Manager, CAF Strategic Program Management

CarMax Business Services; Kennesaw (GA); On-site; USD 113,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sick leave and vacation

Holiday pay

Bonus eligibility

Job summary

CarMax Auto Finance is seeking a Manager of Program Management in Kennesaw, GA. This role leads moderately complex, cross-functional programs from initiation through implementation and transition, aligning stakeholders and driving planned outcomes.

You will translate objectives into coordinated plans, manage dependencies and risks, and deliver executive updates. The ideal candidate brings strong analytical and communication skills, experience with Agile/Waterfall or hybrid delivery, and the

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in program management, project management, business, technology, operations, finance, analytics, or a related field.
• 3-5+ years of experience leading cross-functional initiatives, business programs, technology-enabled change, process improvement, or program delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead moderately complex programs involving multiple teams or workstreams.
• Experience developing and managing integrated plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, decisions, governance, and implementation readiness.
• Ability to coordinate work across business and Technology teams and maintain accountability without formal authority.
• Working knowledge of business processes, operational workflows, systems, data, integrations, controls, and technology-delivery practices.
• Ability to recognize program impacts and engage the appropriate Product, Business Systems Analysis, Technology, Risk, or business owner.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate decisions, resolve execution issues, manage competing priorities, and escalation appropriately.
• Experience coordinating release, adoption, communication, training, operational-readiness, and transition activities.
• Strong analytical, organizational, planning, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience creating executive summaries, status reports, decision materials, and stakeholder communications.
• Ability to work independently, lead through influence, and build alignment across functions and organizational levels.
• Experience with Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid delivery approaches and program management tools preferred.
• Consumer finance, auto finance, operations, technology, risk, analytics, or process-improvement experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of moderately complex, cross-functional programs, ensuring multiple workstreams are integrated, governed, and executed to achieve defined business outcomes.
• Translate approved business, product, or operational objectives into a cohesive program strategy and execution approach, including scope, outcomes, stakeholders, dependencies, risks, decisions, readiness needs, and success measures.
• Establish and lead program governance routines that create visibility, drive accountability, enable timely decisions, and keep business, Product, Technology, and control partners aligned.
• Manage cross-functional dependencies, tradeoffs, risks, blockers, and competing priorities across Product, Technology, Operations, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Analytics, Learning, Communications, and other partners.
• Integrate product direction, business requirements, technology plans, process impacts, controls, and implementation needs into a coordinated program plan that supports business readiness and adoption.
• Facilitate program-level decision-making and escalation by framing options, impacts, dependencies, risks, recommendations, and tradeoffs for appropriate leaders or decision owners.
• Lead implementation readiness and adoption planning across business and Technology teams, ensuring release coordination, communications, training, operational readiness, stabilization, and transition activities are aligned.
• Communicate program health, risks, decisions, outcomes, and business impact through concise executive-facing updates, dashboards, roadmaps, decision materials, and post-launch learnings.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder alignment

Risk management

Communication

Agile/Waterfall delivery

Independent work

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in related field

Job description

Manager, Program Management

CarMax Auto Finance, Kennesaw, GA

About This Job

The Manager, Program Management is an experienced individual contributor responsible for leading moderately complex business and technology programs that support CarMax Auto Finance priorities. This role translates approved objectives into coordinated plans and drives work across multiple teams or workstreams from initiation through implementation and transition.

The Manager establishes program structure, aligns stakeholders, manages dependencies and risks, facilitates decisions, and maintains visibility into progress and expected outcomes. This role develops sufficient understanding of relevant business processes and technology to anticipate execution impacts, ask effective questions, and engage the appropriate Product, Business Systems Analysis, Technology, Operations, and control partners.

