Director of Retail Sales

Sutton Ford•Matteson, IL

4d•$144,000 - $180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Sutton Auto Team is seeking an experienced Director of Retail Sales to lead retail sales operations across Sutton Ford in Matteson, Illinois, and Cocoa Ford in Cocoa, Florida. The Director of Retail Sales will be responsible for sales strategy, execution, and results across both dealerships, including profitability, sales effectiveness, people development, pay plans, marketing and advertising, sales processes, inventory, and customer loyalty. This position will work closely with General Managers and store sales leaders to drive consistent performance and accountability across both locations.

Requirements

College degree required; degree in Business Administration, Automotive Management, or a related field preferred.
10+ years of progressive automotive retail leadership experience.
5+ years of successful leadership experience as a General Sales Manager, General Manager, Market Director, multi-store sales leader, or similar position.
Proven track record of improving sales performance and profitability within automotive retail operations.
Strong knowledge of new and used vehicle sales, financial statements, inventory management, CRM execution, digital marketing, customer retention, and talent development.
Strong leadership, communication, organizational, analytical, and decision-making skills.
Ability to regularly travel between the Illinois and Florida dealership locations.
Hands-on leadership style with the ability to develop managers and translate strategy into consistent daily execution.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading multiple dealerships or a large, complex automotive operation preferred.
Ford experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead new and used vehicle sales performance, gross profit, variable departmental net profit, market share, and sales effectiveness.
Establish dealership-specific sales plans, forecasts, budgets, performance expectations, and corrective action plans.
Determine sales department structures and staffing needs and participate in recruiting, selecting, on-boarding, coaching, evaluating, and developing sales leaders and team members.
Design, model, implement, and maintain sales-related pay plans, subject to executive approval as applicable.
Establish and maintain consistent sales processes from initial customer contact through delivery and follow-up.
Set performance and activity standards and monitor lead response, appointments, showroom execution, follow-up, CRM compliance, and manager accountability.
Lead used vehicle acquisition, appraisal, pricing, reconditioning, merchandising, aging, inventory turn, and wholesale strategy.
Oversee sales marketing and advertising strategy, budgets, agencies, media, and lead vendors.
Develop vehicle exchange, customer loyalty, repeat business, and retention strategies.
Lead dealership strategies related to manufacturer performance, President's Award, customer experience, training, and other manufacturer scorecard requirements.
Establish group-wide sales policies, processes, reporting standards, and dealership-specific performance expectations.
Partner with dealership leadership to address performance gaps and implement corrective action when expectations are not met.