Automotive Program Manager Jobs in Memphis, TN (NOW HIRING)

At AutoZone, we are on a journey to transform our Search Platform into a highly intelligent, scalable, and customer-centric discovery engine. As a Technical Program Manager (TPM) on the Search Platform team, you will lead the end-to-end execution of complex, cross-functional initiatives that power search, relevance, ranking, and AI-driven discovery experiences across our digital ecosystem.
You will partner closely with Engineering, Product, Data Science, and Infrastructure teams to deliver high-impact search capabilities that improve customer engagement, conversion, and overall experience. This role requires a strong blend of technical depth, program leadership, and business alignment to translate strategic goals into scalable, production-ready solutions.
A successful candidate will bring experience managing large-scale distributed systems, a solid understanding of modern search and AI-driven architectures, and a proven ability to drive execution, influence stakeholders, and deliver measurable outcomes in a fast-paced environment.
 

    Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field required; Master's degree preferred
    Minimum of 10 - 15 years of total experience in technology, with at least 5 - 7 years in Technical Program Management or leading large-scale, cross-functional initiatives
    Proven experience delivering programs for distributed systems, preferably in Search, Recommendations, or Data Platforms
    Strong understanding of search systems, including indexing, query processing, and ranking; experience with platforms such as Elasticsearch, Apache Solr, or similar technologies is highly desirable
    Experience with microservices, APIs, and cloud-native architectures (AWS, Azure, or GCP); familiarity with MACH principles is a plus
    Experience working with Data Science / ML teams, including experimentation (A/B testing), model lifecycle, and data-driven optimization
    Strong experience in Agile methodologies (Scrum / Kanban / SAFe) and program governance frameworks
    Excellent communication, stakeholder management, problem-solving, and analytical skills; ability to influence without direct authority
    Experience managing program financials, resource planning, and vendor/partner relationships is a plus
    Strong ownership mindset, high sense of urgency, and ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced environments
    Exposure to AI/ML-driven search, semantic search, vector databases, and LLM-based retrieval systems is highly desirable

Program Leadership
    Lead end-to-end execution of search platform initiatives from concept through production
    Drive alignment across Product, Engineering, Data Science, and Infrastructure teams
    Manage multiple concurrent programs with clear prioritization, dependencies, and trade-offs
    Establish and track program KPIs (e.g., latency, relevance, conversion, search success rate)

Search & AI Strategy Execution
    Partner with leadership to execute the search roadmap across keyword, semantic, and AI-powered search
    Drive adoption of modern capabilities such as vector search, embeddings, hybrid retrieval, and LLM-based ranking
    Translate business problems into scalable search and discovery solutions aligned with customer and revenue goals

Technical Delivery
    Work closely with engineering teams on indexing pipelines, data ingestion, query processing, and ranking systems
    Ensure solutions meet enterprise standards for scalability, resiliency, performance, and cost efficiency
    Align architecture and design decisions with enterprise and platform standards

Data-Driven Optimization
    Define, monitor, and improve key search metrics (e.g., search success rate, zero-result rate, CTR, latency)
    Lead experimentation frameworks including A/B testing and relevance tuning
    Use data insights to prioritize enhancements and quantify business impact

Stakeholder Management
    Build strong, trusted relationships with business, product, and technology leaders
    Communicate program status, risks, and outcomes clearly to senior leadership
    Act as the bridge between technical teams and business stakeholders, enabling informed decision-making

Operational Excellence
    Establish scalable program governance, playbooks, and delivery frameworks
    Identify risks, dependencies, and bottlenecks early; drive mitigation and resolution
    Champion Agile, SDLC, and DevOps best practices across teams
    Coordinate across internal teams and external vendors/partners as needed