Sales Operations Director

Job description

The Opportunity: Reporting to the SVP of Dealer Sales, the Sales Operations Director leads the operational backbone of the Dealer Sales and Performance Management teams. In this role, you will own sales operations, dealer onboarding, and process management, while also driving the programs that keep the dealer sales team engaged, motivated, and focused on the right priorities. The Sales Operations Director is the connective tissue between HQ and the field: every initiative moving from HQ to the field runs through Sales Operations first, and you will be accountable for making sure it lands accurately, on time, and in a way the field can act on. Beyond the process, the Director will lead dealer marketing efforts, build and run the dealer rewards program, stand up and operate the President's Award recognition program, and set the quarterly objectives and KPIs the team is measured against, including all related tracking and reporting. Serving as the right hand to the SVP of Dealer Sales, you will establish credibility with the field and champion dealer sales and performance management initiatives across the Company. Starting as a one-person function, the Director will build out a team to support program tracking, reporting, and execution across all initiatives. The ideal candidate for this role will be located in the greater Los Angeles, CA, or Austin, TX, areas. How you’ll drive TRUECar’s success: Program & Initiative Leadership Own and manage all programs and initiatives supporting the Dealer Sales and Performance Management team end-to-end, from design through rollout, adoption, and ongoing optimization. Lead dealer marketing efforts that support sales, engagement, and retention objectives, partnering with Marketing and field leadership on content, campaigns, and communications. Develop and execute a Dealer Rewards Program that drives desired dealer behaviors and reinforces performance goals, including program design, budget, communication, and results measurement. Develop and execute a President's Award recognition program honoring top performers across the Dealer Sales and Performance Management team, including nomination criteria, selection process, and the recognition experience. Manage the full lifecycle of these programs — planning, launch, in-market execution, and post-program review — ensuring each ties back to broader sales and business objectives. Stand up and lead a Dealer Advisory Board, identifying key, engaged TRUECar dealers willing to meet quarterly to provide feedback on current products and what's working versus what isn't, and to review and weigh in on future products before and during development. Own all communication, outreach, and relationship management with Dealer Advisory Board members, along with meeting coordination and scheduling. Goal Setting, KPIs, & Reporting Lead the development of quarterly objectives and KPIs for the Dealer Sales and Performance Management team, in coordination with Finance, HR, and the SVP of Dealer Sales. Own tracking and reporting against those objectives and KPIs, delivering regular, accurate performance visibility to leadership and the field. Oversee the building of reporting tools and dashboards that make performance data accessible and actionable for both HQ and field teams. Use performance data to identify trends, flag risks early, and recommend adjustments to programs, processes, or goals. Processes Oversee, streamline, and continually develop operational sales processes across the Dealer Sales and Performance Management teams. Own the end-to-end onboarding and offboarding experience, ensuring all activities are completed accurately and within timeframes set by company goals. Create, optimize, and maintain standard operating procedures and set clear expectations across functional teams (Business Development, Account Managers) for executing every aspect of the onboarding and offboarding process. Ensure the new account hand-off process to the appropriate service team is as efficient as possible. Project-manage group-level implementation initiatives for Dealer Strategic and National Accounts in coordination with appropriate Field Directors. Represent the Dealer Sales and Performance Management team professionally and effectively, both internally and externally. Your Expertise: 5+ years leading and developing a Sales Operations team. Proven ability to lead teams, coach individuals, and continuously improve business processes. Track record of designing and running incentive, rewards, or recognition programs. Skilled at setting measurable goals and building the reporting to track them. Ability to maintain steady morale and high, achievable expectations among direct reports. A promoter of optimism who is fully team-oriented, with a track record of working well across a diverse group of people. Bachelor’s degree preferred; high school diploma or GED required. Technical acumen with proven troubleshooting experience. Strong attention to detail. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Comfortable operating independently as well as in a team-based environment. Strong experience with Microsoft Office products, including Excel. Proficiency with CRM platforms such as Salesforce. Regularly and autonomously engages in problem-solving. Work with a sense of urgency to set and achieve quarterly goals while maintaining accuracy on assigned tasks. Ability to work in-office per Company workplace policy. Ability and willingness to travel domestically by car or airplane up to 10% of the time. Desired Skills Automotive industry experience. Direct experience calling on dealers, with fluency in dealer business and dealer lingo. Experience on both sides of the business — field-facing dealer work and HQ process management — enabling this person to serve as the true bridge between HQ and the field. Extensive Salesforce experience strongly recommended. Experience with project management applications (JIRA, Asana, or similar) Who We Are TrueCar is a leading digital automotive platform that uses technology to help car buyers save time and money through a nationwide network of Certified Dealers. Founded in 2005 by Scott Painter, TrueCar was built on the belief that serving membership and affinity organizations central to the car-buying process, including lenders, insurers, and dealers, enables a more valuable auto-buying experience for new and used vehicles. As part of its platform, TrueCar powers auto-buying programs for over 250 leading brands, including Sam's Club, AAA, and more than 100 credit unions. We are seeking talented individuals who are energized by our commitment to saving consumers time and money. We’ve stripped away typical corporate "bloat" to build a culture rooted in high performance and accountability for results. As a member of the TrueCar Crew, you can have a real & direct impact on our success as we continue to evolve the car buying experience. If this energizes you, apply today! Your TrueCar Experience At TrueCar, we offer our Crew members the flexibility to split their work time between home and the office. While many days are remote, we expect our Crew to show up for the moments that matter—gathering in person when a project needs that extra collaborative spark because nothing replaces the energy of solving big problems in the same room. We provide you with comfortable shared workspaces in our Santa Monica headquarters office and other regional locations and equip you with a professional home office setup along with monthly reimbursements for your essentials, like phone and internet. As a TrueCar Crew member, you will receive excellent benefits and perks that include, but are not limited to, 100% employer-paid health, vision, and dental premiums; a 401(k) plan with company contributions; a wellness reimbursement account; and learning & development reimbursement opportunities. We also understand the importance of recharging, so we offer flexible PTO for exempt TrueCar Crew Members and a generous PTO accrual policy for non-exempt TrueCar Crew Members, in addition to 14 company-paid holidays and 2 floating holidays. In short, we care deeply about our Crew Members and have designed employee-centric programs that reflect this. At TrueCar, we believe in the power of diversity to create a deeper understanding of our consumers and partners, driving innovation in our products. We welcome a workforce that reflects the diversity of car-buying consumers and encourage everyone interested in our mission to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with applicable law. Additionally, TrueCar will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. TrueCar does not accept unsolicited agency submissions. If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents, linked here .