Director, Variable Operations - AutoNation Headquarters

DESCRIPTION OF POSITION:

Lead team responsible for New Vehicle Pricing and Inventory processes and internal technology products, strategy, analysis in support of various operations teams to outperform the industry. Team is also for responsible for used vehicle analytics to help the organization make timely and informed decisions to outperform the industry.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

·        Pricing – Subject matter expert on new pricing across multiple brands

o   Manage overall new vehicle price setting process in partnership with our Market Presidents and General Managers

o   Set and manage pricing for a brand’s ad leaders on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis and track effectiveness

o   Pilot and test pricing strategies to identify the most effective approach to pricing on web sites, in showroom or on the phone

o   Identify root causes for variances of actual sales prices to targeted sales prices to drive better performance

o   Evaluate key pricing indicators including effect on traffic, profitability and closing percentages as well as comparing targeted objectives to actual objectives to help drive recommendations

o   Continually drive operational process improvement in pricing execution and performance

o   Assist field with price setting and store process training

o   Manage ongoing changes and improvements to price setting applications and process

o   Manage inventory and purchasing decisions for selected dealerships

o   SME on pricing tool features and all systems/applications touched by price setting tool

·        Inventory Management

o   Create monthly store level new unit sales forecasts by model in collaboration with Market Presidents, Brand Presidents, and General Managers

o   Make purchasing decisions by analyzing inventory availability, sales forecasts and pipeline data with our store and market leadership

o   Facilitate transferring inventory to optimal location across enterprise

o   Identify optimal inventory ordering configurations at trim and color level

o   SME for the Allocation Process Application (SSPR)

o   Deep understanding of ordering process for OEs as well as data collection process for individual brands (MARS)

·        Reporting and Analytics

o   Create, maintain, and analyze new and used reports utilized by the organization to maximize performance and outperform the industry

·        Technology

o   Work together with IT to maintain and enhance our propriety pricing and inventory software

o   Support all pricing feeds to multiple website providers

QUALIFICATIONS (MANDATORY):

·        Bachelor’s degree, exceptional analytical and computer skills, excellent verbal and written communication skills, ability to handle multiple tasks at one time under time pressure

·        Operate as an independent thinker in helping identify and solve complex business problems

·        3-5 years of analytical experience

·        Expert knowledge of Excel

·        Intermediate knowledge of Outlook and Word

QUALIFICATIONS (PREFERRED):

·        Previous automotive experience

·        Supervision experience

·        Essbase & SQL knowledge