Senior People Business Partner

About the role

This role thrives on disrupting traditional human resources by embedding directly into business operations to drive impactful change. You will partner with leaders to transform how talent strategies are designed and executed, ensuring they align with ambitious company goals. The position requires a proactive mindset that anticipates needs and delivers solutions before they are requested. You will leverage data and process discipline to make decisions that improve employee experiences and business outcomes. Every day presents new challenges that demand creativity, ownership, and a willingness to test new approaches. You will see the immediate impact of your work as the company moves at a fast pace. Success is measured by your ability to build real partnerships and turn strategy into tangible results.

Key facts

What you'll do

Drive organizational impact through consistent on-site presence, building authentic partnerships with leaders, peers, stakeholders, and SMEs - not just scheduling syncs. That means proactive engagement across channels, including frequent face-to-face interaction at headquarters and field locations around the country.

Co-create people and talent strategies with your assigned departments - mapping out roadmaps for attraction, engagement, development, coaching, and retention. Turn big-picture strategy into tangible milestones that actually get executed.

Be the trusted advisor who sees around corners - anticipating needs, recommending solutions before anyone asks, and building contingency plans that keep initiatives moving smoothly.

Serve as the bridge between business leaders and People Ops teams (Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, Leadership Development, Benefits & Leaves, HR Ops) - maximizing impact and cutting redundancy.

Coach managers and leaders one-on-one - checking in, helping them hit their commitments, and delivering honest, timely feedback respectfully and directly.

Run talent needs assessments, loop in the right experts, and stay ahead of internal and external trends. Prioritize ruthlessly - focusing on big rocks first.

Design and drive talent initiatives that improve processes, level up leaders, and make the employee experience genuinely better - always with a continuous improvement mindset.

Track performance against key talent metrics, review the data with leaders, and use it to inform real decisions - not just polished dashboards.

Support performance management, define career paths, and foster a culture where development is not a checkbox but the standard way the company operates.

Stay plugged into business strategy so your talent advice remains relevant, timely, and forward-looking.

Lead large-scale change management within your department to ensure adoption, minimize friction, and maintain momentum during transformation.

Own end-to-end ownership of people programs from discovery through rollout, ensuring alignment with Carvana's unique culture and operational reality.

Champion inclusion and engagement efforts by partnering with cross-functional teams to create experiences that resonate with a diverse workforce.

Act as the primary point of contact for all talent-related inquiries, providing clear, actionable guidance to leaders at every level.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in talent, HR, or people operations roles with a proven track record of delivering results in fast-paced environments.

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred but not mandatory.

Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous situations while maintaining a high standard of execution.

Experience partnering directly with senior leaders and influencing without formal authority is essential.

Strong expertise in employment law and compliance as they apply to HR practices and policies.

Proven experience managing full-cycle talent processes including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and employee relations.

Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to tailor messaging for executive and front-line audiences.

Comfort using data and HRIS tools to drive insights and decisions related to talent metrics and workforce planning.

Nice to have

Experience in automotive retail or high-volume consumer environments is preferred.

Background in change management frameworks and large-scale organizational transformation initiatives.

Proficiency in advanced HR analytics and visualization tools to tell compelling data stories.

Experience with learning and development program design and delivery.

Practical notes

This is a fully on-site role based at our Corporate Headquarters in Tempe, Arizona.

Expected travel to various field locations across the country is required to support talent initiatives.

Candidates must be able to commit to an extended work period with no start date delays.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.