Senior Manager, Change Management & Talent Integration

Senior Manager, Change Management & Talent Integration

The Senior Manager, Change Management & Talent Integration is a broad, high-ownership role that spans how AutoNation runs its core talent programs, transforms internally, and integrates externally through growth. This person leads change management for major Talent Strategy initiatives, owns the M&A talent integration playbook, architect the enterprise onboarding program, and ensures a seamless candidate-to-associate experience in partnership with Talent Acquisition. This is a high-visibility, high-autonomy role for someone who builds structure where none exists, thinks in systems, and understands that the best talent programs are only as good as the processes and adoption behind them. No two workstreams look the same—and that's the point.

This role is fully onsite out of our HQ in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

What You Own:

Change Management — Talent Program Activation

• Develop and lead change management strategies for enterprise talent initiatives—including performance management redesigns, listening program launches, skills architecture rollouts, and workforce planning implementations
• Build stakeholder engagement plans, communication frameworks, and resistance mitigation strategies tailored to field leaders, HRBPs, and associates
• Design and execute readiness assessments, adoption tracking, and post-launch reinforcement plans to ensure programs stick beyond rollout
• Partner closely with program owners across the CoE to embed change management into program design from day one—not as an afterthought
• Translate complex talent initiatives into simple, compelling narratives for field leaders and frontline managers
• Establish change management standards, tools, and templates that become reusable infrastructure for the team

M&A Talent Integration

• Own the talent integration workstream for AutoNation acquisitions—from early-stage due diligence through full post-close integration
• Develop and maintain a scalable M&A talent integration playbook covering culture assessment, org design, role mapping, associate communications, and Day 1 readiness
• Partner with Corp Development, Operations, Legal, and HR leadership to ensure talent considerations are embedded in deal timelines
• Conduct talent risk assessments on target organizations—identifying key talent, retention risks, cultural gaps, and structural redundancies
• Lead associate-facing communications and change journeys for acquired teams—ensuring a consistent, human experience from announcement through integration
• Track integration health metrics and surface issues early; act as the early-warning system for talent-related integration risks
• Build institutional knowledge and lessons learned after each acquisition to continuously improve the playbook
• Design and lead structured onboarding journeys for acquired associates—covering AutoNation culture, DRIVE values, systems access, and role clarity—ensuring new teams feel informed and connected from Day 1 through their first 90 days

Onboarding Program Design

• Own the architecture and continuous improvement of AutoNation's enterprise onboarding program—designing the framework, milestones, and experience touchpoints that set new associates up for long-term success
• Partner with the Associate Experience Specialist and HRBPs to ensure onboarding is consistent, scalable, and reflective of the AutoNation culture and DRIVE values
• Define and maintain onboarding standards across roles and levels—including Day 1 logistics, 15/45/90-day check-in frameworks, and manager onboarding guides
• Use Signal listening data and lifecycle survey insights (Onboarding Day 15/45/90) to identify gaps and continuously refine the onboarding experience
• Build onboarding toolkits and resources that enable HRBPs and people leaders to deliver a high-quality experience at scale, without requiring central coordination for every hire
• Track onboarding effectiveness through retention, engagement, and time-to-productivity metrics—reporting insights to leadership and recommending improvements

Candidate-to-Associate Experience & TA Handoff

• Own the design of a seamless handoff protocol between Talent Acquisition and Talent Development—ensuring the associate's experience from offer acceptance through their first 90 days feels like one connected journey, not two disconnected ones
• Partner with TA leadership to map the current candidate-to-hire experience, identify friction points, and co-design a handoff process that preserves candidate momentum and sets new associates up for success from Day 1
• Define what information, context, and connection travels with the associate from TA to TD—ensuring the onboarding experience is personalized, informed, and never starting from zero
• Design and maintain pre-boarding touchpoints between offer and start date—keeping candidates engaged, informed, and confident in their decision before they walk through the door
• Partner with the Associate Experience Specialist to connect candidate experience survey data and Day 15/45/90 insights back into handoff and onboarding program improvements—closing the loop between what candidates experience and what the program delivers
• Establish and track handoff health metrics—monitoring early attrition, onboarding completion, and new hire engagement to identify breakdown points and drive continuous improvement

Strategic Partnership & Org Effectiveness

• Serve as a thought partner to the Director, VP & CHRO on change strategy, org readiness, and integration best practices
• Advise HRBPs and Talent Advisors on change management principles when rolling out market-level talent programs
• Connect M&A integration learnings to broader workforce planning and org design work—identifying patterns across acquisitions that inform enterprise strategy

People Leadership

• Provide day-to-day direction, coaching, and development support for the Workforce Planning & Skills Specialist—setting clear priorities, removing obstacles, and ensuring work is connected to the team's broader strategic goals
• Conduct regular 1:1s and ongoing feedback conversations that help Ashley grow in the role and build toward her next level
• Partner with the Director on goal-setting, performance reviews, and development planning for the Workforce Planning & Skills Specialist
• Serve as the first point of escalation for questions, decisions, and workload prioritization within the workforce planning and skills function

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive experience in change management, HR transformation, or organizational effectiveness
• Demonstrated experience leading end-to-end change management for enterprise-wide HR or talent programs
• Prosci ADKAR certification or equivalent change management methodology training
• Experience supporting M&A transactions from a talent, HR, or organizational integration perspective
• Strong project management skills—able to manage multiple workstreams with competing timelines and stakeholders
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; proven ability to build executive-ready materials and field-facing communications simultaneously
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and building structure in environments where the playbook doesn't yet exist
• Experience partnering across HR functions (e.g. Talent Acquisition, HRBPs, CoE) to design cross-functional processes or handoffs
• High degree of emotional intelligence—this role interacts with associates in uncertainty and leaders under pressure

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a multi-unit retail, automotive, or operationally complex organization
• Familiarity with HR tech platforms (Workday, Perceptyx, ServiceNow) and how they intersect with change activation
• Background in internal communications, org design, or workforce strategy
• Experience building reusable toolkits, playbooks, or frameworks that scale across a large, distributed workforce

Exciting Benefits and Perks Await You:

• Competitive compensation and 401k matching
• Enjoy a healthy work-life balance with insurance plans (health, dental, vision) and maternity benefits.
• Associate purchase and discount programs for new and pre-owned vehicles, services, parts, collision, accessories, and AutoGear
• Access amazing deals and discounts through YouDecide, a website with offers from top providers and retailers
• Join our DRVPNK mission to raise and donate millions of dollars to cancer research and treatment, partnering with cancer charities nationwide

AutoNation is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States, offering innovative products, exceptional services, and comprehensive solutions, empowering our customers to make the best decisions for their needs. With