Purpose and Scope
Under the direction of the Director of Public Works, the Fleet Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for the City’s municipal fleet, including but not limited to, patrol vehicles, fire apparatus, plow and salt trucks, construction equipment, and specialized assets. The Fleet Manager ensures the safe, reliable, and cost-effective acquisition, maintenance, repair, replacement, and disposal of City-owned assets while balancing service demands with fiscal responsibility. This role supervises fleet personnel, manages budgets, ensures regulatory compliance, leverages data-driven decision-making, and serves as the primary liaison with City departments, vendors, and external agencies. The Fleet Maintenance Division operates with an annual budget of approximately $4.1 million and is responsible for over 450 vehicles and pieces of equipment.
Supervision
The Fleet Manager oversees approximately 14 employees, including mechanics and support staff, with day-to-day oversight partially delegated to a Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor. Responsibilities include staffing, training, performance management, hiring, and disciplinary recommendations.
Examples of Job Duties
The following is intended as a brief description/illustration of the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of this position and are not intended to be all encompassing or all-inclusive.
Personnel Management & Leadership
- Participate in recruitment, training, professional development, and disciplinary processes.
- Assign work, set priorities, evaluate performance, and enforce personnel policies and safety practices.
- Foster inclusive, respectful, and collaborative working relationships.
Fleet Operations & Maintenance
- Plan, direct, and manage daily fleet maintenance operations, including preventive maintenance, inspections, repairs, and emergency response.
- Establish and monitor maintenance programs to maximize equipment life and minimize downtime.
- Ensure safe, clean, and organized shop operations and accurate documentation of inspections, repairs, and work orders.
- Inspect repaired vehicles and equipment to ensure quality and safety standards.
Procurement, Asset & Inventory Management
- Manage vehicle and equipment acquisition, replacement, inventory, and disposal programs.
- Develop and evaluate specifications based on lifecycle costs, safety, performance, and regulatory compliance.
- Coordinate procurement through cooperative contracts and the Purchasing Department.
- Evaluate new technologies and products to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Budget & Financial Management
- Develop and administer operating and capital budgets; forecast funding needs.
- Monitor expenditures, implement cost-control measures, and provide financial and performance analyses.
- Prepare reports and recommendations for City leadership, boards, and commissions.
Safety, Compliance & Risk Management
- Ensure compliance with state and federal regulatory requirements, such as MIOSHA, OSHA, DOT, environmental, and other regulatory requirements.
- Verify proper licensing, registration, inspections, and safety equipment for all fleet assets.
- Promote a strong safety culture throughout fleet operations.
Data Analysis, Technology & Strategic Planning
- Oversee computerized fleet maintenance and fuel management systems.
- Analyze fleet data related to cost, utilization, fuel consumption, and reliability.
- Use data to improve efficiency, inform replacement planning, and support short- and long-term strategic planning.
Vendor & Stakeholder Relations
- Serve as the primary Fleet Services liaison with City departments, vendors, contractors, and external agencies.
- Manage vendor relationships and resolve complex operational or contractual issues.
- Ensure high levels of customer service and quality assurance.
Additional Responsibilities
- Assist the Director of Public Works with policy development, organizational studies, and special projects.
- Attend professional meetings, stay current on fleet maintenance trends and developments, and incorporate best practices as appropriate.
- Maintain confidentiality and perform other related duties as assigned.
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and minimum qualifications necessary to perform the essential functions of the position.
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, or a related field.
- Five (5) years of progressively responsible fleet maintenance administration experience, including three (3) years in a supervisory role, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Any combination of education, training and experience that would provide the required knowledge skills and abilities equivalent to those attained through requirements #1 and #2 above.
- Strong knowledge of fleet maintenance and repair practices, modern equipment, technology, parts and brands, and applicable safety and environmental regulations.
- Experience with budgeting, staff supervision, fleet management software, and standard business applications.
- Thorough knowledge of all federal, state and local regulations to ensure compliance with safety and environmental standards
- Excellent leadership, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Demonstrated knowledge of technology and specific software applications to accomplish tasks and solve work related problems; specific knowledge of industry standard fleet management software to effectively manage all aspects of the City fleet.
- Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing to a wide variety of audiences including City Council, City staff, contractors and the general public.
- Must possess and maintain a valid State of Michigan Driver’s License with a good driving record.
- Must obtain any necessary certifications as need arises.
- Any equivalent combination of experience, education, skills, and certifications, or substitutions per the discretion of the City Manager.
Physical & Mental Demands
Physical Demands
While performing the duties of this job, the individual must regularly move around the office, operate a City vehicle; attend meetings at off-site locations and navigate through field sites and construction projects; must be able to work at a desk with office machinery; communicate with individuals in person and by telephone; repetitively operate all standard office and field equipment; required to occasionally lift objects weighing up to 25 pounds.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
Mental Demands
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read and interpret data, information and documents; analyze and solve problems; use math and mathematical reasoning; observe and interpret situations; learn and apply new information or new skills; perform highly detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks; and interact with other coworkers, other departments, and others encountered in the course of work.
