Senior Manager, Strategic Talent Programs & Planning

Overview

Who We Are At Car Gurus (NASDAQ: CARG), our mission is to give people the power to reach their destination. We started as a small team of developers determined to bring trust and transparency to car shopping. Since then, our history of innovation and go-to-market acceleration has driven industry-leading growth. In fact, we’re the largest and fastest-growing automotive marketplace, and we’ve been profitable for over 15 years.

What We Do The market is evolving, and we are too, moving the entire automotive journey online and guiding our customers through every step. That includes everything from the sale of an old car to the financing, purchase, and delivery of a new one. Today, tens of millions of consumers visit  each month, and ~30,000 dealerships use our products. But they re not the only ones who love Car Gurus—our employees do, too.

We have a people-first culture that fosters kindness, collaboration, and innovation, and empowers our Gurus with tools to fuel their career growth. Disrupting a trillion-dollar industry requires fresh and diverse perspectives. Come join us for the ride!

The Senior Manager, Strategic Talent Programs & Planning plays a critical role in translating People Strategy into action. This role leads the Talent Management team in the planning, execution, and operational excellence of company wide people initiatives, with a strong focus on talent management programs. They will also partner with our Operations team to drive effective end-to-end People Strategy operations.

This individual will lead a team that serves as a central connector across the People Strategy team, Operations, Analytics, Systems, and key cross-functional partners to ensure programs are delivered with clarity, consistency, and measurable impact. The ideal candidate is both strategic and execution-oriented—comfortable driving complex initiatives while ensuring operational rigor and scalability.

People Strategy Program & Project Management

• Lead the planning and execution of major People Strategy initiatives, including organizational design, restructuring, and talent management programs.
• Serve as a central program management partner across People Strategy, ensuring accountability, clear ownership, and consistent progress across initiatives.
• Establish project management frameworks, timelines, and governance to ensure effective delivery of complex, cross-functional work.

Talent Management Programs & Platforms

• Serve as the primary leader for Lattice and other talent management platforms.
• Lead a team through the end-to-end planning and execution of talent management programs (e.g., performance cycles, goal setting, feedback, development initiatives).
• Own the design, strategy, and implementation of all talent programs while balancing input from People Strategists, Talent Management team, People Development and other stakeholders.
• Partner with our Communications team to drive communication planning and execution for talent management initiatives, ensuring clarity, consistency, and strong employee and leader engagement.
• Partner with People Analytics and Systems teams to track participation, completion, and impact metrics, using insights to continuously improve programs.

People Strategy Operations & Process Optimization

• In partnership with our Operations team, oversee and optimize operational processes across the employee lifecycle, from hire through termination.
• Partner closely with Finance, Payroll, Legal, and other key stakeholders to ensure seamless execution of employee changes and compliance with policies and regulations.
• Act as a core operational partner and SME to the People Strategy team, ensuring strategists and COEs are well supported and able to focus on high-impact work.
• Identify and implement opportunities for automation, standardization, and process improvements to increase efficiency and scalability.
• Collaborate with Data and Analytics teams to ensure accurate coding, tracking, and reporting of employee changes, exits, and related data.

• 7+ years of experience in People Strategy, HR Program Management, Talent Management, or related roles.
• Demonstrated experience…