Location: Hybrid, Atlanta, GA preferred
Travel: 0-25%
Job Summary
Manheim's digital operations teams, spanning inventory management, trade desk consulting, operational support, and program management, are the engine behind millions of client interactions. As digital scales, we need someone who can modernize team processes end-to-end, driving greater internal efficiency through data, tooling, automation, and reporting, while supporting a heightened client experience.
That's where the Strategic Planning Manager comes in. You'll shape and execute strategic initiatives that redesign how our internal operations run, designing future-state processes that raise the bar across the marketplace. You'll dig into the data to size up where our current processes fall short, track trends as new solutions roll out, and own the roadmap of process, reporting, and technology improvements that gets us there, partnering across the company to influence priorities and drive the work forward.
This is how you'll make an impact: by blending structured, data-driven problem solving with the practical judgment to turn frameworks into realistic solutions for complex, cross-functional challenges. If you've built your career untangling ambiguous problems and want to see your recommendations through to real results, we want to hear from you.
Primary Duties / Key Responsibilities
Business Process Mapping, Design & Analysis
- Map current-state, end-to-end business processes across impacted teams, identifying handoffs, dependencies, and points of friction, both internally and for the client experience.
- Determine what additional data analysis is needed to confirm where gaps or challenges exist in current processes, and lead that analysis with process owners and boundary partners.
- Design future-state processes that close identified gaps, using structured process design methods and tools.
- Track trends and progress as new solutions are implemented, digging into the data to surface what's working, what isn't, and what to change next.
- Document current- and future-state process maps and supporting materials for both technical and executive audiences.
Business Case Development
- Build quantified, well-supported business cases for process improvement initiatives, including cost-benefit analysis, resource requirements, and expected outcomes.
- Partner with the business, finance, and analytics to validate assumptions and pressure-test the numbers behind each recommendation.
- Align stakeholders and enable teams with clear written and verbal communications across customer, partners, and executives
- Own the roadmap of process, reporting, and technology improvements needed to close identified gaps, sequenced and time-bound against operational goals.
- Conduct post-implementation reviews to assess impact against the business case, and recommend further changes based on the trends and results observed.
Cross-Functional Delivery & Change Management
- Build deep relationships with core business partners to anticipate their business needs and serve as a thought partner in building future processes and capabilities
- Own project plans, milestones, dependencies, and risks for assigned initiatives, keeping delivery on track and surfacing issues early.
- Identify the stakeholders and teams impacted by each change, and work directly with them to design solutions that land well for everyone involved.
- Influence cross-functional partners and stakeholders without direct authority, building trust through clear rationale and data-backed recommendations.
- Lead change and execution thoughtfully balancing speed, discipline, measurement and tolerance for risk
- Manage change through education, training, and clear communication, then follow up post-implementation to confirm adoption and capture lessons learned.
Other Duties as Assigned
Required Experience & Specialized Knowledge and Skills
Education & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, or a related field and 6 years’ experience in consulting, process improvement, operations, or financial analysis. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master’s degree and 4 years’ experience; a Ph.D. and 1 year of experience; or 10 years’ experience in a related field.
Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional projects or programs in a complex, matrixed environment.
Proven experience building business cases and cost-benefit analyses that influence executive decision-making.
Strong process mapping and data analysis skills, including AI-driven analysis, to diagnose current-state processes, spot trends, and design future-state solutions.
Strong presentation and communication skills, with the ability to build polished, executive-ready materials.
Ability to manage multiple concurrent, complex initiatives and re-prioritize as business needs shift.
Preferred
- Background in management consulting (e.g., strategy or operations consulting), blended with industry experience.
- Experience in the automotive or wholesale marketplace industry.
- Lean, Six Sigma, or other formal process improvement certification
- Experience with process mapping, data visualization, or BI tools (e.g., Visio, Lucidchart, Tableau, Power BI).
- Experience with Salesforce, and integrations such as Genesys
Drug Testing:
To be employed in this role, you'll need to clear a pre-employment drug test. Cox Automotive does not currently administer a pre-employment drug test for marijuana for this position. However, we are a drug-free workplace, so the possession, use or being under the influence of drugs illegal under federal or state law during work hours, on company property and/or in company vehicles is prohibited.
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $111,500.00 - $185,900.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company’s needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.
Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.
Application Deadline: 09/20/2026
EOE, including disability/vets
