Senior Manager, Registration Strategy

Job Description

Job Description

About Carvana

If you like disrupting the norm and are looking to join a company revolutionizing an industry then you will LOVE what Carvana has done for the car buying experience. Buying a car the old fashioned way sucks and we are working hard to make it NOT suck. I mean, have you seen our vending machine?!

We are looking for people who are excited to thrive in an environment of impactful change. Team spirit is evident at Carvana and everyday we let our passions and creativity foster innovation. We take big swings, set ambitious goals, and challenge each other to make data- and process-driven decisions in everything we do. For more information on Carvana and our mission, learn more about what it's like to work here from the people that already do.

About the team and position

Carvana's Registration team makes sure every customer's vehicle is registered accurately, on time, and in full compliance with the rules of all fifty states. As we scale toward selling millions of cars annually, registration excellence sits at the intersection of three things we care deeply about: regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and a great customer experience.

We are seeking a Senior Manager to lead our Regulatory Operations Support (ROS) team, while contributing to regulatory & operational strategy at the leadership level. This is a dual-mandate role: you will be a people leader guiding a knowledgeable, long-tenured team through a period of meaningful evolution, and you will grow into a strategic voice shaping how Carvana adapts its operations to an ever-changing regulatory landscape.

The team you'll lead is being redefined in exciting ways: AI is transforming what the analyst role can be, new tooling is reorganizing how the work gets done, and our reporting is evolving toward quality-based measures that demand strategic — not just reactive — engagement with regulation. We're looking for someone who is energized by leading that kind of change: humble enough to learn a complex world quickly and confident enough to then lead the charge on the team's evolution.

What you'll be doing

• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, coach, and develop a team of experienced regulatory operations analysts — owning the operating rhythm, setting priorities, and building the trust needed to guide the team through significant change.
• Leading Transformation: Redefine what the analyst role looks like in an AI-enabled organization, evolving the team from state-specific, reactive work toward general problem-solving and strategic regulatory engagement, and bringing the team along on that journey.
• Regulatory & Operational Strategy: Develop a deep command of how registration actually works and use it to design operating models that are compliant, efficient, and thoughtful about what customers actually experience.
• Challenging Assumptions: Pressure-test inherited explanations and institutional knowledge; go to primary sources, examine real work product, and test beliefs against data to converge on the best answer rather than the most comfortable one.
• AI-Driven Value Creation: Champion the use of AI to investigate problems deeply, surface insights, and reshape how the team's work gets done. You'll use AI tools daily to get into the data yourself rather than waiting on analyst support.
• Quantified Prioritization: Size and rank a wide portfolio of problems (e.g., regulatory changes, state-specific issues, process gaps) so leadership can make clear decisions, bringing forward the few things worth a real call with the numbers and a recommendation attached.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Serve as a primary face of Registration to partner teams (Market Operations, Customer Experience, Legal, Government Affairs, Product, and others).
• Executive Communication: Structure ambiguous questions, drive or direct the analysis, and present clear, data-backed recommendations to senior leadership, knowing when to change minds and when to align.
• Performance & Risk Awareness: Operate with precision in a domain where deadlines and accuracy carry regulatory weight, monitoring team and process performance against compliance-critical metrics.

What you should have

• 5+ years of experience in operations, strategy, regulatory/compliance -adjacent work, or a similar leadership role, including proven people-management experience.
• A track record of taking over an established, experienced team and leading it through meaningful change, earning trust quickly while still making the hard calls.
• A learner's mindset: teachable, curious, and eager to master a complex domain fast, paired with the pragmatism to see the bigger picture and sort what truly matters from the minutia.
• Genuine enthusiasm for the intersection of compliance, operations, and customer experience.
• Strong analytical instincts: you reason in metrics, root causes, and sized opportunities, and you validate findings with data before forming a view.
• Demonstrated fluency with AI tools as a core part of how you work.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting recommendations to senior leadership and representing your team to cross-functional partners.
• Comfort with ambiguity and a bias toward action in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Champion Carvana's culture and values, acting as a role model and leader within the organization.

What we'll offer in return

• Full-Time 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 skillset and share your knowledge with others across the organization
• A company culture of promotions from within, with a start-up atmosphere allowing for varied and rapid career development
• A seat in one of the fastest-growing companies in the country

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
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must have a valid driver's license
• 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.