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Automotive General Manager Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Automotive General Manager

San Jose, CA · On-site

$80K - $120K/yr

Free uniforms We have recently expanded our operations and are in need of an experienced automotive Service Manager. The right candidate will have knowledge of, and sales experience with, modern ...

Automotive General Manager

San Jose, CA · On-site

$80K - $120K/yr

Free uniforms We have recently expanded our operations and are in need of an experienced automotive Service Manager. The right candidate will have knowledge of, and sales experience with, modern ...

CARDINALE AUTOMOTIVE GROUP IS GROWING AND IS SEEKING THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST TALENT! Are you a top ... The General Manager will be a world-class leader in a newly acquired location in California or in a ...

CARDINALE AUTOMOTIVE GROUP IS GROWING AND IS SEEKING THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST TALENT! Are you a top ... The General Manager will be a world-class leader in a newly acquired location in California or in a ...

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Automotive General Manager information

See California salary details

$34.5K

$84.4K

$183.6K

How much do automotive general manager jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 7, 2026, the average yearly pay for automotive general manager in California is $84,380.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $59,200.00 and $93,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an automotive general manager do?

Automotive general managers work at car dealerships and oversee various departments to ensure the profitability of the dealership. In this role, you oversee the sales department, service and parts, and accounting and finance. Your responsibilities include motivating employees, planning events and promotions, and ensuring customer satisfaction. You also typically hire employees for upper-level positions like sales and service managers, plan goals for the dealership, oversee daily operations from an elevated perspective, and coordinate with staff members on record retention and financial analysis. Other duties include relationship building with both employees and customers. As an automotive general manager, you also adhere to the policies and procedures set out by the company, while making sure all employees do the same.

How does an automotive general manager typically collaborate with department managers to drive dealership success?

An Automotive General Manager works closely with department managers—such as sales, service, finance, and parts—to set goals, review performance metrics, and implement strategies that align with the dealership’s overall objectives. Regular meetings, cross-departmental initiatives, and open communication are key to ensuring all teams are aligned and working efficiently. This collaboration helps identify areas for improvement, resolve conflicts, and maintain high customer satisfaction. Building strong relationships across departments is essential for achieving sales targets and operational excellence.

What are popular job titles related to Automotive General Manager jobs in California?

For Automotive General Manager jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Automotive General Manager jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Automotive General Manager jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Automotive General Manager jobs?

Cities in California with the most Automotive General Manager job openings:

Infographic showing various Automotive General Manager job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 85% Full Time, 14% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $84,380 per year, or $40.6 per hour.

Automotive General Manager

Stress Free Auto Care

Castro Valley, CA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.


Key responsibilities

  • Own and manage the shop's revenue, profitability, and overall financial performance.

  • Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team, including hiring, onboarding, coaching, and performance management.

  • Oversee day-to-day shop operations, ensuring consistent customer experience, workflow efficiency, and quality standards.


Job description

General Manager

Build the business. Develop the team. Lead what's next.

About Stress Free Auto Care

Stress Free Auto Care is redefining the automotive repair experience through modern technology, exceptional service, and a customer-first approach built around trust and transparency.

We're growing quickly, and that growth depends on leaders who can build high-performing teams, create strong businesses, and develop the next generation of Stress Free Auto Care leadership.

The Role

The General Manager owns the performance of the shop across revenue, profitability, people, customer experience, and day-to-day execution.

You may already lead a store, branch, department, or business today. What makes this opportunity different is the scale of what you can build next. As Stress Free Auto Care continues to grow, we're looking for proven leaders who can build successful businesses today while developing the capability to lead increasingly complex operations tomorrow.

You'll be expected to understand what drives your business, identify where performance can improve, and turn company goals into clear shop-level priorities. That means growing revenue, managing expenses, developing talent, improving customer retention, and building an operation capable of delivering consistent results.

Ultimately, the shop is yours to lead. When performance is strong, you understand why. When it isn't, you identify the problem, build the plan, and drive the solution.

General Managers who consistently build strong businesses and develop strong leaders can progress into broader operational leadership:

General Manager Senior General Manager District Manager

Your growth is driven by sustained business performance, leadership capability, talent development, and readiness to take on greater ownership.

What You'll OwnBusiness Performance
  • Own shop revenue, profitability, and overall financial performance.
  • Own and consistently work toward an individual revenue attainment goal in addition to the store's overall revenue target.
  • Develop and execute strategies to grow sales, improve retention, expand customer value, and create new revenue opportunities.
  • Use financial and operating data to identify trends, diagnose performance gaps, and take action.
  • Manage labor, margins, expenses, and shop resources in support of sustainable business performance.
People Leadership
  • Build, lead, and retain a high-performing team with clear expectations and consistent accountability.
  • Own hiring, onboarding, coaching, performance management, and employee development.
  • Develop Assistant General Managers and other future leaders who are capable of taking on greater responsibility.
  • Address underperformance quickly while recognizing and developing strong performers.
Operational & Customer Excellence
  • Own day-to-day shop execution across workflow, staffing, productivity, quality, and customer experience.
  • Ensure the team delivers a consistent sales and service experience built around trust, transparency, urgency, and follow-through.
  • Identify operational bottlenecks and implement solutions that improve efficiency, throughput, and customer turnaround.
  • Maintain strong standards around repair quality, safety, customer concerns, damages, and comebacks.
What Success Looks Like

Our strongest General Managers:

  • Deliver sustained revenue and profitability growth.
  • Build teams that consistently perform against clear expectations.
  • Develop strong leaders and create bench strength for future growth.
  • Improve customer loyalty, retention, and long-term business value.
  • Use KPIs and financial data to anticipate issues and make sound business decisions.
  • Build an operation that performs through strong people, systems, and standards not constant GM intervention.
What You Bring
  • Experience leading a store, branch, department, or business against measurable financial and operating goals.
  • Proven success driving revenue growth, improving business performance, and taking accountability for results.
  • Experience owning or influencing P&L performance, including revenue, labor, margins, expenses, and profitability.
  • Demonstrated success hiring, coaching, developing, and holding teams accountable.
  • The ability to develop leaders rather than simply manage individual contributors.
  • Strong commercial and operational judgment with comfort using data to make decisions.
  • A bias toward action-you identify problems early, build solutions, and stay engaged until results improve.
  • High standards for customer experience, quality, accountability, and execution.
  • The ambition and capability to grow into increasingly complex business leadership roles.

Automotive experience is valuable, but it isn't what defines our ideal General Manager. We're looking for proven business leaders with strong commercial instincts, operational discipline, people-development capability, and a history of delivering measurable results.

What We Offer

Compensation:

  • Base Salary + Generous Sales Bonus
  • Salary: $100,000+
  • Bonus: $30,000+ potential

Benefits:

  • Competitive compensation with performance-based earning opportunity
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) with company match
  • Paid time off and paid holidays
  • Employee discounts
  • Leadership training and ongoing professional development
  • Significant advancement opportunities as Stress Free Auto Care continues to grow
Ready to Own the Outcome?

We're looking for leaders who understand that leadership means owning the number, developing the people, solving the problems, and building a stronger business.

If you've built successful teams, delivered measurable results, and you're ready to apply that experience at a greater scale, we want to meet you.

Build the business. Develop the team. Own the outcome. Lead what's next.