Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer

Job description

8901 - Corp Office West Crk - 12800 Tuckahoe Creek Parkway, Richmond, Virginia, 23238 CarMax, the way your career should be! CarMax seeks an experienced, strategic accounting leader to serve as Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer. This is the company’s senior-most accounting executive, responsible for the full scope of the enterprise’s accounting operations, financial reporting integrity, and multi-year accounting transformation agenda. This role includes leadership of Corporate Accounting, Financial Reporting, Accounting Policy, Financial Controls & Compliance and Tax. In addition, Accounting Transformation (systems, process automation, and intelligent automation/robotics), Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Payroll. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the VP/CAO will be a member of the senior finance leadership team and a trusted partner to the Board of Directors, Audit Committee, and executive leadership. This is a highly visible, enterprise-shaping role for a leader who combines deep technical accounting expertise with the transformational mindset and operational scale required to lead a complex, growing public company. Key Responsibilities Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting Own the accuracy, compliance, and timeliness of all external financial reporting, including quarterly and annual SEC filings (10-Q, 10-K, proxy, and other required reports) in compliance with GAAP and SEC regulations. Serve as the company’s foremost technical accounting authority; ensure accounting policies are established, executed, documented, and disclosed to minimize financial reporting risk. Proactively monitor and operationalize new FASB standards, SEC rules, and emerging regulatory requirements, advising executive leadership and the Audit Committee on potential impacts. Serve as primary liaison to the company’s external auditors; lead all aspects of the annual audit and quarterly review process, including resolution of complex or non-routine accounting matters. Present financial reporting updates, accounting policy matters, and controls status to the Board of Directors and Audit Committee, as required. Controllership & Accounting Operations Direct day-to-day accounting operations to ensure the integrity, accuracy, and timeliness of financial statements and the monthly/quarterly close cycle. Oversee all Corporate Accounting functions including general ledger, intercompany, multi-entity consolidations, fixed assets, lease accounting, inventory and cost accounting, and balance sheet management. Lead Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Payroll functions, ensuring operational excellence, policy compliance, and a strong control environment across high-volume, high-stakes transactional processes. Ensure compliance with internal controls over financial reporting and Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 requirements; own the design and operating effectiveness of the company’s internal control framework. Identify, assess, and mitigate financial reporting risks; maintain comprehensive accounting policies, procedures, and documentation across all functions. Partner closely with Internal Audit to strengthen the overall control environment, remediate deficiencies, and ensure alignment on risk priorities and audit findings. Provide critical data, analysis, and accounting insight to support budgeting, forecasting, and reporting to senior management. Accounting Transformation & Technology Lead the Accounting Transformation function, driving the multi-year roadmap for ERP modernization, process automation, intelligent automation (RPA/AI), and data infrastructure that underpin the accounting organization. Serve as the senior accounting executive and key decision-maker in ERP and financial systems initiatives, partnering with IT, FP&A, and other stakeholders to ensure accounting requirements are met and business value is realized. Champion a culture of continuous improvement; identify and implement process redesigns that reduce close cycle time, increase accuracy, and scale the function efficiently. Evaluate emerging technologies—including AI-assisted close processes, robotic process automation, and advanced analytics—and build a forward-looking technology strategy for the accounting function. Define and track key performance metrics for the accounting function (close cycle time, error rates, automation penetration, audit findings) to drive accountability and continuous improvement. Strategic Partnership & Enterprise Leadership Serve as a strategic business partner to Financial Planning & Analysis, Investor Relations, CarMax Auto Finance Accounting, Legal, Treasury, Strategic Sourcing, and HR. Provide proactive accounting guidance and risk advisory services to executive leadership and the CFO on transactions, strategic initiatives, and enterprise decisions with financial reporting implications. Partner with Investor Relations on earnings release preparation, investor communications, and non-GAAP financial measure governance. Support M&A due diligence, purchase accounting, and integration accounting activities as CarMax evaluates strategic opportunities. People Leadership & Organizational Development Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing, multi-functional accounting organization