Vehicle Upfit Manager

About this position

Position Summary

The Vehicle Upfit Manager is responsible for leading the end-to-end fleet vehicle

upfit operation, from procurement and planning through installation, quality control,

and vehicle deployment. This role will oversee the people, processes, vendors,

facilities, materials, budgets, and workflows required to operate a high-performing

vehicle upfit program. The ideal candidate is an experienced vehicle upfitting and

shop operations leader who has directly managed an upfit shop and has

demonstrated experience building an upfit operation from the ground up. This

includes developing facility layouts and floor plans, establishing budgets, sourcing

equipment and supplies, negotiating with vendors, hiring and developing staff,

designing workflows, implementing SOPs, establishing KPIs, and creating the

operational infrastructure necessary to scale. This position requires a hands-on

leader who can take a concept or business requirement and turn it into a fully

developed, ready-to-execute upfit operation and implementation roadmap.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end fleet vehicle upfit process, including planning, procurement, scheduling, installation, inspection, quality control, and final vehicle release.
• Develop and manage the overall vehicle upfit operating model, ensuring vehicles are completed safely, efficiently, consistently, and on schedule.
• Lead daily operations of the upfit shop and establish clear production targets, priorities, workflows, and accountability.
• Establish quality-control standards and inspection processes for all vehicle installations.
• Ensure all upfit activities comply with applicable safety requirements, manufacturer specifications, and company standards.
• Lead the planning and development of an upfit shop from the ground up.
• Develop facility requirements, shop layouts, floor plans, workstations, storage areas, material flow, vehicle flow, and production workflows.
• Establish startup and operating budgets for the facility and upfit program.
• Identify and procure tools, equipment, parts, supplies, technology, fixtures, and other resources required to operate the shop.
• Develop an implementation roadmap that takes the operation from initial planning through launch and steady-state production.
• Develop workforce plans based on vehicle volume, production requirements, and future growth.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and use data-driven metrics to improve individual and team performance.
• Lead procurement activities related to vehicle upfit parts, equipment, tools, materials, and services.
• Develop and manage supplier and vendor relationships.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all major upfit activities.
• Establish processes for documenting vehicle configurations, installation requirements, parts, labor, inspections, and exceptions.

Required Qualifications

• Direct, hands-on experience managing vehicle upfitting operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading or managing a vehicle upfit shop or fleet upfit operation.
• Proven experience building an upfit shop or similar production/installation operation from the ground up.
• Experience developing facility layouts, floor plans, workflows, staffing plans, budgets, equipment requirements, and operational processes.
• Demonstrated leadership and people-management experience.
• Strong understanding of vehicle upfit processes, installation requirements, shop operations, and production workflows.
• Experience with procurement, purchasing, supply chain management, inventory, and vendor management.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating vendor pricing, service agreements, contracts, and commercial terms.