Sr. Manager Product Portfolio & Business Strategy (Hybrid)

About this Job 

For 25 years, CarMax has led the way with an innovative, customer-right way to buy and sell a used car.  We are the nation’s largest retailer of used cars, with 25K+ associates and 200+ locations nationwide.  With best-in-class financial performance, customer satisfaction, and Associate engagement, CarMax is well positioned for continued growth.   

The Sr Manager, Product Portfolio & Business Strategy plays a critical role shaping and operationalizing the strategic agenda of CarMax’s digital Product organization. Responsibilities in this role include enabling the Product organization to rally around a shared, bold vision; bringing clarity to large cross-functional efforts; elevating progress through executive level and organization-wide communications; and ensuring we are appropriately organized and resourced to deliver on the Product objectives. In doing so, the role will work closely with the leaders of the Product organization. This position provides a strategic thinker, possessing strong communication and management skills, the opportunity to play a leadership role in bringing to life the strategy that will shape the future of a Fortune 500 retailer.   

Essential Responsibilities 

• Develop and maintain a communications strategy to inform executives, the broader Product organization, cross-functional stakeholders, and external audiences on the Product vision and performance across the portfolio against strategic objectives 

• Lead the development of materials to tailor communications to the audience, crafting storylines that are compelling and gain support for the goals 

• Develop and asserts a point of view within the communications that drives forward the Product vision and rallies the audience around the key messages 

• Leverage insight from Corporate Strategy to develop product-specific strategies that drive the broader company initiatives 

• Facilitate events to organize and bring clarity to cross-functional initiatives to enable Product teams to drive toward success 

• Establish and track cross-functional deliverables and key milestones within multi-track initiatives and Products. Identify & escalate initiative level concerns with progress to deliverables as appropriate.  

• Build and maintain cross-functional relationships to generate alignment between Product and larger company objectives, and to manage obstacles to delivering on holistic Product objectives 

• Break down and articulate complex problems to enable strong strategic decision making and enable teams to action against 

• Conduct or facilitate ad hoc research to support projects that are in their infancy  

• Develop and maintain processes to manage the Product portfolio, including budget and resourcing plans to deliver on Product strategic objectives  

• Develop and facilitate processes with Product leadership to generate a regular cadence of review with Senior stakeholders, including performance to budget 

• Facilitate planning for and develop communications around change management, governance, and other Product organization-wide efforts requiring broad communication 

• Facilitate the annual budget process for the Product portfolio, including articulating the resource needs and influencing the prioritization of roles to support the Product portfolio 

• Drive the innovation agenda for Product Operations through org-wide initiatives that clarify and refine the Product operating model  

• Scale the Product organization by driving consistency for efficiency and effectiveness through enhanced data, visualization, and reporting 

• Introduce, maintain, and document operational standards, practices, tools, and templates for the Product organization in line with the practice of Product at CarMax 

• Develop and maintain execution of Product governance model to enhance accountability and proactive management 

• Lead a small team of associates to accomplish the above responsibilities, including supporting their professional growth and development.  

QUALIFICATIONS: 

At CarMax, we dream about “what is possible” with a belief that there is near limitless potential to grow our business.  Ideas drive innovation.  Innovation drives growth.  Growth drives value.   

To that end, we’re looking for change agents to fuel our next wave of growth.  The ideal candidate craves learning, generates ideas, and has a bias for turning insights into action.  To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to:   

• Think creatively and strategically to address complex/critical issues with a proven track record of thought leadership 

• Take initiative and ‘make things happen’ with moderate supervision or guidance and with an analytical, proactive, and solution-oriented mindset 

• Flex between big picture thinking and sharp attention to detail 

• Drive towards business objectives and adjust priorities based on changes in business strategy or market environment 

• Clearly articulate vision, objectives, and progress through exceptional written, visual, and verbal communication  

• Demonstrate exceptional interpersonal skills to build and maintain strong relationships throughout the organization 

• Be courageous to motivate, influence and persuade across various levels of the organization 

• Facilitate events with stakeholders at various levels to arrive at strategies and decisions that drive toward Product objectives 

• Develop and execute plans and proactively make improvements to processes 

• Demonstrate strong proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, and Excel 

• 7+ years of business experience in management consulting, strategy, strategic program management, or digital product leadership 

• Experience with expense management is a plus  

• Undergraduate degree in a business discipline or similar field with an excellent academic record; advanced degree preferred 

The requirements here 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.