Automotive Pre-Owned Inventory Manager

Great dealerships don’t wait for inventory—they go out and get it!  Dale Howard Auto of Iowa Falls is seeking a high energy Pre-Owned Inventory Manager who loves the "thrill of the deal".   If you know how to find, buy, and turn the right vehicles, we want you on our team!

Purpose of the Position:

The lifeblood of our used car department is top-tier inventory. In this role, you won't just be managing a lot—you will be the chief strategist and executor of our vehicle acquisition process. You will leverage your industry knowledge, negotiation skills, and market analytics to source high-quality pre-owned vehicles through a diverse range of channels. If you are a proactive hunter who understands market trends, turn-rates, and the art of the deal, we want you driving our pre-owned success.

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

Multi-Channel Vehicle Acquisition: Proactively source and acquire pre-owned inventory through physical and digital auctions, rental company liquidations, and wholesale networks.

Service Drive & Private Party Sourcing: Develop and execute strategies to buy vehicles directly from consumers, including mining our own service drive, managing street-purchases, and optimizing trade-in appraisals.

Market Analysis & Pricing Strategy: Utilize industry software (e.g., vAuto, Kelly Blue Book, Manheim Market Report) to analyze local market data, determine competitive acquisition costs, and price vehicles for optimal turn and gross profit.

Inventory Management: Monitor the aging of inventory, make rapid decisions on wholesale vs. retail, and ensure a balanced mix of makes, models, and price points to meet sales demand.

Cross-Department Collaboration: Work closely with the Service Department to streamline the reconditioning process, minimizing the time from acquisition to front-line readiness.

Sales Team Development: Train and mentor the sales team on the value of our used inventory, proper trade-in walkarounds, and effective negotiation strategies for private party purchases.

Essential Job Functions:

Enforce and improve the pre-owned vehicle marketing strategy to maximize inventory turns and gross profit on acquired inventory including sourcing, acquisition, inventory control, pricing, digital marketing, and lot display

Maintain a balanced used vehicle inventory utilizing various sources (including but not limited to: our existing customer base, our service drive, auctions, online sources, trade-ins, private purchases, other dealers’ inventories, etc.)

Work with the Sales Managers and Sales Team to develop and implement a consistent and effective Trade Appraisal process

Develop, implement and track an inventory reconditioning process to get acquired inventory ready for retail in a timely fashion in conjunction with the Service Department, Get Ready Team and other vendor partners

Adhere to company inventory aging policies and strategies to liquidate aged inventory

Track and review variance between anticipated vs actual reconditioning expense to identify patterns to improve future appraisals and communicate findings with the Sales Managers and Sales Team

Work with GM/GSM to develop and implement a non-acquired trade follow up process

Work with Service Manager to develop and implement a process to appraise and acquire desirable merchandise via the service drive 

Maximize wholesale profitability through established relationships with wholesale partners and other inventory liquidation strategies

Assist in developing monthly and yearly forecasts in terms of unit sales, gross profit objectives, and departmental profits

Facilitate and participate in regular sales team training for continued team growth

Daily Tasks:

Walk the lot on the service department side of the building every morning to identify DH units (new and used) that need attention

Work with Sales Team to ensure accountability to the Path to Purchase and Trade Appraisal Processes

Conduct a daily Trade walk/Stock walk with the Sales Team to increase awareness of acquired and retail ready inventory

Qualifications:

Minimum of 3+ years in automotive retail management, with a heavy emphasis on used vehicle acquisition, wholesale, and inventory management.

Proven track record of successful bidding and buying at major physical and digital auctions (e.g., Manheim, ADESA, OVE, SmartAuction).

Deep proficiency with inventory management software (vAuto experience is highly preferred) and a strong grasp of market metrics (days supply, cost to market, etc.).

Exceptional ability to negotiate purchases directly with consumers on the service drive and through private party channels.

A highly motivated, self-starting personality with a sense of urgency to keep the lot stocked with fast-turning, profitable vehicles.

Valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record

Basic Computer Skills