of significant scale (300+ professionals), spanning Corporate Accounting, Financial Reporting, Accounting Policy, Financial Controls & Compliance, Accounting Transformation, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Payroll. Establish a culture of accountability, intellectual rigor, continuous learning, and associate development across all reporting teams. Build and maintain robust succession plans for all critical accounting and reporting roles to ensure organizational resilience and depth. Attract, recruit, and retain top accounting talent; create meaningful individual development plans aligned to associate career aspirations and organizational needs. Model CarMax’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging in all hiring, development, and leadership decisions. Qualifications & Experience Required Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Business Administration; CPA required. Twenty or more years of progressively responsible accounting leadership experience, including significant experience in Big 4 public accounting (audit of public companies) and/or senior corporate accounting roles at large public companies. Demonstrated experience leading external financial reporting (SEC filings), accounting policy, general ledger and controllership functions, and internal controls/SOX. Experience with inventory and cost accounting at a high-volume, multi-location business. Demonstrated experience managing multi-entity consolidations and complex financial close processes. Proven ability to partner with Internal Audit, Audit Committee, and external auditors; track record of building and sustaining strong governance and control environments. Deep technical accounting knowledge including GAAP, SEC reporting requirements, and SOX 404 compliance. Demonstrated ability to lead, develop, and inspire large, diverse accounting organizations and build cultures of excellence and accountability. Exceptional executive communication skills; proven ability to present complex accounting and financial topics clearly and persuasively to Boards of Directors, Audit Committees, and executive leadership. Preferred Experience in multi-site retail, consumer finance, or automotive sectors; familiarity with specialty finance accounting (e.g., auto receivables, securitization) is a plus. Graduate degree (MBA or Master’s in Accounting) preferred. Experience supporting investor relations, earnings preparation, and non-GAAP financial measure governance. Experience owning Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and/or Payroll functions at scale, including controls, operational performance management, and technology modernization. Exposure to M&A due diligence, purchase accounting, and integration accounting. Familiarity with modern ERP platforms (e.g., Oracle, SAP, Workday Financials) and intelligent automation tools (UiPath, Automation Anywhere, or similar). Proven track record leading large-scale accounting or finance transformation initiatives, including ERP implementations, RPA/automation deployments, or significant process reengineering. Key Leadership Competencies Technical Accounting Excellence — authoritative, forward-looking GAAP/SEC expertise Transformational Leadership — drives change through people and technology Executive Presence — credible, persuasive communicator at all levels Strategic Orientation — balances near-term execution with long-term vision Enterprise Partnership — builds trusted relationships across functions Integrity & Judgment — highest ethical standards and sound decision-making Analytical Rigor — balances detail orientation with big-picture perspective People Development — invests in associate growth and succession Intellectual Agility — embraces complexity, ambiguity, and emerging issues Operational Excellence — manages scale, velocity, and quality simultaneously Inclusive Leadership — champions diversity of thought and background Change Leadership — proven ability to lead transformation and continuous improvement Work Arrangement This role is based at the CarMax Home Office in Richmond, Virginia. Associates will work onsite four days per week. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis; sponsorship is not available for this role. The annual salary for this position is: $272,700.00 - $477,200.00 May be eligible for bonus and equity. Benefits: Except as otherwise required by state law, CarMax Associates are entitled to the following paid sick, vacation, and holiday time. Associates that are considered full-time hourly or commission/incentive eligible: To earn up to 48 hours of sick time per year accrued on a per pay period basis and between 80 hours and 200 hours per year of vacation time after a 90 day waiting period depending on years of continuous service with the Company. For 8 hours of pay for each of a total of 6 paid scheduled holidays per year plus 1 floating holiday. If such an Associate does work on a scheduled holiday due to business need, they are eligible for Holiday Premium Pay. Associates considered full-time salaried are entitled to paid time away with no specified limit as needed for sick, vacation, bereavement, jury duty, holidays, floating holiday, etc. subject to manager approval. For more details about benefits, please visit our CarMax Benefits website. Upon an applicant's request, CarMax will consider reasonable accommodation to complete the CarMax Job Application .