Adventure Vehicle Parts Specialist

About Vanlife Customs

At Vanlife Customs, we put dreams in motion.

Based in Colorado, we design, build, upgrade, and service highly customized adventure vans. Every vehicle brings together hundreds of components - from electrical systems, suspension and heating systems to windows, awnings, refrigerators, roof racks, plumbing fittings, hardware, and custom-fabricated parts.

We are not a production line. We are a team of builders, technicians, designers, and craftspeople solving different problems every day and producing some of the best adventure vehicles in the industry.

With close to 200 vans built and hundreds more serviced, we have deep experience in what works in the real world. We are looking for someone who wants to develop that same level of product knowledge.

About the Role

We are looking for an Adventure Vehicle Parts Specialist who can become our in-house expert on the components that go into our vans.

You will need to understand what we are specifying, buying and installing; why we are buying it, what alternatives exist, whether it will fit and perform correctly, who makes the best version, what it should cost, and how quickly we can get it.

You might be sourcing a Victron electrical component one minute, finding the correct suspension part for a Sprinter the next, then working with a fabricator on hardware for a custom cabinet or identifying an alternative water pump that will keep a build on schedule.

You do not need to know every component on day one. You do need enough mechanical or technical curiosity to become genuinely knowledgeable about them.

The right person will combine parts knowledge, curiosity, organization, and commercial judgment. You will work closely with our designers, technicians, service team, and project managers to make sure the right parts arrive at the right time and at the right cost.

What You'll Do

• Become an internal expert on the products, components, accessories, and systems used in our van builds.
• Research parts and determine specifications, compatibility, fitment, quality, lead times, and appropriate alternatives.
• Work directly with technicians and designers to translate build requirements into accurate purchasing decisions.
• Source components across automotive, RV, marine, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, suspension, fabrication, and outdoor-industry suppliers.
• Place and track purchase orders and proactively resolve shortages, backorders, incorrect shipments, and other supply problems.
• Develop strong relationships with our key manufacturers, distributors, and specialty vendors.
• Negotiate pricing, dealer programs, freight, payment terms, and purchasing arrangements.
• Understand the commercial impact of purchasing decisions, including unit cost, landed cost, margin, inventory investment, and vendor terms.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate suppliers, improve pricing, reduce freight, and standardize commonly used components.
• Maintain accurate part numbers, costs, vendor information, and purchasing records in our systems.
• Help establish appropriate stocking levels for frequently used service and production parts.
• Find intelligent substitutes when an original component is unavailable rather than simply reporting that something is backordered.
• Receive and reconcile orders and investigate discrepancies when necessary.
• Continuously improve how Vanlife Customs sources, purchases, stocks, and manages parts.

What We're Looking For

We are more interested in technical aptitude and commercial instinct than traditional procurement credentials.

You may have worked in:

• Automotive or aftermarket parts
• Powersports
• RV or campervan service
• 4x4 or off-road accessories
• Marine systems
• Automotive service or parts departments
• Specialty vehicle manufacturing
• Technical sales or distribution
• Fabrication or manufacturing
• A hands-on purchasing role where understanding the product mattered

You should have:

• A genuine interest in mechanical systems, vehicles, components, and how things work.
• The ability to look at an unfamiliar component and quickly learn what it does, how it is specified, and what alternatives exist.
• Strong commercial judgment—you naturally care whether we are buying the right product at the right price.
• Excellent organization and follow-through.
• Strong research and problem-solving skills.
• Confidence communicating with technicians, vendors, manufacturers, and distributors.
• The ability to manage many simultaneous requests without losing track of details.
• Good computer skills and comfort learning inventory, purchasing, and shop-management software.
• A proactive mentality: when something cannot be sourced, your instinct is to find another solution.

Experience with Shopmonkey, Shop-Ware, automotive parts catalogs, ERP/inventory systems, or vendor ordering portals is useful but not required.

Knowledge of brands and products used in the adventure vehicle industry—such as Victron, Espar, Rixen's, Webasto, MaxxAir, Dometic, Isotherm, Agile Off Road, Van Compass, Quigley, KING, ARB, Owl Vans, Aluminess, Battle Born, Epoch, or similar manufacturers—is a significant advantage.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first year, we would expect you to become one of the people our team turns to when they ask:

“What's the right part for this?”

You will know our major suppliers, understand the systems we install, recognize commonly used components, know where to find alternatives, and understand the commercial implications of the choices we make.

Our builders spend more time building and less time chasing parts.

Our projects experience fewer delays caused by purchasing errors or missing components.

And Vanlife Customs gets increasingly sophisticated about what we buy, who we buy it from, and what we pay for it.

Position Details

Reports to: Project Manager Employment Type: Full-time, salaried Salary: $55,000–$68,000, depending on experience Location: In person - Arvada, Colorado

Vanlife Customs is part of a growing Colorado adventure-vehicle group and offers the opportunity to work alongside highly experienced people in one of the most interesting corners of the automotive industry.

If you know parts, love figuring out how things work, and have the commercial instinct to turn that knowledge into better purchasing decisions, we would like to meet you.