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Principal Software Engineer

AT CarMax
CarMax

Principal Software Engineer

Plano, TX

8117 - Dallas Technology Hub - 5830 Granite Parkway, Plano, Texas, 75024

CarMax, the way your career should be!
About this job

At CarMax, we are industry disruptors. At the heart of our innovation is new digital products. Working on many different aspects of the customer experience, our Principal Engineers research and discover new opportunities and shape products to fulfill them. From inception to completion, you will develop tools and technology, learning quickly from our spirit of experimentation. You will have a direct impact on improving the performance of our business and ensuring customers can buy the vehicles they want in a way that is right for them!

About this job

At CarMax, we are industry disruptors. At the heart of our innovation is new digital products. Working on many different aspects of the customer experience, our Principal Engineers research and discover new opportunities and shape products to fulfill them. From inception to completion, you will develop tools and technology, learning quickly from our spirit of experimentation. You will have a direct impact on improving the performance of our business and ensuring customers can buy the vehicles they want in a way that is right for them!

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What you will do - Essential Responsibilities

  • Work with fellow associates to understand the real-life challenges of customers and discover what they need to move seamlessly between the online and in-person shopping experiences.
  • Collaborate with team members, lead engineers, product managers, product designers and systems architecture to develop iterative solutions and bring great ideas to life.
  • Market your innovative ideas internally and evolve them according to feedback and critique within an agile environment.
  • Stay on top of industry trends and best practice to continuously improve what we do and ensure our customer experience is the best it can be.

Purpose of the role

It takes a passion for technology to develop ground-breaking products. Working collaboratively and creatively as part of a close-knit platform team, you will be part of the development process from end to end: consulting users, carrying out experiments, tackling complex business problems and implementing new products. You can balance customer needs with business goals and know how to deliver technical solutions that enhance business value. Creative, curious, and highly analytical, you never stop learning and thrive on constant change in the digital marketplace.

The selected candidate will be a part of a team responsible for the core platform engineering, systems architecture, and technical operations of the company's CRM platform and seamless integration of capabilities built within and outside the CRM. The team is responsible for the design, build and development of large scale, resilient solutions and systems that encompass all our products and services.

They collaborate closely with the company's development, product and technical teams to provide these robust, distributed and performance solutions to achieve the company's business goals.

The team is also responsible for systems architecture, platform configuration management, capacity management, site reliability, application support, monitoring, and incident response.

The Engineer works as part of a team responsible for planning and executing the integration of Internet based products and services for the company into a complex data center and cloud environment in an efficient, secure, scalable, reliable and cost-effective manner.

Qualifications and Requirements

Basic Qualifications

  • 8+ years application development experience
  • Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Decision Science, Engineering, Statistics, or a related field, or equivalent alternative education, skills, and/or practical experience is required and 7+ years of relevant work experience or
  • Master's Degree in Computer Science, Decision Science, Engineering, Statistics, or a related field, or equivalent alternative education, skills, and/or practical experience is required and 5+ years of relevant work experience

Preferred Qualifications

  • In-depth Experience as a software developer working with product teams.
  • In-depth knowledge of programming languages/platforms such as C#, .NET, Azure, cloud-based SaaS, and PaaS solutions, Salesforce CRM is preferred.
  • In-depth knowledge of relational databases such as MS and SQL server are preferred.
  • In-depth Experience with API design and integration is preferred.
  • Experience with events and building event handling systems
  • Exceptional communication skills

Software Specific Qualifications and Requirements

Experience in the following required:

  • Advanced Microsoft .NET (C#)
  • REST APIs
  • Microservices
  • System Integration patterns
  • W3C Standards
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Extract Transform Load (ETL)
  • Security and Data Protection
  • Data Storage Solutions
  • Reusable Code and Libraries
  • Server-Side Logic
  • Database Schemas
  • Data Migration and Scripting
  • Authentication/Authorization
  • Security Compliance
  • Unit Testing

Experience in the following preferred:

  • Salesforce CRM
  • Microsoft SQL Server Scripting and Data Models
  • W3C Standards
  • API designs (REST & SOAP)
  • Automated/Performance Testing
  • Stateless/Sessions Design
  • Distributed Servers
  • Continuous Integration
  • Web Server Configuration

Other QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:

  • Experience collaborating with various business functions to collect requirements and convert them into solutions.
  • Proven ability to take a business requirement, design and implement a technical solution that successfully meets the business needs
  • Proven ability to evaluate different methods to achieve goals while analyzing risk in both quantitative and qualitative terms.
  • Possess strong organizational and time management skills
  • Demonstrated flexibility
  • Influence and communicate effectively with business and technology associates
  • Document findings and solutions that meet the business needs
  • Present alternative solutions to technology management and business users
  • Possess effective presentation development and delivery skills including the ability to adjust presentations to match appropriate audience
  • Exhibit good written and verbal communication skills
  • Convey a professional and positive image in all situations
  • Requires strong analytical and organizational skills
  • Demonstrated ability in statistical analysis, advanced calculations, and reporting
  • Demonstrated ability to gather, evaluate, and present performance metrics and benchmarks to resolve or prevent system problems
  • Evaluate and interpret complex system error logs, performance metrics, and other application or server output to identify problems in server performance or application execution
  • Evaluate the ROI (Return On Investment) of systems development & enhancements and effectively weigh the financial alternatives involved with various technical solutions and proposals
  • Proven experience solving technical problems and presenting solutions
  • Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills
  • Performs well in high pressure or stressful situations
  • Demonstrated ability to effectively estimate effort, duration and impact required to accomplish requested tasks/projects
  • Evaluate long term impacts when making recommendations and decisions
  • Participate in a 24x7 on-call rotation as scheduled, and perform after hours support as needed

Work Location and Arrangement: This role will be based out of the Richmond, VA CarMax Technology Innovation Center or the Dallas, TX Technology Hub and have a Hybrid work arrangement.

Work Authorization: Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Sponsorship will not be considered for this specific role.

About CarMax

CarMax disrupted the auto industry by delivering the honest, transparent and high-integrity experience customers want and deserve. This innovative thinking around the way cars are bought and sold has helped us become the nation's largest retailer of used cars, with over 200 locations nationwide.

Our amazing team of more than 25,000 associates work together to deliver iconic customer experiences. Along the way, we help every associate grow their career and achieve their best, at work and in their community. We are recognized for our commitment to training and diversity and are one of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:

CarMax is committed to bringing together people from different backgrounds and perspectives, providing employees with a safe, welcoming, and inclusive work environment.

CarMax is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, and any other characteristics protected by law.

Upon an applicant's request, CarMax will consider reasonable accommodation to complete the CarMax Job Application.

Client-provided location(s): Plano, TX, USA
Job ID: carmax-10573_JR-158304
Employment Type: Other

Perks and Benefits

  • Health and Wellness

    • Health Insurance
    • Health Reimbursement Account
    • Dental Insurance
    • Vision Insurance
    • Life Insurance
    • Short-Term Disability
    • Long-Term Disability
    • FSA
    • HSA
    • Fitness Subsidies
    • Pet Insurance
    • Mental Health Benefits
  • Parental Benefits

    • Adoption Assistance Program
  • Office Life and Perks

    • Commuter Benefits Program
  • Vacation and Time Off

    • Paid Vacation
    • Paid Holidays
    • Personal/Sick Days
    • Leave of Absence
  • Financial and Retirement

    • 401(K)
    • 401(K) With Company Matching
    • Stock Purchase Program
  • Professional Development

    • Tuition Reimbursement
    • Internship Program