Manager, Inventory Operations

Carvana; Tempe, Northern (AZ, KY); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Carvana is seeking an Inventory Manager to own health metrics and drive improvements across the dealership network. You will use SQL and Tableau to identify trends, bottlenecks, and opportunities from acquisition to delivery.

You will lead cross‑functional teams with engineering, data science, and field staff, perform root‑cause analyses, and develop scalable SOPs and audits to ensure inventory moves efficiently. This is a full‑time role in Tempe with competitive pay and benefits.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of leadership experience.
• 3-5+ years of experience in data, reporting, or analytics.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in SQL.
• Knowledge of visualization software, such as Tableau.
• Curiosity to continue learning new analytical methods and tools (Snowflake, Python, etc.).
• The ability to work cross-functional with engineering, data science, and business teams and communicate across them in a clear and concise manner understood by all.

Responsibilities

• Own key inventory health metrics: Track and report on aging thresholds, exception volumes, and resolution turnaround times, using SQL/Tableau to identify trends and flag emerging bottlenecks before they elevate.
• Proactively identify and resolve inventory operational bottlenecks: Analyze exception buckets and implement process optimization strategies to enhance inventory health and streamline the path from acquisition to customer delivery.
• Manage aging inventory: Partner with field and HQ teams to prioritize vehicles based on age, demand, and exception severity, ensuring the highest-impact issues are resolved first.
• Conduct root-cause analysis: Investigate recurring exception types (e.g., photo issues, title holds, mechanical flags) and recommend process or system changes to prevent them from recurring.
• Maintain documentation and SOPs: Create and update documentation for exception‑handling workflows to ensure processes are consistent and scalable across the dealership network.
• Assist the field team with third party inventory audits: Coordinate with field staff on inventory reconciliation to ensure physical inventory matches system records.
• Support new dealership launches: Help establish inventory management processes and train local teams on exception handling.
• Manage the service loaner fleet: Monitor and report on utilization, including replacement timing and turnover efficiency, to keep the fleet running cost‑effectively.

Skills

Leadership experience

SQL

Tableau

Cross-functional communication

Python basics

Tools

SQL

Tableau

Snowflake

Python

Job description

About Carvana

At Carvana, we sell cars—but we’re not car salesmen. Our promise is simple: we won’t sell a car to a customer that we wouldn’t sell to our own mom. Period. That’s why every vehicle goes through Carvana’s process, where it’s inspected, perfected, and prepared to meet our high standards before it ever reaches you. And now, we’re bringing those same values to our new car dealerships—delivering quality, trust, and care you’d be proud to share with Mom. We strive to provide only the highest quality vehicles to our customers in our mission to deliver a no-hassle, better car buying experience. We are actively looking for passionate and talented individuals who can help us deliver on that promise.

Think you’ve got what it takes to join our team? Keep reading below to see what we’re looking for!

About the team and position

This Inventory Manager position focuses on identifying and resolving inventory exception cases to keep every vehicle on its happy path — from acquisition to the website and into a customer’s driveway. The Inventory Manager digs into the root cause of stalled or flagged vehicles, resolves the issue, and gets inventory moving again.

What you’ll be doing

• Own key inventory health metrics: Track and report on aging thresholds, exception volumes, and resolution turnaround times, using SQL/ Tableau to identify trends and flag emerging bottlenecks before they elevate.
• Proactively identify and resolve inventory operational bottlenecks: Analyze exception buckets and implement process optimization strategies to enhance inventory health and streamline the path from acquisition to customer delivery.
• Manage aging inventory: Partner with field and HQ teams to prioritize vehicles based on age, demand, and exception severity, ensuring the highest-impact issues are resolved first.
• Conduct root-cause analysis: Investigate recurring exception types (e.g., photo issues, title holds, mechanical flags) and recommend process or system changes to prevent them from recurring.
• Maintain documentation and SOPs: Create and update documentation for exception‑handling workflows to ensure processes are consistent and scalable across the dealership network.
• Assist the field team with third party inventory audits: Coordinate with field staff on inventory reconciliation to ensure physical inventory matches system records.
• Support new dealership launches: Help establish inventory management processes and train local teams on exception handling.
• Manage the service loaner fleet: Monitor and report on utilization, including replacement timing and turnover efficiency, to keep the fleet running cost‑effectively.

What you should have

• Minimum of 3 years of leadership experience
• 3-5+ years of experience in data, reporting, or analytics.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in SQL.
• Knowledge of visualization software, such as Tableau.
• Curiosity to continue learning new analytical methods and tools (Snowflake, Python, etc.).
• The ability to work cross‑functionally with engineering, data science, and business teams and communicate across them in a clear and concise manner understood by all.

What we’ll offer in return

• Full-Time Position with a competitive wage
• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits
• 401K with company match
• A multitude of perks including student loan payments, discounts on vehicles, benefits for your pets, and much more
• A great wellness program to keep you healthy and happy, both physically and mentally
• Access to opportunities to expand your skillset and share your knowledge with others across the organization
• A company culture of promotions from within, with a start‑up atmosphere allowing for varied and rapid career development
• A seat in one of the fastest‑growing companies in the country

Other requirements

To be able to do your job at Carvana, there are some basic requirements we want to share with you.

• Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English.

Of course, we’ll make any reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their jobs.

Legal stuff

Hiring is contingent on passing a complete background check. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Carvana is an equal employment opportunity employer. All applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law. Carvana also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories.

Please note this job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.