Lead Recruiter

About Carvana

At Carvana, we’re changing the way people buy and sell cars. With an ambitious vision and a fundamentally different approach designed to be fun, fast, and fair, Carvana became the fastest-growing automotive retailer in history. We expanded nationally, went public on the New York Stock Exchange, sold our 1 millionth car, and reached the Fortune 500, all in just eight years. 

Today, with 4 million retail customers and counting, Carvana is both the fastest-growing and the most profitable public automotive retailer, and we’re just getting started. We continue to raise the bar for our customers as we tackle the enormous opportunity still ahead in the largest consumer vertical.  

Working here means being part of a team that embraces change, celebrates creative problem solving, and always strives to be better. At Carvana, you’ll have the opportunity to take on meaningful challenges, learn quickly, and help shape the future of automotive retail. If you’re driven to grow and make an impact as part of a collaborative team, you’ll fit right in. Learn more about what it’s like to work here from the people that already do. 

About the team and position 

We’re looking for an experienced, high-performing Lead Recruiter to join our Reconditioning Talent Acquisition (Ops TA) team. 

In this role, you’ll be the dedicated recruiting partner for 1-3 Reconditioning sites, depending on site size. You’ll own full-cycle recruitment for site leadership roles and support hiring across a broad range of other roles. You’ll build strong relationships with Recon leaders, advise on hiring strategy, and use your understanding of the business and the local talent landscape to build proactive, creative pipelines that keep your sites fully staffed with high-quality talent.

As the team grows, you may also have the opportunity to lead and develop a small team. You’ll set the standard for recruiting excellence, coach others on sourcing and candidate experience, and help shape how Ops TA hires at scale. You’ll see the impact of your work every day, in a company that has been changing the game since 2013 and isn’t slowing down. 

This is a fully on-site position, Monday through Friday, at our corporate HQ in Carmel, IN

What you’ll be doing 

• Own full-cycle recruitment for your assigned Reconditioning sites, from intake to start date. You’re accountable for site leadership hires and for the pipeline that keeps hourly roles filled, directly and through your team.
• Lead, coach, and develop 1-2 recruiters. Set clear goals, give regular feedback, and build development plans. Onboard new team members and help them hit their KPIs.
• Act as a strategic talent advisor to Recon leaders. Run intake sessions, forecast staffing needs, and shape hiring plans using market and local labor data.
• Build proactive, multi-channel pipelines, including sourcing, referrals, community and trade-school partnerships, and events, so sites are never starting from zero.
• Guide hiring managers on assessment, interview structure, and offer decisions, and lead the search for hard-to-fill and leadership roles.
• Manage workload and priorities across your team and sites, deciding which searches you own and which you delegate.
• Deliver a strong candidate experience from first contact through start date, and manage the pre-hire process (background checks, DOT/MVR) to reduce drop-off before day one.
• Own recruiting metrics for your sites and team, including time-to-fill, pipeline health, offer acceptance, and quality of hire. Report trends and recommendations to TA leadership.
• Raise the bar for Ops TA. Model best practices, hold your team to a high standard on sourcing quality and candidate experience, and pilot improvements to the hiring process.
• Partner with Talent Development, HR Operations, and Operations leadership to turn talent needs into quality hires and smooth onboarding.
• is includes onboarding and training new team members and helping them meet their KPIs.

What you should have/know

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited undergraduate institution.
• 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, including 2+ years in high-volume or hourly hiring.
• 1+ years of experience leading, mentoring, or managing others, formally or informally. This could be direct reports, a team lead role, or training and coaching other recruiters.
• Experience recruiting for a broad spectrum of roles, including leadership and support roles.
• Experience expertly sourcing talent and/or using talent-sourcing platforms.
• Experience working with an ATS, preferably Greenhouse.
• Exceptional interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize in a fast-paced environment. 
• Energy and drive to accomplish goals, meet deadlines, and find solutions.

It would be great if you also have

• Experience specifically in high-volume recruiting (2+ years preferred).
• Recruiting experience in the automotive industry.
• Experience leading, mentoring, and/or developing others.

Don't Meet 100% of the Qualifications?

At Carvana, we value diverse backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't fit every single bullet point. Give it a shot—we'd love to hear from you!

What we’ll offer in return

• Full-Time salary position with a competitive salary.
• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits.
• 401K with company match.
• A multitude of perks including student loan payments, discounts on vehicles, benefits for your pets, and much more.
• A great wellness program to keep you healthy and happy both physically and mentally.
• Access to opportunities to expand your skill set and share your knowledge with others across the organization.
• A company culture focused on high performance and bar-raising, with vast opportunity to learn and grow.

Other requirements

To be able to do your job at Carvana, there are some basic requirements we want to share with you.

• Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English.

Of course, we’ll make any reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their jobs. 

Legal stuff

Hiring is contingent on passing a complete background check.  This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Carvana is an equal employment opportunity employer.  All applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.  Carvana also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories.

Please note this job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.