Principal Enterprise Applications Engineer

Who we are
At CarGurus (NASDAQ: CARG), our mission is to give people the power to reach their destination. We started as a small team of developers determined to bring trust and transparency to car shopping. Since then, our history of innovation and go-to-market acceleration has driven industry-leading growth. In fact, we're the largest and fastest-growing automotive marketplace, and we've been profitable for over 15 years.
What we do
The market is evolving, and we are too, moving the entire automotive journey online and guiding our customers through every step. That includes everything from the sale of an old car to the financing, purchase, and delivery of a new one. Today, tens of millions of consumers visit CarGurus.com each month, and ~30,000 dealerships use our products. But they're not the only ones who love CarGurus-our employees do, too. We have a people-first culture that fosters kindness, collaboration, and innovation, and empowers our Gurus with tools to fuel their career growth. Disrupting a trillion-dollar industry requires fresh and diverse perspectives. Come join us for the ride!
Role Overview
As a Principal Enterprise Applications Engineer for the Financial Applications team, you will act as a technical expert and lead engineer for finance systems and integrations, helping to design, build, and optimize enterprise financial solutions. You will leverage deep experience with financial platforms and a solid understanding of accounting principles and compliance requirements to deliver robust, scalable applications. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams-including Finance, Product, Data, Quality Assurance, and Security-to ensure the financial technology stack is effective, compliant, and supports business growth. You will guide and mentor junior engineers and lead project delivery for complex financial systems.
What You'll Do

• Act as a lead engineer in the design and delivery of solutions for finance-related enterprise applications, advocating for best practices and adherence to technical standards.
• Design and implement scalable, secure, and compliant solutions, contributing to architectural decisions and major initiatives in partnership with principal engineers and architects.
• Lead system enhancements and data integrations, translating business requirements and compliance needs into technical solutions.
• Conduct technical reviews, risk identification, and contribute to the development of code quality and maintainability standards.
• Enforce integration best practices using APIs, Web Services, JavaScript, and platform-native technologies.
• Serve as a technical SME to both technical and non-technical peers, troubleshooting challenging issues, ensuring knowledge sharing, and leading technical enablement within the team.
• Lead or participate in peer code reviews, design sessions, and technical workshops to ensure codebase maintainability, scalability, and efficiency, incorporating automation, monitoring, and CI/CD best practices.
• Contribute to ensuring compliance with SOX, ASC 606, and other relevant frameworks across financial platforms, assisting in audit preparation and remediation activities.
• Lead and participate in QA strategies, ensuring high standards for testing, deployment, and production health.
• Respond to incidents, lead root cause analysis, and recommend and implement preventive measures and continuous improvements to minimize business disruptions.
• Serve as a technical partner to Finance, Accounting, and related teams; lead technical discovery and deliver projects from requirements through production.
• Mentor and coach junior engineers, sharing technical knowledge and fostering best practices.
• Represent the EA team in vendor and community forums as an expert in financial applications.
• Collaborate within Agile/Scrum teams, shaping backlog priorities and making informed tradeoffs to meet business objectives.
• Evaluate new technologies and contribute recommendations for pilots or adoption to add business value.
• Lead continuous improvement projects for system and process optimization, using analytics and stakeholder feedback.
• Take initiative as a positive team player, fostering collaboration, morale, and collective ownership within the group.
• Mentor junior engineers and business systems analysts, championing a culture of knowledge sharing, continuous learning, and technical excellence.

What You'll Bring

• 8+ years' experience in enterprise applications engineering, with at least 6+ years focused on finance platforms.
• Demonstrated success in implementing and optimizing integrated financial solutions in a SaaS or fast-paced business environment.
• Solid understanding of accounting principles (including ASC 606), SOX compliance, and system audit concepts.
• Demonstrated proficiency in modern programming/scripting (e.g., JavaScript, Python), middleware data integrations, APIs, and data transformation strategies at scale.
• Hands-on track record delivering complex ERP, Accounts Payable, Expense Management, or Billing system enhancements and automation.
• Solid experience managing, troubleshooting, and enhancing SaaS-based financial systems within dynamic, cross-functional environment
• Expert experience with cloud based ERP, SaaS subscription billing/revenue as well as procurement AP and expense systems preferred.
• Experience establishing technical standards within a team or department preferred.
• Prior exposure to CI/CD pipelines, automated testing suites, and system monitoring tools in an enterprise environment is preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of Agile frameworks and team-based software development methodologies; past participation in Scrum teams strongly preferred.
• Relevant certifications are a plus.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the proven ability to bridge technical and business viewpoints.
• Unwavering curiosity and drive to learn, stay current with emerging financial technologies, and identify areas of innovation.
• Attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and dedication to delivering work of the highest quality.
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and proactive in driving project and business goals with minimal oversight.
• Natural team player who values collaboration, mentorship, and contributing to a positive, inclusive group culture.

Working at CarGurus
We reward our Gurus' curiosity and passion with best-in-class benefits and compensation, including equity for all employees, both when they start and as they continue to grow with us. Our career development and corporate giving programs, as well as our employee resource groups (ERGs) and communities, help people build connections while making an impact in personally meaningful ways. A flexible hybrid model and robust time off policies encourage work-life balance and individual well-being. Thoughtful perks like daily free lunch, a new car discount, meditation and fitness apps, commuting cost coverage, and more help our people create space for what matters most in their personal and professional lives.
We welcome all
CarGurus strives to be a place to which people can bring the ultimate expression of themselves and their potential-starting with our hiring process. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We foster an inclusive environment that values people for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. That's why we hope you'll apply even if you don't check every box listed in the job description. We also encourage you to tell your recruiter if you require accommodations to participate in our hiring process due to a disability so we can provide the appropriate support. We want to know what only you can bring to CarGurus. #LI-Hybrid