Associate Director, Field Operations & Strategy

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.

Travel: up to 75% required and must live within a commutable distance to a major airport

The Associate Director, Field Operations and Strategy is responsible for the performance of new car operations across multiple Inspection Centers (ICs), starting with a core set of sites and expanding to oversee a larger portion of the network. This is a field-based, high-travel role (50-75%) for an experienced operator who combines hands-on production leadership with strong analytical and strategic thinking.

The Associate Director will work with their teams, along with partner organizations in Reconditioning, Market Ops, and Logistics, to resolve challenges to meeting IC objectives, while also acting as a strategic thought partner to identify network-wide trends, shaping process and product improvements, and representing the voice of the field in cross-functional planning.

This role is not a fit for someone who wants to operate from a single site or from HQ; it requires someone equally comfortable running a floor and building a framework for senior leadership.

Leadership

• Demonstrate effective leadership, setting a positive tone and sense of purpose across each Inspection Center

• Visit the shop floor regularly to maintain detailed awareness of the realities of each IC and a genuine connection to your team

• Ensure IC management beliefs and behaviors are in line with Carvana's culture and values

• Pursue consistent, measurable improvement across your sites

Production Management

• Work with IC teams to identify, prioritize, and solve problems impacting IQR performance

• Ensure leadership is executing operating standards including; standardized work, operating rules, 5S, product integrations, and visual management tools

• Monitor compliance with all health, safety, and loss prevention guidelines

• Partner closely with Reconditioning, Market Ops, and Logistics to align production plans, resolve cross-functional bottlenecks, and keep vehicles moving smoothly across the broader supply chain

Strategy and Product Partnership

• Identify patterns and opportunities across sites that point to systemic fixes, and lead continuous improvement efforts across the network to close them

• Act as a thought partner to Product Management, translating field realities into clear input on how tools, workflows, and systems should be designed to make field