Sr. Manager, Design Services

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, 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 Challenge and 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.

The Sr. Manager of Design Services is responsible for multiple teams' operational and creative excellence, designing automotive websites user interfaces and digital marketing assets for Cars Commerce customers. This leader is an experienced people and process manager accountable for improving processes and workflows by understanding and sustaining key performance metrics. A highly technical creative production aptitude is also required, so this leader is no stranger to brand guidelines or style guides, can turn quickly on deadlines, and demonstrates solid creative, digital marketing design skills while being extremely detail-oriented. The Sr. Manager of Designer Services must demonstrate ability to cultivate a collaborative and high-performing team through effective mentoring skills, fostering professional growth, proficiency in senior-level conflict resolution, and providing strategic guidance to associate managers and individual contributors.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Regularly audit standard operational processes and guidelines, including quotas, timelines, and internal project details, to ensure delivery and manage employee performance and accountability
• Create, analyze, and Identify areas of opportunities for production and workflows while understanding and sustaining key performance metrics.
• Exhibits exceptional analytical acumen, adept at dissecting complex problems, and formulating data-driven insights to drive informed decision-making and strategic planning
• People management, including mentoring, performance reviews, hiring, improvement plans, promotions, terminations, etc
• Communicate and support our company and departmental goals and values.
• Facilitate employee growth and development through weekly team meetings, regular individual employee meetings, coaching, training, and other learning opportunities
• Collaborate and strategize across the marketing and product teams to manage workflows and timelines to ensure the timely delivery of design solutions that meet quality and production requirements.
• Handle cross-departmental process challenges, showcasing a leadership style that fosters seamless collaboration and drives innovative solutions
• Execute and implement compelling automotive-driven design while managing and maintaining the brand voice of all internal products, our retailers, and OEM partners 

Success in this role is measured by client satisfaction, content quality, employee engagement and satisfaction, and department improvement.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's Degree Preferred
• Minimum eight years of experience in a creative, digital marketing capacity
• Minimum of three years of people management experience, including leading large multi-discipline teams and managing Managers
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Adobe CC
• Demonstrable process