Senior Strategic Program Manager, CAF

CarMax • Atlanta, GA

2d • $127,700 - $204,300 • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Program Manager at CarMax Auto Finance is responsible for leading complex, cross-functional business and technology initiatives that require strong problem-solving, operational understanding, and technology fluency. This role partners with business leaders, Product, Technology, Operations, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Risk, Learning, Communications, and other stakeholders to understand business problems, evaluate solution options, and drive work from discovery through implementation.
This role goes beyond coordinating work or managing project plans. The Senior Program Manager takes ownership of ambiguous problems, asks effective questions, examines how processes and systems work together, and helps teams identify practical paths forward. The role evaluates whether a need may be addressed through process redesign, automation, reporting or data improvements, AI-enabled capabilities, technology enhancements, or a combination of solutions.
The Senior Program Manager develops a strong understanding of CAF processes, systems, data flows, integrations, controls, and operational workflows. While not responsible for detailed requirements or technical design, this role brings enough business and technical fluency to shape solution options, evaluate tradeoffs, recognize cross-functional impacts, and connect business needs with Technology capabilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in business, program management, technology, operations, finance, analytics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience leading complex cross-functional programs, business initiatives, technology-enabled change, process improvement, or transformation efforts.
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of ambiguous problems, establish clarity, evaluate alternatives, synthesize complex information, and move work forward with limited direction.
• Experience facilitating discovery, solution-shaping, and decision-making discussions across business, Product, Technology, Operations, and control partners.
• Strong understanding of business processes, operational workflows, systems, data flows, integrations, controls, technology constraints, and the operational effects of technology changes.
• Ability to evaluate solution options involving process redesign, automation, reporting, data, integrations, configurable platforms, AI-enabled capabilities, or technology enhancements while identifying risks, dependencies, cross-functional impacts, and implementation considerations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, align stakeholders across functions and organizational levels, manage competing priorities, and facilitate decisions involving business value, feasibility, risk, resources, and timing.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience developing executive summaries, decision materials, solution recommendations, roadmaps, stakeholder communications, and implementation/adoption materials.

Nice To Haves

• Preferred experience with Agile, Waterfall, hybrid delivery approaches, or technology-delivery practices; consumer finance, auto finance, financial services, operations, technology, analytics, risk, or process-improvement environments.

Responsibilities

• Own complex, ambiguous cross-functional initiatives by clarifying the business problem, intended outcomes, customer and associate impacts, operational context, and key constraints.
• Lead early problem-framing and solution-shaping by gathering facts, asking thoughtful questions, challenging assumptions, and engaging the right business, Product, Technology, and analytical partners.
• Develop a working understanding of current processes, systems, data flows, integrations, controls, and handoffs to identify gaps, risks, dependencies, and opportunities for improvement.
• Evaluate practical solution options across process redesign, workflow automation, reporting and data improvements, configurable technology, integrations, AI-enabled capabilities, and broader operational change.
• Facilitate decision-making across stakeholders by clarifying tradeoffs, operational impacts, risks, dependencies, resource needs, and recommendations needed to move work forward.
• Connect work across multiple functions, products, systems, and Technology teams to ensure decisions, sequencing, dependencies, and implementation plans support a cohesive end-to-end solution.
• Lead implementation and operational readiness by coordinating communications, training, controls, documentation, adoption, support, transition needs, and early post-launch issue resolution.
• Create clear executive-level materials and governance updates including decision summaries, solution recommendations, roadmaps, risks, status updates, and measurable success outcomes.

Benefits

• Paid sick time
• Vacation time
• Holiday time
• Floating holiday
• Holiday Premium Pay
• Paid time away with no specified limit as needed for sick, vacation, bereavement, jury duty, holidays, floating holiday, etc. subject to manager approval (for salaried associates)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior