Software Engineer

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 Challengeand 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. As a U.S. News & World Report Best Company to Work For in 2024, we're obsessive about the employee experience. We are among the top 20% being declared “Best” of our industry based on six critical factors that are important to employee wellbeing, like quality of pay, benefits, work life balance and more.

About us:

At Cars.com, we're passionate about helping shoppers meet their perfect car match, and job seekers their perfect career match. Our culture of openness, growth, innovation, and diversity starts with people. Every day we're hyper-focused on helping people find their perfect match, build relationships, and deliver results. We welcome hard conversations and collaborate with each other to find solutions while focusing on the outcome at hand. Cars.com has revolutionized the automotive industry for both shoppers and sellers alike through technology, and we'd love to have you join us to boldly ride into the future.

Our mission on the Marketplace Engineering team is to build a trusted marketplace that facilitates a simple, fun, and fast experience for car buyers and sellers. By joining our team you will contribute to building novel search solutions that support frictionless experiences for our users throughout the automotive ecosystem, and across the Cars.com website and mobile app experiences.

Cars.com is a CARS brand, which also includes Dealer Inspire, DealerRater, FUEL, CreditIQ and Accu-Trade. Learn more here.

Your role:

We're seeking a motivated Software Engineer to join our team and help build our next-generation search capabilities within our listings marketplace. In this role, you'll be an independent contributor working on designated tasks while managing your own work to help scale our search platform. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your skills in backend development, API design, and search technologies within a dynamic and supportive team environment.

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of our consumer-facing search capabilities within our listings marketplace

• Build and maintain Server-Driven UI (SDUI) APIs using GraphQL to enable dynamic client interfaces across mobile and web platforms

• Write maintainable and extensible backend services utilizing languages such as Elixir, NodeJS, or Python

• Implement features that support server-driven UI approaches for flexible client experiences

• Work with AI technologies to enhance search relevance and personalization features

• Collaborate with product managers, designers, and senior engineers to deliver impactful search features

• Write comprehensive tests following the testing pyramid, ensuring code protects against defects in key business cases

• Participate in code reviews and contribute to technical documentation

• Debug issues efficiently using appropriate tooling and techniques

• Follow team best practices and style guides while beginning to influence improvements

• Gather requirements independently and break down epics into executable tasks

• Proactively identify and resolve dependencies to prevent project delays

• Participate in release processes and on-call rotation to ensure system reliability

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience

• 3-5 years of professional software development experience with backend systems

• Proficiency in at least one backend programming language (Elixir, Python, NodeJS, or similar functional/object-oriented languages)

• Experience with API development (REST or GraphQL)

• Basic understanding of cloud platforms, preferably AWS

• Solid understanding of software engineering best practices including testing, version control, and code quality

• Experience with debugging tools and techniques

• Strong problem-solving and communication skills

• Ability to work independently while knowing when to seek guidance

• Eagerness to learn and grow within a collaborative team environment

• Experience with functional programming languages, particularly Elixir or Erlang

• Familiarity with GraphQL API design and implementation

• Basic knowledge of search technologies like OpenSearch, ElasticSearch, or Solr

• Understanding of AI/ML concepts and their applications in search

• Experience with automated testing frameworks and continuous integration

• Familiarity with server-driven UI concepts

• Contributions to open-source projects

• Experience with performance monitoring and basic optimization techniques

What We Offer:

• Opportunity to work on high-impact search features used by millions of car shoppers

• Mentorship and guidance from senior engineers to accelerate your career growth

• Collaborative, remote-friendly work environment

• Exposure to cutting-edge technologies including AI/ML applications in search

• Clear career progression path with defined competencies and growth opportunities

Our Comprehensive Benefits Package includes:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Healthcare Plans
• New Hire Stipend for Home Office Set-Up
• Generous PTO
• Refuel - a service based recognition program where employees receive additional paid time away to learn grow and reset
• Paid Holidays, Floating Holiday, Volunteer Day, Recharge Day

Learn more about our Benefits, Perks, & Culture on our LinkedIn Life Pages!
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. California Applicants: Click here to review our California Privacy Policy for Applicants. For current employees, please click here to review our California Privacy Policy for Employees.