Senior Project Manager

Carvana; Tempe, Northern (AZ, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits

401K with company match

Employee discounts and perks

Job summary

Carvana, based in Tempe, AZ, seeks a Senior Project Manager who operates as a strategic advisor, driving complex technical initiatives across the technology organization. You will act as the engine-optimizer for cross-functional teams, shaping project strategy and building AI-enabled workflows to drive efficiencies.

This is an on-site role at our Tempe corporate HQ, requiring 5+ years of Agile leadership, strong communication, and a passion for AI-driven execution.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of proven experience managing complex projects with cross-functional teams.
• Strong strategic and analytical thinking with ability to translate engineering challenges into business impact.
• Experience using AI tools to accelerate workflows.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Strategic advising and business alignment across cross-functional goals.
• AI-accelerated execution: build and iterate AI-agent workflows.
• Solution architecture & framing to secure stakeholder alignment.
• Telemetry and root-cause analysis to drive data-backed fixes.
• Facilitate reviews and communicate across executives to engineering squads.
• Mentorship and capacity building for mid-level PMs.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional leadership

Agile methodologies

AI & automation mindset

Communication

Influence without authority

Emotional intelligence

Problem solving

Tools

JIRA

Github

Tableau

Snowflake

SQL

Job description

About Carvana

At Carvana, we’re changing the way people buy and sell cars. With an ambitious vision and a fundamentally different approach designed to be fun, fast, and fair, Carvana became the fastest-growing automotive retailer in history. We expanded nationally, went public on the New York Stock Exchange, sold our 1 millionth car, and reached the Fortune 500, all in just eight years.

Today, with 4 million retail customers and counting, Carvana is both the fastest-growing and the most profitable public automotive retailer, and we’re just getting started. We continue to raise the bar for our customers as we tackle the enormous opportunity still ahead in the largest consumer vertical.

Working here means being part of a team that embraces change, celebrates creative problem solving, and always strives to be better. At Carvana, you’ll have the opportunity to take on meaningful challenges, learn quickly, and help shape the future of automotive retail. If you’re driven to grow and make an impact as part of a collaborative team, you’ll fit right in. Learn more about what it’s like to work here from the people that already do.

About the team and position

We are looking for a Senior Project Manager who operates as a strategic advisor rather than a traditional task-tracker. In this highly impactful role, you will drive the execution of complex technical initiatives across our technology organization.

You will act as the engine-optimizer for cross-functional teams, going beyond standard Agile facilitation to shape project strategy and build organizational capacity. As we lean further into the future of work, you will be expected to pioneer the use of AI workflows and develop agents to automate tactical execution to drive operational efficiencies.

This is a fully on-site position, Monday through Friday, at our corporate HQ in Tempe, Arizona.

What you’ll be doing

• Strategic Advising & Business Alignment: Move beyond tracking work to moving metrics. Define project strategies, evaluate opportunity costs, and directly align cross-functional goals with broader business strategy.
• AI-Accelerated Execution: Automate the mechanics of project management. Build, implement, and iterate on custom AI-agent workflows to streamline repetitive tasks, analyze technical domains, and pressure-test strategies.
• Solution Architecture & Framing: Identify systemic problems within your domain and write strategic briefs to secure stakeholder alignment on recommended solutions.
• Advanced Telemetry & Root Cause Analysis: Treat data with intense scrutiny. Dive deep into operational telemetry to move beyond simply reporting metrics; identify "smoking gun" correlations, validate root causes, and propose data-backed systemic fixes.
• The Architecture of Influence: Facilitate rigorous reviews, pre-wire stakeholders to align skeptics, and seamlessly communicate at different "altitudes" (from executive leadership to engineering squads).
• Mentorship & Capacity Building: Act as a force multiplier. Contribute to our shared organizational knowledge base and provide informal mentorship to mid-level and associate Project Managers to elevate the entire department's execution capabilities.

What you should have/know

• Experience: A minimum of 5+ years of proven experience managing complex projects and leading cross-functional project teams using Agile methodologies.
• Strategic & Analytical Thinking: A first-principles thinker who can independently compile comprehensive project plans, anticipate risks, and seamlessly pivot or escalation when necessary.
• AI & Automation Mindset: Strong enthusiasm for, and practical experience with, utilizing AI tools (e.g., LLMs, custom GPTs/Agents) to accelerate workflows, analyze complex data, and solve business problems.
• Influence Without Authority: Demonstrated ability to build consensus, navigate skepticism, and foster healthy, productive collaboration without relying on formal reporting structures.
• High Emotional Intelligence & Resilience: Demonstrated ability to persevere in high-pressure or ambiguous situations. You actively notice and accurately interpret team dynamics, foster psychological safety, and invite healthy criticism.
• Exceptional Communication: The ability to bridge the gap between technical and non-technical stakeholders, translating complex engineering challenges into clear business impacts.
• A sense of humor! We work hard, but we also like to have fun.

It would be great if you also have

• Proficiency with enterprise Agile project management tools (e.g., JIRA, Github).
• Hands-on experience with data analytics and visualization platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Sigma, Tableau) to drive data-informed decisions.
• Familiarity with querying languages (like SQL) or basic scripting to support advanced telemetry and AI-driven workflows.
• Hands-on experience leveraging advanced AI tools (e.g., Gemini, Claude, GitHub Copilot) or agent development frameworks to automate workflows and solve business problems.

What we’ll offer in return

• Full-Time salary position with a competitive salary and Carvana stock compensation.
• 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 skill set and share your knowledge with others across the organization.
• A company culture focused on high performance and bar-raising, with vast opportunity to learn and grow.

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.