Finance Director - San Diego, CA

The Role

As Finance Director, you own the finance and insurance vertical across your respective location. You will work on the lender strategy, the product portfolio, the menu and presentation standard, the compensation design, and the compliance framework, and you own the back-end gross result that comes out of it.

Reporting to the GM and based in San Diego, you will lead the site Finance Managers. You are in the stores reviewing deals, coaching managers, and closing the gap between how F&I is supposed to work and how it actually works on a Saturday afternoon.

What You'll Do

• Back-end gross performance - Own F&I profitability including product penetration, reserve, and per-unit back-end gross, with a clear plan to move each one.
• Lender strategy & relationships - Own the lender panel, buy rates, reserve structure, and program terms, and manage the relationships that determine approval depth and funding speed.
• Product portfolio & margin - Select, price, and manage the protection product lineup with the providers behind it, balancing customer value against margin.
• Menu & presentation standard - Define one menu and one presentation standard used identically at every site, so the customer experience does not change based on which store they walk into.
• Compliance & training program - Build and maintain the F&I compliance framework and the certification program behind it, covering disclosure accuracy, adverse action handling, rate and product integrity, and documented training for every person who touches a deal.
• Deal quality & funding - Own contract accuracy and time to funding, and drive down contracts in transit, kickbacks, and rewrites through process rather than escalation.
• Reporting to leadership - Own the F&I reporting that management uses, including performance by site, by manager, and by product, with the analysis of what is driving the number.

What Good Looks Like

• Back-end gross moves - Per-unit back-end gross climbs toward the industry benchmark for the segment and holds there as volume scales.
• Clean compliance record - Every F&I team member is certified and current, deal files hold up to audit, and there are no repeat disclosure or documentation findings.
• Faster, cleaner funding - Contracts fund faster with fewer kickbacks and rewrites, and contracts in transit stay inside target.

Qualifications & Fit

• F&I leadership - 7+ years in automotive F&I with at least 3 years leading F&I managers or as a corporate or regional F&I leader.
• Performance track record - A demonstrated record of raising back-end gross and product penetration without raising compliance risk or customer complaints.
• Lender and product depth - Deep working knowledge of lender programs, reserve structures, and protection product economics, with real relationships on both sides.
• Regulatory fluency - Command of the regulatory framework governing F&I, including Truth in Lending, Equal Credit Opportunity and adverse action, and applicable state requirements.
• People leadership - Experience leading managers, not just individual contributors, including hiring, performance management, and building certification and training programs.
• Comp plan experience - Hands-on experience designing or restructuring F&I compensation plans and living with the results.
• Systems fluency - Comfort in a modern DMS and menu environment, with the analytical ability to work from deal-level data rather than summary reports.

Nice to Have

• EV and DTC experience - Background in electric vehicle retail or a direct-to-consumer sales model where much of the deal happens before the customer arrives.
• Used vehicle depth - Experience in a used-vehicle-only operation, where product mix and lender fit carry more weight.
• Compliance credentials - AFIP certification or equivalent.
• Build-from-scratch experience - Experience standing up an F&I function or standardizing one across sites that had been running independently.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $125,000-$225,000 (OTE, base + commission)
• Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage; 401(k); PTO and sick time.

Location

• San Diego, CA - On-Site Required. No remote or hybrid arrangements. Availability required during high-volume periods, weekend hours, and month-end close.