Manager, Application Systems

About this Job  

In this role, you will be responsible for leading two teams of software engineers to define, design, and deliver modern inventory services and product offerings as part of the CarMax platform space. You will work closely with technology, product, and our business partners to drive future growth and opportunities.   

The Technology Manager’s primary responsibility is to partner with their product areas and provide technology solutions and services that help deliver CarMax’s strategic mission and plans. This position will direct and manage strategic planning, software development, implementation, administration, and maintenance for a large suite of modern inventory systems. This includes the development of long and short-term technology solutions that address business goals and deliver improved profitability, efficiency, and unrivaled associate and customer experience.  

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:      

Team Management 

• Responsible for interviewing, selecting and training associates 
• Must effectively resolve associate matters 
• Responsible for day-to-day tactical team decisions 
• Required to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously 
• Accountable for team’s use and adherence to the CarMax® Product & Technology Methodology
• Create/maintain team staffing and scheduling, to include time tracking
• Demonstrated ability to schedule and execute hardware and software releases
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and assign tactical requests to the team 

Associate Development 

• Responsible for associate development to include providing courageous leadership, motivation to improve team dynamics, mentorship focused on growth of team members and constructive feedback on associate’s work 
• Responsible for frequent associate File Reviews 
• Effectively provide associate feedback through regular objective reviews and by writing and delivering Annual Performance Reviews 
• Working with associates to collaboratively establish an Individual Development Plan and review them on a timely basis 
• Track associate performance and provide them with appropriate feedback 

Leadership 

• Leads team through obstacles and time constraints to consistently deliver results 
• Influences the work of others to drive department and company goals through effective team and project management, customer interaction and IT coordination 
• Skilled negotiator, able to find common ground with others and seeks alignment towards department and company goals 

Production Support 

• Provides technical experience related to the position 
• Ensures that support problems and errors are tracked to ensure appropriate future handling 
• Lead incident reporting to include postmortems which involve prioritizing enhancements to reduce ongoing support; scheduling support rotations; ensuring ticket queues are appropriately managed; and assisting with critical outages at any time 

Design and Review 

• Active participant in project design meetings providing vision and guidance Applies technical knowledge in specialty areas for position 

Customer Interaction / Business Knowledge 

• Act as the key liaison with the customer community and consistently build positive relationships with customers and contacts in supported business areas 
• Interact with the customer including understanding of requirements and proposed solutions 
• Must courageously influence the processes and break down project barriers to best represent the customers’ requirements and needs 
• Must continually seek opportunities to increase internal customer satisfaction and deepen client relations 

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Passionate about information technology 
• Comfortable leading in ambiguous situations 
• Analytical; solves problems at root cause and prioritizes effectively 
• Good listener – weighs input from multiple perspectives when forming opinions and recommendations 
• Demonstrated ability to provide vision – into the big picture 
• Inspire and motivate the team 
• Implement new policies and procedures effectively 
• Promotes a customer focused team 
• Promotes associate responsibility through work ownership and engagement 
• Proven project management skills with proven ability in leading medium to large sized project teams (often multiple projects simultaneously) 
• Experience with designing and developing digital commerce applications and services using a variety of technologies. Technologies include .NET (C#), cloud-based PaaS / IaaS/ CaaS, third party solutions, API gateways, and messaging middleware platforms 
• Understanding of full-stack application design, including APIs, microservices, and front-end development (such as React, Angular, HTML/CSS, and other web design components) 
• Prior experience working with container technology such as Docker, version control systems (SVN, GitHub, etc.), build management and CI/CD tools (TeamCity, Jenkins, etc.), and monitoring tools, preferred 
• Understanding of agile concepts 
• Understanding of enterprise capabilities and solutions 
• Understanding of SOX controls and best practices for implementation 
• Understanding of retail and supply chain concepts and solutions 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: 

• BS/BA degree - IT related, preferred 
• 5+ years of experience in Information Technology with 5+ years of hands-on application systems development and implementation, and cloud development 
• 3+ years of experience managing direct reports 
• 3+ years of experience required leading software projects leveraging Agile practice 
• 3+ years of experience preferred with retail or supply chain inventory systems and practices 

Work Location and Arrangement: This role will be based out of the Richmond, VA Technology Innovation Center or Dallas Technology Hub and have a Hybrid work arrangement.  

• Associates based in Richmond work on-site 4 days per week.
• Associates based in Plano work onsite 2 days per week.

Work Authorization:  Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Sponsorship will not be considered for this specific role.

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 200 locations nationwide. 

Our amazing team of more than 25,000 associates work together to deliver iconic customer experiences. 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®. 

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:  

CarMax is committed to bringing together people from different backgrounds and perspectives, providing employees with a safe, welcoming, and inclusive work environment. 

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