What Does a Parking Services Manager Do?
Construction season puts a parking manager's planning to the test. Parking services managers handle the permits, lots, shuttles and patrols for cities, hospitals and universities, and when a lot closes they move drivers elsewhere, adjust shuttle routes and explain the changes to people who are sometimes furious.
Also known as: Assistant Parking Services Manager, Parking and Transportation Manager
Parking Services Manager Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a parking services manager include:
- Set permit prices, zones and rules, and present rate changes to campus or city leaders.
- Manage the parking budget, revenue collection and audits of cash and card payments.
- Oversee enforcement, appeals and customer service staff through their supervisors.
- Run garage and lot upkeep, including sweeping, lighting, striping and structural repairs.
- Buy and manage parking technology such as pay stations, gate systems and plate cameras.
- Plan parking and traffic for football games, commencement and other big events.
- Coordinate shuttle, transit pass and bike programs that cut demand for spaces.
- Negotiate contracts with parking operators, towing firms and equipment vendors.
- Study occupancy counts to decide where to add, close or reassign spaces.
- Handle escalated complaints and meet with departments affected by construction closures.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a parking services manager, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Budgeting and revenue control
- Parking and transportation demand management
- Parking technology: pay stations, gate systems and plate readers
- Contract negotiation
- Leading supervisors and frontline teams
- Presenting unpopular rate changes in public
- Data analysis in Excel
- Certified Administrator of Public Parking (CAPP) credential, a plus
Education and Training
To become a parking services manager, in most organizations you will need years of parking, transit or facilities experience to qualify to run the whole department and its budget. BLS lists a high school diploma plus 5 years or more of related work experience as typical for transportation, storage and distribution managers. A bachelor's degree often helps at universities.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: varies widely for this role, and BLS does not publish pay for it separately. In the wider BLS group it belongs to (Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers), the middle half of earners made $82,440 to $146,770 a year, and the median was $107,230.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers.
According to BLS, employment of transportation, storage and distribution managers is projected to grow about 6 percent from 2025 to 2035. That group, which leans heavily toward warehouse and logistics managers, expects about 18,300 openings a year. Its pay figures run higher than many campus and city parking posts, so check local salary scales before you negotiate.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Transportation, storage, and distribution managers.