Principal Product Manager
Principal Product Manager leading strategic, cross-platform initiatives for the Dealer Inspire automotive website and SaaS platform, focusing on platform evolution, cross-business-unit alignment, and AI/LLM product strategy.
- Compensation
- $175.8K–$219.8K / yr
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Principal
- Employment
- Full time
- Experience
- 10+ years
- Category
- Product
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Bachelor's degree in business, computer science, economics, or related field — or equivalent experience
- 10+ years of product management experience
- Experience with B2B SaaS solutions, ecommerce, and scalable website platforms
- Experience leading significant platform evolution or major product transitions
- Strong change management skills
- Meaningful experience in AI/LLM product strategy — shipped AI-powered features
- Proven ability to operate across organizational boundaries and align multiple teams
- Exceptional communication and storytelling skills with executive presence
- Strong analytical skills and data-driven decision-making
- Experience across the full product lifecycle from strategy through sunset
Nice to have
- MBA or other advanced degree
- Experience in automotive technology, dealer operations, digital retailing, or financing
- Experience as a software engineer or in a technical product role
- Experience within a multi-brand or platform ecosystem
Full description
Be essential at Cars Commerce
At Cars Commerce, we’re fanatical about simplifying everything about car buying and selling. We do right by our customers and consumers to better connect the industry with simplified and tierless technology to enhance, measure and drive local automotive retail. Whether through our No.1 most recognized marketplace, Cars.com, our industry-leading digital experience, Dealer Inspire, our trade and appraisal technology, AccuTrade, our reputation-based digital wholesale auction marketplace, Dealerclub, or our new Cars Commerce Media Network, Cars Commerce is essential for success in the automotive industry.
No one ever travels alone here: at its core, Cars Commerce is collaboration. In fact, it’s built into the very fabric of our shared values. We like to say we Rise Together – putting people at the center of what we do, from consumer to customer to community. Life at Cars Commerce makes it easy when we share the ethos to be Open to All, encouraging open-minded communication because we know diverse thinking yields better outcomes. But critical to our success is Caring to Challenge and Taking Ownership, fueling a competitive spirit in a respectful environment where we think about tomorrow but act today. At our foundation, we have integrity, Doing the Right Thing, even when it’s hard. It’s our shared commitment to these values that makes Cars Commerce a place where growth becomes not only possible, but downright unavoidable.
But don't take our word for it. We are proud to be named one of Built In's 2026 Best Places to Work in Chicago and across the U.S. Ready to make your mark? Join a team that's driving real change in the automotive industry.
About the role -
[Remote and must be located in Chicago area. May require onsite interviews]
Join us in shaping a future of Automotive Commerce. Cars Commerce builds solutions for automotive dealerships, manufacturers, and consumers. Our driving force is to deliver a single platform that simplifies everything about buying and selling cars.
Our Websites Product Team drives our ‘Dealer Inspire’ platform. Dealer Inspire (DI) is a leading automotive website and technology platform serving thousands of dealerships across the United States. DI is part of Cars Commerce — an industry-leading platform that includes Cars.com, AccuTrade, and other brands — giving DI the reach, data, and ecosystem depth to build products that move the industry forward.
We are on a transformational journey, building innovative services that redefine how we deliver value to our customers. As a Principal Product Manager on our Websites Product Team, you will shape the future of our platform — driving a comprehensive product strategy to simplify, scale, and make a lasting impact within the automotive industry.
Our data-driven products are at the core of the Dealer Inspire platform. We seamlessly link shoppers across Cars.com and Dealer Inspire websites — acquiring, transforming, and analyzing data that empowers our teams to turn information into meaningful insights and outcomes to make an impact within the automotive industry.