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This position has closed. Carvana removed this listing from their careers page on Oct 6, 2026. The interview prep below is still useful, and there are similar open roles at the bottom of this page.

Operations Manager - University Park

Carvana · University Park, IL · Reconditioning

Posted Oct 1, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 5, 2026

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a lean or continuous improvement project you led. What changed and how did you measure it?

What they are checking: Whether they have real lean experience with results, not just the vocabulary.

How do you keep associate engagement high in a production environment with mandatory overtime?

What they are checking: Whether they understand what drives turnover on a shop floor and act on it.

Tell me about a time you had to remove or seriously coach a lead who was not performing.

What they are checking: Whether they deal with weak leaders directly, since leads drive the whole line's results.

Tell me about a safety issue you found and fixed in an operation you managed.

What they are checking: Whether they treat safety as part of running the operation, not a separate program.

How would you develop one of your leads into a manager?

What they are checking: Whether they grow future leaders instead of keeping all the decisions to themselves.

What would you do

You'd direct at least five leads and up to 70 associates. How do you set up your day so you know where every line stands?

What they are checking: Whether they have a system for managing through leads instead of trying to see everything themselves.

Your reconditioning line is behind on production and over on cost. Where do you look first?

What they are checking: Whether they can find the true constraint instead of pushing harder everywhere.

How do you balance quality, production and cost when you can't hit all three on a given day?

What they are checking: Their judgment about tradeoffs while keeping the 150-point inspection promise intact.

In your first 30 days at University Park, what would you focus on?

What they are checking: Whether they would learn the floor and the people before changing things.

About the work

Walk me through how you would run a root cause analysis on a repeat quality miss.

What they are checking: Whether they use tools like 5 Whys or fishbone to fix causes rather than symptoms.

What metrics would you look at every day to run a reconditioning operation?

What they are checking: Whether they know throughput, first pass quality, cost per unit and labor efficiency well.

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Carvana.

About Carvana At Carvana, we sell cars but we aren’t car salesmen. Our promise is simple: we won’t sell a car to a customer that we wouldn’t sell to our own Mom. Period. To make sure our car’s are in first-rate condition, we’ve built multiple vehicle Reconditioning Centers around the country, where our cars are inspected, perfected, and photographed before reaching the Carvana website. Using our Carvana Certified 150-point inspection process, we’re able to verify that every vehicle meets our rigorous mechanical and cosmetic standards. We strive to provide only the highest quality vehicles to our customers in our mission to deliver a no-hassle, better car buying experience. We are actively looking for passionate and talented individuals who can help us deliver on that promise. Think you’ve got what it takes to join our team? Keep reading below to see what we’re looking for!   Position Overview: This is a supervisory position in an Inspection Center overseeing a team carrying out daily operations within a Carvana Inspection Center.. The Reconditioning Manager oversees all aspects of the vehicle reconditioning process and directs at least five leads and up to 70 front line associates in a lean manufacturing environment. This role will be responsible for maintaining a culture of continuous improvement and high associate engagement while meeting quality, production, and cost objectives.  This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. What you’ll be doing: • Oversee day-to-day operations within the Inspection Center. • Provide mentoring and accountability to direct reports and succession planning through appropriate coaching, leadership development and training, and performance management. • Participate in the development and execution of strategic plans, goals, and objectives, ensuring alignment with those of the company. • Ensure adherence to operating standards, systems, policies, procedures, and performance standards. • Create a work and team environment that inspires positive communication, team cohesion, and adherence to Carvana’s Values. • Maintain supervisory staff by recruiting, selecting, orienting, and training employees. • Ensure progression path training and certification processes are consistently executed. • Train and mentor leads and associates by providing competency-based feedback. • Ensure adequate production capacity levels for each line and assist with production planning. • Ensure compliance with all health and safety and loss prevention guidelines. • Provide vision and guidance to the reconditioning team in meeting performance metrics. • Positively reinforce and engage the team regarding quality, production and cost objectives. • Participate in and lead problem solving and continuous improvement efforts. What the job requires: To be able to do your job at Carvana, there are some basic requirements we want to share with you. • 5 years of management experience either in automotive or a lean manufacturing environment. • Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles. • Experience leading and developing associates. • Proven ability to obtain project deliverables and company metrics. • Ability to read, write, speak and understand English. • Must be at least 18 years of age. • Valid unrestricted driver’s license with a clean driving record in the last 3 years. • Ability to maintain high volume and high-quality content in a fast-paced environment. • Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills. • Ability to work with and through teams to achieve results • Strong analysis and decision making ability. • Proficient computer skills. • Ability to work overtime and on weekends. • Ability to walk up to three miles each day. • Requires standing for extended periods of time with frequent stretching, reaching, walking, stooping, pushing, and/or pulling in an environment that may be cold, hot, noisy, and wet and may have fumes or odors due to vehicle maintenance. • Must be able to lift up to 40 pounds independently; majority of lifting from knee to shoulder heights; other lifting required from various levels. • Requires use of safety equipment and PPO that may include but not limited to face shield or goggles, non-slip shoes, gloves, mask, and other protective garments and equipment. This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.   Legal stuff Hiring is contingent on passing a complete background check. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Carvana is an equal employment opportunity employer. All applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law. Carvana also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories.