Cars.com is the marketplace millions of people trust to buy and sell cars with confidence.
More than 25 years ago, we started as a simple idea, connect buyers and sellers, and today we do a lot more: trusted reviews, transparent pricing, and real-time, proprietary data that cut through the noise of one of life's biggest purchases. Our scaled marketplace, paired with interconnected technology, data, and media, gives dealers and OEMs everything they need to sell more cars.
At Cars.com, we debate openly, decide fast, and deliver what we say we will. We solve real problems for car shoppers and dealers, simplify for speed, and focus on what matters most. We win together or not at all. Here, your work counts, your ideas can help shape what’s next, and you’ll build alongside people who have your back.
We’re in the middle of a real transformation, modernizing the company and investing in AI and data to move faster. You're joining the No. 1 brand people think of first when shopping for a car, at the exact moment it's being rebuilt for what's next. You help decide what that becomes. That kind of influence is rare, and it's exactly why this is a place worth building your career.
Don't just take our word for it, we're proud to be named one of Built In's 2026 Best Places to Work in Chicago and across the U.S.
Ready to help build the most trusted place to buy and sell a car? Join us.
We are seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to serve as a strategic advisor to VP-level leaders, driving talent strategy, organizational design, and culture transformation across a distributed workforce of 300+ employees.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Strategic Business Partnership: Act as a trusted advisor to VP-level executives, aligning business goals with people strategies, headcount planning, and total rewards decisions.
- Organizational Design & Workforce Planning: Lead org design initiatives, span-of-control analyses, and proactive headcount planning to scale teams efficiently in a high-growth environment.
- Culture Transformation & Engagement: Contribute to and execute strategies that strengthen company culture, drive employee engagement, and boost retention across fully remote and hybrid teams.
- Leadership Coaching & Development: Coach people managers and executives on performance management, leadership effectiveness, succession planning, and navigating complex team dynamics.
- Employee Relations & Compliance: Manage employee relations issues with empathy and rigor, ensuring fair, consistent, and compliant practices.
- Cross-Functional HR Collaboration: Partner closely with Talent Acquisition on hiring strategies, Compensation on leveling/pay decisions, and People Ops on seamless HR processes.
ABOUT YOU:
- Experience: 5–7+ years of progressive HR experience, with a focus as an HRBP in marketplace, tech, or tech-adjacent industries.
- Client Scale: Proven track record supporting client groups of 300+ employees in distributed/remote environments.
- Executive Presence: Demonstrated success coaching and advising VP-level leaders.
- Core HR Expertise: Hands-on experience in organizational design, headcount planning, employee relations, performance management, and compensation strategy.
Preferred:
- HRIS: Experience with Workday strongly preferred.
- Experience navigating global mobility/immigration cases and vendor/outsourcing management.
- Proven track record executing large-scale culture transformation initiatives.
- Experience supporting technical, engineering and/or product business units.
Compensation
We share compensation up front so you have the information you need to make a confident decision. This range reflects target base compensation. Where you land depends on skills and experience. If this range works for you, we encourage you to apply.Salary Range: $93,100.00-114,050.00
Benefits
Confidence, built in. The same confidence we build for car buyers and sellers, we build into how we treat our own:
- Medical, dental & vision from day one — no waiting period
- 401(k) with company match, immediate vesting
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan — buy Cars.com stock at a discount
- Unlimited Flex Time Off, 11 paid holidays, 1 volunteer day
- Paid parental and caregiver leave
- $350 one-time home office stipend + $70/month for virtual-first work
- Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year
- ...and more — see our full Benefits, Perks & Culture here
Legal
For US-based positions: Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. We're unable to sponsor employment visas at this time.
Cars.com is an equal opportunity employer and values 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.
Applicants: click here to review our Privacy Policy for Applicants.
Current employees: click here to review our California Privacy Policy for Employees.
Skills Required
- 5-7+ years of progressive HR experience, focused on HR business partnering in marketplace, technology, or tech-adjacent industries
- Experience supporting client groups of 300+ employees in distributed or remote environments
- Experience coaching and advising VP-level leaders
- Hands-on experience in organizational design, headcount planning, employee relations, performance management, and compensation strategy
- Experience with Workday
- Experience handling global mobility and immigration cases and managing vendors or outsourcing providers
- Experience executing large-scale culture transformation initiatives
- Experience supporting technical, engineering, or product business units
- Authorization to work in the United States without employment visa sponsorship
Cars Commerce Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Cars Commerce and has not been reviewed or approved by Cars Commerce.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare is considered solid, with specific mention of strong health insurance options and supportive wellness resources. Feedback suggests coverage breadth and wellness stipends contribute positively to overall satisfaction.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings, including a 401(k) with a company match, are viewed favorably. Feedback suggests these features strengthen long-term financial planning.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid time off is regarded as generous, with additional leaves such as parental leave contributing to perceived flexibility. Feedback suggests time-off policies and remote flexibility enhance work-life balance.
Cars Commerce Insights
What We Do
Cars Commerce is an audience-driven technology company empowering automotive that simplifies everything about buying and selling cars. The Cars Commerce platform includes the flagship automotive marketplace and dealer reputation site Cars.com, innovative digital marketing technology and services from Dealer Inspire, industry-leading trade-in and appraisal technology from Accu-Trade, an exclusive in-market media network, and powerful and predictive AI technologies that enable more efficient and profitable retail operations. Cars Commerce is the essential partner to stay one step ahead in automotive. Cars.com properties include DealerRater®, Dealer Inspire®, Auto.com™, PickupTrucks.com® and NewCars.com®. For more information, visit www.Cars.com.
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