Who's Who in a Car Dealership Back Office

The Back Office at a car dealership is where essential operations happen behind the scenes. While the Front Office focuses on customer-facing activities like sales and financing, the Back Office handles the critical administrative, financial and support functions that keep the dealership running smoothly.

Here, we'll look at typical titles, roles and responsibilities of dealership staff in the Back Office. This isn't a comprehensive list since each dealership structures its operations differently, but it'll give you a good idea of who's who.

Chief Financial Officer

The CFO is typically the highest-ranking financial position in the dealership. In some cases, this role carries a C-suite title, while elsewhere it may be called Vice President of Finance or Financial Controller. This CFO oversees all financial operations and strategy, including annual operating budgeting, cash flow optimization, tax law and financial regulation compliance as well as providing financial leadership to the dealership as a whole. 

Accounts Receivable Clerk 

The Accounts Receivable Clerk manages all incoming money for the dealership from various sources, including Sales, Service and Parts. They process and track customer payments, follow up on outstanding balances or overdue accounts, handle chargebacks, resolve payment disputes, and maintain accurate payment records. 

Accounts Payable Clerk

The Accounts Payable Clerk handles the opposite side of the ledger: all outgoing financial transactions. This includes processing payments to vendors and suppliers, ensuring timely payment of all dealership obligations, and maintaining vendor relationships and payment records. Some dealerships use third-party accounting services, while others employ in-house Accountants who report to either the Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payable Clerks. 

Office Manager

The Office Manager is the operational backbone of the dealership. They're responsible for the seamless coordination between the dealership’s departments, managing office staff schedules and workflows, and ensuring smooth day-to-day operations. This may also include overseeing personnel responsible for maintaining the dealership's facilities. 

Cashier

Cashiers handle all point-of-sale transactions, acting as a crucial link in the dealership’s financial operations. When customers pay for a service, vehicle or down payment, the Cashier ensures payment amounts are correct, prints receipts, reconciles any billing problems, issues refunds when appropriate, and documents transactions in the Dealership Management System. 

Human Resources Manager

The Human Resources Manager oversees all employee-related functions, including hiring, employee orientation, payroll, benefits and training. They also help maintain dealership culture and ensure compliance with labor laws. 

Business Development Manager

The Business Development Manager works within the dealership's Business Development Center to generate and nurture customer leads. They develop acquisition strategies, manage lead generation, and coordinate with Sales teams to convert prospects into customers. They’re also typically active in the community, hosting events that raise the dealership's profile and attract new customers. 

If you’re curious about other roles within the car dealership, here's our overview of the roles within the  Front Office of the dealership.

Best Tools for the Back Office

The Back Office at the dealership handles critical data and manages operations efficiently. Tools used in the back office can include: 

• Dealership Management System (DMS) 
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Accounting software
• HR platforms

Investing in tools that integrate into one unified solution for all departments at a dealership is more efficient. Instead of jumping from system to system with different logins, the CDK Dealership Xperience Platform helps streamline workflows, avoid dealership turnover, and help reduce costs of dealership’s MarTech stacks. Learn more about CDK DXP.