What You Will Do - Essential Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of moderately complex, cross-functional programs, ensuring multiple workstreams are integrated, governed, and executed to achieve defined business outcomes.
• Translate approved business, product, or operational objectives into a cohesive program strategy and execution approach, including scope, outcomes, stakeholders, dependencies, risks, decisions, readiness needs, and success measures.
• Establish and lead program governance routines that create visibility, drive accountability, enable timely decisions, and keep business, Product, Technology, and control partners aligned.
• Manage cross-functional dependencies, tradeoffs, risks, blockers, and competing priorities across Product, Technology, Operations, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Analytics, Learning, Communications, and other partners.
• Integrate product direction, business requirements, technology plans, process impacts, controls, and implementation needs into a coordinated program plan that supports business readiness and adoption.
• Facilitate program-level decision-making and escalation by framing options, impacts, dependencies, risks, recommendations, and tradeoffs for appropriate leaders or decision owners.
• Lead implementation readiness and adoption planning across business and Technology teams, ensuring release coordination, communications, training, operational readiness, stabilization, and transition activities are aligned.
• Communicate program health, risks, decisions, outcomes, and business impact through concise executive-facing updates, dashboards, roadmaps, decision materials, and post-launch learnings.

Purpose of the Role

The Manager, Program Management helps CAF deliver moderately complex business and technology programs through disciplined planning, cross-functional coordination, and proactive management of risks and dependencies. This role ensures approved work is structured effectively, stakeholders remain aligned, decisions occur at the right time, and business and Technology teams are prepared for implementation.

The ideal candidate is organized, analytical, and comfortable operating independently across multiple teams. They understand enough about business processes and technology to recognize impacts and ask informed questions while engaging the appropriate owners for product decisions, detailed requirements, technical design, risk acceptance, and business outcomes.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in program management, project management, business, technology, operations, finance, analytics, or a related field.
• 3-5+ years of experience leading cross-functional initiatives, business programs, technology-enabled change, process improvement, or program delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead moderately complex programs involving multiple teams or workstreams.
• Experience developing and managing integrated plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, decisions, governance, and implementation readiness.
• Ability to coordinate work across business and Technology teams and maintain accountability without formal authority.
• Working knowledge of business processes, operational workflows, systems, data, integrations, controls, and technology-delivery practices.
• Ability to recognize program impacts and engage the appropriate Product, Business Systems Analysis, Technology, Risk, or business owner.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate decisions, resolve execution issues, manage competing priorities, and escalation appropriately.
• Experience coordinating release, adoption, communication, training, operational-readiness, and transition activities.
• Strong analytical, organizational, planning, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience creating executive summaries, status reports, decision materials, and stakeholder communications.
• Ability to work independently, lead through influence, and build alignment across functions and organizational levels.
• Experience with Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid delivery approaches and program management tools preferred.
• Consumer finance, auto finance, operations, technology, risk, analytics, or process-improvement experience preferred.

About CarMax

CarMax disrupted the auto industry by delivering the honest, transparent, and high-integrity experience customers want and deserve. This innovative thinking around the way cars are bought and sold has helped us become the nation's largest retailer of used cars, with over 250 locations nationwide.

Our team of more than 30,000 associates works together to deliver iconic experiences for internal and external customers. Along the way, we help every associate grow their career and achieve their best at work and in their community. We are recognized for our commitment to training and diversity and are one of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For.

CarMax is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The annual salary for this position is:

$112,700.00 - $180,300.00

May be eligible for bonus and equity.

Benefits

Except as otherwise required by state law, CarMax Associates are entitled to the following paid sick, vacation, and holiday time.

Associates that are considered full-time hourly or commission/incentive eligible:

• To earn up to 48 hours of sick time per year accrued on a per pay period basis and between 80 hours and 200 hours per year of vacation time after a 90 day waiting period depending on years of continuous service with the Company.
• For 8 hours of pay for each of a total of 6 paid scheduled holidays per year plus 1 floating holiday. If such an Associate does work on a scheduled holiday due to business need, they are eligible for Holiday Premium Pay.

Associates considered full-time salaried are entitled to paid time away with no specified limit as needed for sick, vacation, bereavement, jury duty, holidays, floating holiday, etc. subject to manager approval.

For more details about benefits, please visit our CarMax Benefits website.

Upon an applicant's request, CarMax will consider reasonable accommodation to complete the CarMax Job Application