Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Automotive Consultant

🎯 Role Definition

An Automotive Consultant partners with OEMs, dealers, fleet operators and aftermarket providers to design and deliver business, operations and technical solutions that increase sales, improve service profitability, accelerate EV and connected-vehicle adoption, and optimize inventory and supply chain performance. The role blends industry expertise, data-driven analysis, project leadership and hands-on implementation to drive measurable results across marketing, sales, fixed operations, parts & service, and digital transformation programs in the automotive sector.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Dealer General Manager, Fixed Operations Manager, or Sales Manager with strong operational experience.
Automotive Engineer, Fleet Manager, or Aftermarket Product Specialist transitioning to client-facing roles.
Management Consultant, Business Analyst or Project Manager with automotive industry exposure.

Advancement To:

Senior Automotive Consultant / Engagement Manager.
Head of Automotive Consulting, Director of Aftermarket Strategy, or Practice Lead – Automotive.
VP of Retail/Dealer Operations, Director of OEM Partnerships, or Chief Transformation Officer for mobility programs.

Lateral Moves:

Product Manager (connected services, telematics, EV infrastructure).
Operations Director / Regional Manager for dealership groups.
Head of Fleet Services, Parts & Service Director, or Sales Enablement Leader.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end-to-end consulting engagements with OEMs, dealer groups, fleet operators, or aftermarket providers to assess current state operations, define target operating models, and deliver implementation roadmaps that improve revenue, margin and customer satisfaction.
Conduct detailed market and competitive analysis for vehicle segments, EV adoption, pricing, financing and incentives to recommend commercial strategies and product positioning that increase market share and profitability.
Diagnose dealership fixed-operations inefficiencies by analyzing service bay utilization, technician productivity, labor absorption, scheduling and parts availability, then implement process, KPI and staffing changes to boost throughput and aftersales profitability.
Design and implement digital retail and omnichannel sales programs, integrating online vehicle merchandising, e-commerce checkout, lead management and CRM workflows to increase conversion rates and reduce sales cycle time.
Develop and execute parts and inventory optimization strategies using demand forecasting, stocking policies, bin-location rationalization and vendor managed inventory to reduce parts obsolescence and working capital while improving fill rates.
Create and run pricing and incentive models (including total cost of ownership and residual value analysis) to optimize new and used vehicle margins, trade-in strategies and finance/leasing offers across channels.
Lead EV and charging infrastructure assessments, including site selection, power requirements, charge point economics and integration with dealer facility plans to support electrification rollouts.
Deliver telematics and connected-vehicle programs by defining data capture requirements, service use cases, subscription pricing, and OEM-dealer workflows that monetize vehicle data and improve aftersales engagement.
Manage end-to-end transformation projects (scope, plan, resources, budget, risks) using Agile or waterfall methodologies to ensure timely delivery, change adoption and measurable business outcomes.
Conduct operational benchmarking across dealer networks and create tailored action plans and training programs to close performance gaps in sales, service, parts and customer experience.
Design training curricula and change management plans for dealer staff, including service advisors, technicians and sales teams, to embed new processes, digital tools, and customer-first behaviors.
Build financial models and business cases to justify capital expenditures, facility upgrades, service lane expansions, or software investments, including sensitivity analysis and ROI projections.
Advise on warranty, recall and technical service campaign workflows to improve cycle time, claim accuracy and reimbursement realization while ensuring compliance with OEM policies and regulatory requirements.
Develop KPI frameworks, dashboards and reporting cadences (Power BI, Tableau, Excel) to monitor sales, parts, service, inventory and operational metrics and drive continuous improvement through data-driven decisions.
Facilitate high-level stakeholder workshops and governance meetings, aligning cross-functional teams (sales, operations, finance, IT) on priorities, milestones and resource commitments throughout transformation initiatives.
Lead vendor selection, RFP preparation and third-party management for dealership management systems (DMS), CRM, service scheduling, parts marketplaces and telematics platforms to ensure solution fit and integration readiness.
Implement customer retention and loyalty programs, including service maintenance plans, subscription services and targeted marketing cadence to increase repeat service visits and lifetime value.
Support compliance and regulatory initiatives across safety, emissions, data privacy and consumer protection by translating legal requirements into operational procedures and audit-ready documentation.
Advise on supply chain resilience initiatives, including parts sourcing strategies, multi-tier supplier risk assessments and distributive stocking to minimize service downtime and maintain vehicle uptime for fleet customers.
Conduct pre- and post-merger / acquisition integration workstreams for dealer groups and service networks, harmonizing commercial policies, IT systems, pricing structures and HR practices to realize synergy targets.
Drive cost-to-serve analysis and operational restructuring to identify non-value-add activities, reduce overhead, and implement lean methodologies across service bays, parts depots and back-office functions.
Serve as the subject matter expert on aftermarket growth strategies, introducing new revenue streams such as certified pre-owned programs, extended warranties, mobility services and connected subscriptions.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory analysis to validate hypotheses, quantify opportunity sizes and prioritize improvement initiatives across sales and service channels.
Prepare client-ready presentations, proposals and implementation playbooks that synthesize analysis, recommendations and tactical next steps.
Collaborate with IT and data teams to translate business requirements into technical specifications for integrations between DMS, CRM, ERP and telematics systems.
Participate in sprint planning, agile ceremonies and status reporting when working within cross-functional delivery teams to ensure alignment and timely execution.
Mentor junior consultants and analysts by reviewing deliverables, conducting on-the-job training and providing feedback on analytical approaches and stakeholder communications.
Travel to client sites for onsite assessments, workshops, training sessions and go-live support as required (typically 20–50% depending on engagement lifecycle).
Monitor industry trends, regulatory changes and emerging technologies in EVs, mobility services, and connected vehicles to proactively update frameworks and client recommendations.
Liaise with OEM field teams, franchised dealers and third-party suppliers to coordinate pilot programs, customer trials and proof-of-concepts for new digital or service offerings.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep knowledge of dealership operations, DMS workflows, fixed operations, parts logistics and showroom sales processes.
Experience with CRM and lead-to-sale platforms (e.g., Salesforce, CDK Global, Reynolds & Reynolds, Dealertrack) and integrations to DMS/ERP systems.
Proficiency in data analysis and visualization tools (Excel advanced modeling, SQL, Power BI, Tableau) to build dashboards, forecasts and KPI monitoring.
Strong financial acumen including P&L ownership, cost-to-serve modeling, break-even analysis, and CAPEX/ROI evaluation.
Understanding of EV systems, charging infrastructure, battery management and the economics of electrification as it impacts retail and aftersales strategies.
Familiarity with telematics, connected vehicle platforms, OTA software update workflows and vehicle data monetization models.
Project management skills with experience managing multi-stakeholder programs, vendor contracts, RFPs and implementation roadmaps (PMP/Prince2 or Agile experience preferred).
Knowledge of regulatory compliance requirements relevant to automotive sales, service, emissions, safety and data privacy (e.g., EPA, NHTSA, GDPR/local privacy laws).
Hands-on experience with inventory management techniques, demand forecasting, vendor-managed inventory and parts rationalization.
Ability to build and present complex business cases using statistical analysis, scenario planning and sensitivity testing.

