Used Car Manager – Inventory Acquisition & Profitability

Casa Ford Las Cruces | Las Cruces, NMJob Type: Full-Time | Management About the Opportunity Casa Ford Las Cruces is looking for a highly motivated, analytical, and results-driven Used Car Manager who understands that profitability starts long before a vehicle is sold.We are not looking for someone who simply manages a used car lot. We want an experienced operator who knows how to acquire the right inventory, accelerate reconditioning, price vehicles strategically, and maximize gross profit through disciplined inventory management.The ideal candidate understands that time is money, inventory turn drives profitability, and every day a vehicle sits costs the dealership opportunity.Key ResponsibilitiesInventory Acquisition & Appraisal Proactively acquire used vehicles through customer trades, service drive opportunities, direct consumer purchases, auctions, and dealer networks. Utilize market data, acquisition tools, and historical performance to make informed purchasing decisions. Identify high-demand vehicles based on local market conditions, sales velocity, profitability, and inventory needs. Make disciplined appraisal decisions with a clear understanding of acquisition cost, reconditioning expense, and projected retail value. Maintain a consistent acquisition pipeline that supports monthly retail volume objectives. Reconditioning & Speed to Market Take ownership of the entire process from vehicle acquisition to retail-ready status. Work directly with Service, Parts, and Detail departments to prioritize and expedite reconditioning. Establish clear timelines and hold departments accountable for vehicle movement through the process. Identify and eliminate bottlenecks that delay vehicles from becoming available for sale. Monitor reconditioning costs and ensure investments are justified by projected retail profitability. Drive an aggressive time-to-market strategy with a target of getting vehicles frontline-ready within 3–5 days whenever feasible. Inventory Management & Profitability Manage inventory using data, not emotion. Monitor market-day supply, price-to-market, cost-to-market, vehicle aging, and inventory turn. Utilize vAuto Provision and other dealership tools to make strategic pricing and inventory decisions. Review inventory daily and adjust pricing based on market conditions, demand, and aging. Maintain an aggressive aging strategy to minimize wholesale losses and aged inventory exposure. Balance front-end gross profit with sales velocity and inventory turn. Understand that maximizing total dealership profitability is more important than holding out for unrealistic individual vehicle gross. Leadership & Accountability Partner with the Variable Operations Director, Sales Managers, and Service leadership to execute inventory and sales strategies. Establish daily accountability for acquisitions, appraisals, reconditioning, pricing, and frontline availability. Provide leadership with clear reporting on inventory performance, acquisition opportunities, aging, and profitability. Take ownership of results and proactively solve problems rather than waiting for direction. Key Performance Indicators Success in this position will be measured by: Used vehicle acquisition volume and acquisition cost. Average time from acquisition to frontline-ready. Reconditioning cost versus budget. Inventory turn and average days in stock. Percentage of inventory aged over 30, 45, and 60 days. Used vehicle retail volume. Front-end gross profit and total departmental profitability. Pricing competitiveness and market-day supply. Wholesale losses and aged inventory reduction. Qualifications Proven experience in used vehicle management, inventory acquisition, or automotive variable operations. Strong working knowledge of vAuto Provision, market-based pricing, and inventory analytics. Demonstrated success managing reconditioning timelines and inventory aging. Strong appraisal skills and understanding of vehicle valuations. Ability to analyze repor…

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