains clean, organized, swept, and free of garbage at the end of each day.
Customer Service & Communication
- Inbound Service Requests: Answer and manage customer phone calls requesting service work.
- After-Hours Support: Serve as the primary contact for after-hours customer calls, prioritizing urgent requests and dispatching on-call technicians as needed.
- Proactive Client Outreach: Maintain regular contact with customers to secure future work. Calculate monthly "available billable hours" to ensure the shop maintains a healthy backlog of 30 to 45 days of guaranteed work.
Financial & Business Management
- Financial Review: Analyze department financial statements monthly, tracking expenses to ensure profitability.
- Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Monitor and manage Service Level Agreements (SLA) target (~3.5%) and Non-Revenue labor (target of 2.5%).
- Accounts Receivable: Manage A/R accounts by actively following up on delinquent customer payments.
- Warranty & PIPs: Oversee Product Improvement Programs (PIPs) and warranty claims processing.
- Expense Control: Source consumable shop supplies economically to minimize overhead.
Collaborative Support (Working with the Shop Foreman)
You will work closely with and delegate to the Shop Foreman, who will assist you in the following areas:
- Handling highly technical customer inquiries and supporting ongoing technician skill development.
- Serving as the primary technical resource for on-the-job troubleshooting and decision-making.
- Providing detailed technical explanations to assist in quoting complex jobs for customers.
Job Requirements
- Proven experience as a Service Manager or in a senior service leadership role within the agricultural, heavy equipment, or automotive industry.
- Familiarity with John Deere equipment, JDU training paths, and dealership management systems is highly preferred.
- Strong financial acumen with experience managing departmental budgets, WIP, and A/R.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to handle customer escalations and lead a diverse team.
- Ability to work under pressure and manage after-hours emergency dispatching.
- Other duties as assigned by the General Service Manager.
Pay: $90,000.00-$125,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- Paid time off
- RRSP match
Work Location: In person
