Director, Software Engineering

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, our reputation-based digital wholesale auction marketplace, Dealerclub, 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 Challengeand 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.

 [100% remote. May require onsite interviews]

About the Role

Join us in shaping the future of Automotive Commerce. Our Marketplace Engineering Team (cars.com) is on a transformative journey, building innovative services that will redefine the way we deliver value. As a Director of Software Engineering you will lead marketplace engineering teams building innovative solutions for our dealerships. An exceptional opportunity to influence the future of our platforms and drive meaningful change at scale to make an impact on the industry.

The mission of our Marketplace Engineering team is to build a trusted marketplace that facilitates a simple, fun, and fast experience for car buyers and sellers. By joining our team you will be in the driver’s seat as we build novel Full Stack solutions that support frictionless experiences for our users throughout the automotive ecosystem, and across the cars.com website (and Mobile App experiences.)

This is an exciting role because as a Director of Software Engineering with the Marketplace (cars.com) team, you will help tens of millions of people like you and me find their perfect car match each year, with our 4.7 star rated Android and 4.8 star rated iOS apps being a critical part of our strategy. 

About You

You’re an empathetic, outcomes-oriented leader who drives solutions and balances people, process and product. Perhaps you’ve shipped high-scale solutions handling thousands of requests per second, mentored senior engineers and managers, or negotiated scope changes without losing sight of customer value

We’re looking for an experienced leader for our Director of Software Engineering within our Marketplace Team. This role is pivotal to leading a key part of the broader Cars Commerce strategy. Success in this role requires exceptional leadership, communication, and project management skills. You should have hands-on senior leadership experience, and a strong belief in transparency and accountability.  You have hands-on experience that has fueled your knowledge and experience on your journey into leadership. You have experience hiring and developing the skills and talents of others. 

You have led high performing teams that thrive in a fast paced agile environment. You have strong technical skills in architecture, and have integrated with systems that scale for millions of users. Our leaders build strong teams, display servant leadership, put people first, and care deeply about team health and culture.

Why You'll Be Excited About This Role

This opportunity enables you to...

• Lead and manage multiple teams of product engineers, including front-end and back-end engineers.

• Contribute and define the technical vision and roadmap for the Marketplace platform, aligning it with the company's overall business goals.

• Set technical priorities, manage resources, and ensure timely delivery of high-quality projects within budget.

• Identify and implement new technologies and solutions to improve product performance, security, and user experience.

• Maintain a high level of quality control and implement best practices for product engineering.

• Partner with product managers, sales, and marketing teams to understand their needs and translate them into technical requirements.

• Stay up-to-date on the latest trends and technology advancements and apply them to help us revolutionize the automotive industry.

• Advocate for continuous improvement and foster a culture of innovation within the engineering team

We're Excited About You Because You Have …

• 12+ years software engineering experience 

• 8+ years software engineering leadership experience 

• Proven track record of leading and motivating high-performing engineering teams.

• Strong understanding of web and mobile engineering technologies

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and cloud technologies is a plus.

• Experience in optimizing dealer/supplier products within a Marketplace.

• Skilled at capacity planning across both Cap/Op work.

• Knowledge of the automotive industry is a strong asset.

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills - customer-focused attitude and leadership style.

• Ability to manage complex projects, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines.

In the spirit of pay transparency, we are excited to share the base salary range for this position. In addition to base salary, some roles are eligible for our bonus and/or equity programs, depending on level and role. Regular full-time positions are eligible for our comprehensive benefits package. 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

$175,800.00-219,750.00

Our Comprehensive Benefits Package includes:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Healthcare Plans

• New Hire Stipend for Home Office Set-Up

• 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!

For US-based Positions: Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Please note that we are unable to sponsor employment visas at this time.
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.