Soft Skills

Exceptional stakeholder management and executive-level communication skills, able to influence senior leadership and cross-functional teams.
Strong problem-solving and structured thinking approach to break down complex automotive business challenges into actionable plans.
Effective facilitation and workshop design skills to drive consensus, capture requirements and align stakeholders on delivery plans.
Change management and training capability to drive adoption of new processes and tools at scale across dealer networks.
Consultative selling and commercial acumen to position recommendations, upsell services and secure engagement buy-in.
Collaborative mindset with proven ability to work across product, operations, IT and finance teams in both client and delivery roles.
High degree of adaptability and resilience in a fast-evolving industry undergoing digitization and electrification disruption.
Excellent presentation and storytelling skills, translating data and technical details into clear business outcomes.
Attention to detail and quality orientation to ensure deliverables meet audit and compliance standards.
Mentoring and team development skills to grow junior consultants and build high-performing engagement teams.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Supply Chain, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree (MBA, MS in Automotive Engineering or Industrial Engineering) or relevant professional certifications (PMP, Lean Six Sigma, Certified Automotive Consultant programs).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Mechanical / Automotive Engineering
Business Administration (MBA)
Supply Chain Management / Logistics
Electrical / Electronics Engineering (for EV/telematics focus)
Data Analytics / Information Systems

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–10 years of progressive experience in automotive retail, OEM operations, dealership management, aftermarket services, fleet management, or consulting focused on automotive clients.

Preferred:

5+ years delivering consulting or transformation projects for OEMs, dealer groups or large fleet operators.
Demonstrated track record in improving sales or service KPIs, delivering ERP/DMS/CRM integrations, or launching EV/connected-vehicle programs.
Experience leading cross-functional teams, managing vendors and delivering workshops, pilots and go-lives.
Prior exposure to international or multi-region operations is a plus for global consulting roles.