Vice President Fleet Maintenance at Ashley Furniture Industries in Advance, NC

Job description

• The Vice President of Fleet Maintenance plays a critical role in enabling the performance, safety, and cost efficiency of Ashley Furniture’s fleet operations. This role serves as the strategic and operational owner of fleet maintenance across the enterprise.
• This role is responsible for establishing and leading the end-to-end fleet maintenance strategy, including preventive maintenance programs, asset lifecycle management, vendor partnerships, compliance, and cost optimization. The Vice President of Fleet Maintenance builds the infrastructure, standards, and governance required to ensure consistent execution across all shop locations and external service providers.
• The role requires a balance of strategic leadership and operational rigor. The Vice President works closely with distribution, transportation, safety, procurement, and finance partners to translate business objectives into disciplined maintenance practices that improve uptime, reduce total cost of ownership, and support safe, reliable delivery to customers. This role partners regularly with executive leadership and plays a visible role in advancing Ashley’s operational excellence agenda.

Responsibilities

• Fleet Maintenance Strategy & Governance
• Establish and lead the enterprise fleet maintenance strategy, aligning preventive maintenance, asset lifecycle planning, and capital investment decisions with business priorities.
• Define and maintain national fleet maintenance policies, standards, and procedures across all company-owned shops and external vendors.
• Ensure consistent execution of maintenance standards while allowing for practical regional or site-level needs.
• Serve as the executive owner for fleet maintenance governance, performance management, and continuous improvement.
• Asset Lifecycle & Cost Management
• Own total cost of ownership (TCO) strategy for fleet assets, including trucks, trailers, and supporting equipment.
• Define lifecycle strategies for vehicles and major components based on maintenance costs, reliability, fuel efficiency, and residual value.
• Analyze breakdown trends and maintenance data to proactively mitigate risk, reduce downtime, and extend asset life.
• Partner with Finance and Procurement to support capital planning, ROI analysis, and budget discipline.
• Vendor, Purchasing & Technology Enablement
• Lead national vendor strategy for parts, labor, tooling, fluids, warranties, and outsourced maintenance.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, and service-level expectations to ensure cost-effective and reliable support.
• Define specifications for fleet assets and maintenance-related technologies.
• Sponsor evaluation and adoption of new maintenance technologies, diagnostic tools, and data platforms to improve visibility and decision-making.
• Operational Performance & Compliance
• Ensure fleet and maintenance operations comply with all federal, state, and local regulatory requirements.
• Oversee licensing, permitting, inspection, and audit processes.
• Partner with Safety and Operations teams on accident investigations and corrective actions as required.
• Maintain accountability for maintenance tracking systems, data accuracy, and performance reporting.
• Leadership & Talent Development
• Lead and develop fleet maintenance leadership and technical teams across the network.
• Set clear expectations, performance metrics, and accountability for maintenance leaders and teams.
• Build bench strength through coaching, training, and succession planning.
• Model Ashley’s leadership expectations by driving results through people, discipline, and ownership.

Requirements

• Education
• Bachelor’s degree in Transportation, Engineering, Business, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Experience
• 15+ years of progressive experience in fleet maintenance, transportation operations, or asset-intensive environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-site maintenance operations for large, company-owned fleets.
• Strong strategic and operational leadership capability.
• Deep understanding of fleet maintenance, asset lifecycle management, and preventive maintenance systems.
• Strong financial acumen, including cost modeling, ROI analysis, and vendor negotiation.
• Ability to translate data into clear insights and decisions.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Disciplined, execution-oriented mindset.

Skills

Required

• Disciplined, execution-oriented mindset

Benefits

• Health, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Time Off; increases with years of service
• Generous Employee Discount on home furnishings
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Tuition Assistance
• Ashley Wellness Centers (location specific)
• 401(k) and Profit Sharing
• Life Insurance