Body Shop Manager

Career Opportunities for Body Shop Managers in New Jersey

If you have a passion for automobiles, motorcycles, and engines, you may have considered a career in the automotive industry. Body shop management is a great career goal to work toward that offers a variety of benefits. Before individuals can pursue this role, they must first have adequate on-the-job experience and a good understanding of the required skills. Students can find good foundations for the skills needed in vocational school training programs.

Pennco Tech offers a collision repair program at our campus in Blackwood, New Jersey. Here, we discuss the career paths for body shop managers.

Learning to Become an Auto Body Shop Manager

Repairing vehicles is the main job responsibility of collision repair technicians. Individuals in this position perform a variety of services to return damaged vehicles to their optimal condition. An auto body technician with experience in the industry can make the jump to auto body manager. Vocational training in automotive repair is an essential first step toward becoming a body shop manager.

With entry-level training from the auto body school at Pennco Tech, students can learn the necessary skills to pursue entry-level positions and beyond. The collision repair program covers both basic and major body repair, exposing students to a wide range of important aspects of the industry. In addition, students gain experience using the necessary tools to perform repairs.

What Does a Body Shop Manager Do?

Body shop managers play a large part in getting customers’ vehicles back on the road. They operate auto body repair shops and oversee the work performed. Body shop managers support the collision repair technicians who work in the shop and perform a wide range of managerial duties.

Because there are a lot of variables that come with working in an automotive repair or body shop, the responsibilities of an auto body shop manager can vary. The day-to-day tasks of a body shop manager might include the following:

• Managing, motivating, and directing staff members
• Checking the quality of work to ensure completed repairs meet the standards of the repair shop and client expectations
• Handling customer complaints or answering questions
• Making sure the repair shop is operating efficiently
• Enforcing safety regulations
• Implementing marketing strategies to drive business
• Checking supplies and equipment for quality and replacing equipment that’s outdated or no longer of value
• Handling accounting duties
• Verifying customer insurance policies to confirm which repairs are covered
• Creating objectives for team members and goals for the repair shop
• Documenting the work that’s performed in the shop
• Interviewing prospective employees to fill vacant roles
• Training new employees to ensure quality repairs are delivered to the customer every time

To succeed in this role, individuals must have efficient communication skills, as well as the ability to lead a team and manage employees. Body shop managers must have a strong background in collision repair, thoroughly inspecting the quality of completed repairs.

Body Shop Manager Job and Pay Prospects

Anyone interested in pursuing the position of body shop manager will most likely start in an entry-level role. At Pennco Tech, our collision repair program graduates can qualify for an entry-level role as a collision repair technician. This job title will help individuals gain the knowledge and skills to oversee a repair shop effectively and manage repair technicians. With additional training, body shop managers can further their careers by specializing in certain makes and manufacturers.

Begin Your Journey at Pennco Tech

Those wishing to become a body shop manager can begin their journey at a mechanic school like Pennco Tech. Offered at Blackwood, NJ, our collision repair program prepares students for entry-level automotive roles that can lead to becoming a body shop manager. Take the first step to a rewarding career path by enrolling today. Contact us to learn more about our trade programs and the opportunities they provide.