Sr. Director @ Cars Commerce

Be essential at Cars Commerce

At Cars Commerce, we’re fanatical about simplifying everything about car buying and selling. We do right by our customers and consumers to better connect the industry with simplified and tierless technology to enhance, measure and drive local automotive retail. Whether through our No.1 most recognized marketplace, Cars.com, our industry-leading digital experience, Dealer Inspire, our trade and appraisal technology, AccuTrade, or our new Cars Commerce Media Network, Cars Commerce is essential for success in the automotive industry.

No one ever travels alone here: at its core, Cars Commerce is collaboration. In fact, it’s built into the very fabric of our shared values. We like to say we Rise Together – putting people at the center of what we do, from consumer to customer to community. Life at Cars Commerce makes it easy when we share the ethos to be Open to All, encouraging open-minded communication because we know diverse thinking yields better outcomes. But critical to our success is Caring to Challenge and Taking Ownership, fueling a competitive spirit in a respectful environment where we think about tomorrow but act today. At our foundation, we have integrity, Doing the Right Thing, even when it’s hard. It’s our shared commitment to these values that makes Cars Commerce a place where growth becomes not only possible, but downright unavoidable.

But don’t take our word for it. As a U.S. News & World Report Best Company to Work For in 2024, we’re obsessive about the employee experience. We are among the top 20% being declared “Best” of our industry based on six critical factors that are important to employee wellbeing, like quality of pay, benefits, work life balance and more.

About the Role:

The Senior Director Strategy & Corporate Development is a high exposure role working directly with the Chief Strategy Officer and the rest of the Cars Commerce Executive Team. The role is key in developing our organic and inorganic growth strategy, screening of M&A targets, development of large scale partnerships and development of organic value creation plans. This role is focused on Cars Commerce’s highest priority strategic initiatives. This is a high intensity role with expected workload spikes that will depend on the M&A and partnership agenda. This role provides the opportunity to shape the direction of Cars Commerce for the years to come.

Specific Areas of Responsibility:

Lead the development and implementation of the Cars Commerce strategy

Perform analysis to support strategic decisions
Perform competitive analysis and analysis of analog marketplace industries
Analyze implementation plans to realize strategy and highlight areas of risk and opportunity
Shape planning process to improve cross functional alignment

Lead large scale partnership discussions with external parties

Lead implementation of tests with partners for new business models
Definition of partnership opportunity
Day-to-day interaction with leadership team at partner organizations

Develop value creation plans in partnership with FP&A

Identify opportunities for revenue growth acceleration and cost optimization
Develop written recommendations and proposed implementation plans to capture identified opportunities
Assist with implementation of key initiatives

Assist in the creation of Board of Directors materials (e.g. conduct ad-hoc analysis, write slides, gather input from internal stakeholders)
Lead select portions of our M&A process

Scan the landscape for targets and screen potential targets
Build M&A models detailing revenue and cost synergies in partnership with FP&A
Develop and drive the integration plans, e.g. project management of cross functional inputs on integration documents
Play a leadership role in the integration process

Desired Qualifications:

At least 10+ years of experience in B2B SMB environment, automotive background as a plus or
At least 6+ years of top tier management consulting and / or investment banking or venture capital experience
Undergraduate or graduate degree in a quantitative discipline
Proficiency in Excel, Google Sheets, PowerPoint and Google Slides
Demonstrated ability to solve complex quantitative problems
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Track record of continuous learning and development
Curiosity to tackle new problems and learn new approaches.

#LI-REMOTE #LI-LB

In the spirit of pay transparency, we are excited to share the base salary range for this position which is not inclusive of bonuses, benefits or other forms of compensation that the position may be eligible for. If you are hired at Cars Commerce, your final base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as skills and/or experience. If the salary range is close to what you’re seeking, then we encourage you to apply and learn more about the total compensation package for this position.

Salary Range

$170,800—$213,500 USD

Our Comprehensive Benefits Package includes:

Medical, Dental & Vision Healthcare Plans
401(k) with Company Match + Immediate Vesting
New Hire Stipend for Home Office Set-Up
Employee Stock Purchase Program
Generous PTO
Refuel - a service based recognition program where employees receive additional paid time away to learn grow and reset
Paid Holidays, Floating Holiday, Volunteer Day, Recharge Day
Learn more about our Benefits, Perks, & Culture on our LinkedIn Life Pages!

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. California Applicants: Click here to review our California Privacy Policy for Applicants. For current employees, please click here to review our California Privacy Policy for Employees.