Director, Product Operations

Job description

Director, Product Operations Job Summary The Director, Product Operations is responsible for building and continuously evolving the Product organization’s operating system. Reporting directly to the Chief Product & Technology Officer, this leader drives operational excellence, delivery governance, organizational transparency, and scalable execution practices across Product, Engineering, UX, and other cross-functional teams. This role serves as the strategic operational leader for the Product organization. The Director ensures teams are aligned, delivery processes are effective, organizational risks are surfaced early, and leaders have the visibility needed to make informed decisions. Working across Product, Engineering, UX, and other cross-functional teams, this leader acts as a neutral orchestrator that helps every team deliver with greater consistency and efficiency. The Director will play a key role in helping transform CData into an AI-native product organization by modernizing delivery practices, implementing intelligent operational tooling, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. This role will establish, lead, and scale the Product Operations function, creating the operational foundation that enables the Product organization to execute efficiently as CData continues to grow. Why This Role Matters: As CData continues to scale its Product and Engineering organization, operational excellence becomes a competitive advantage. This role gives teams the structure, visibility, and support needed to deliver innovative products efficiently while enabling leadership to make informed, data-driven decisions. By combining delivery governance, organizational transformation, and AI-enabled practices, the Director, Product Operations will help shape the future operating model of CData’s Product organization. Location(s): North Carolina Research Triangle or East Coast (preferred) Eligibility : Applicants must be US-based and legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or in the future. Key Duties & Responsibilities: Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Design, implement, and continuously improve the Product organization’s operating model to enable scalable, predictable delivery. Establish standardized planning, execution, governance, and reporting practices across Product and Engineering. Lead organization-wide delivery governance, including Program planning, release readiness, and executive delivery reviews. Partner with the CPTO and Product leadership team to evolve the Product organization’s operating model, governance, and execution strategy. Monitor execution health across multiple teams, identifying delivery risks, dependencies, and bottlenecks before they impact business outcomes. Drive accountability for delivery commitments while fostering collaboration, transparency, and shared ownership across teams. Continuously improve delivery predictability through data-driven operational practices. Remove organizational friction by coordinating dependencies across multiple product initiatives and value streams. Facilitate executive-level discussions around delivery health, organizational priorities, and execution risks. Promote alignment across teams through transparent communication and structured operating rhythms. Lead implementation of new workflows, governance models, and operational processes that improve organizational effectiveness. Lead organizational change initiatives by introducing scalable operational frameworks and championing continuous improvement across the Product organization. Identify and implement AI-enabled operational workflows and delivery intelligence platforms to improve planning, reporting, documentation, and risk management. Automate manual reporting and operational processes through intelligent tooling and scalable workflows. Define and monitor key delivery metrics while establishing transparent tracking for organizational improvement initiatives and operational risks. Build executive dashboards that provide real-time visibility into delivery health, execution progress, and organizational performance. Partner with Product and Engineering leadership to align execution activities with strategic business objectives. Support future OKR implementation by connecting delivery initiatives to measurable outcomes. Develop portfolio-level visibility that enables leadership to balance priorities, capacity, and execution risk. Scale successful operating practices across multiple product organizations as the company grows. Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Product Operations function that enables operational excellence and effectiveness. Qualifications Must Haves: 8+ years of experience leading Product Operations, Technical Program Management, Delivery Management, Engineering Operations, Product Strategy and Operations, or similar leadership role within a SaaS or technology organization. Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional initiatives involving Product, Engineering, Design, and executive leadership. Proven success designing or improving operating models for software development organizations. Strong understanding of software development methodologies and modern product development lifecycles. Experience driving organizational change and implementing scalable operational processes. Experience leading operational transformation through AI-enabled workflows, automation, or modern software delivery practices. Experience introducing OKRs and organizational operating systems. Strong analytical capabilities with experience defining operational metrics and executive reporting. Excellent communication and executive stakeholder management skills. Travel Required: Occasional travel (approximately quarterly) for company meetings, leadership offsites, and team events. US Only: The typical base pay range for this role across the US is $170,000–$220,000 per year. The actual range may vary depending on specific locations. In the areas we're looking to hire within Remote, EST-aligned US, we expect the base pay range for this role to be $170,000–$220,000, depending on experience and qualifications. Data Access & Compliance: This role may access, process, or support systems containing confidential customer data, including PII, PHI/ePHI, and other regulated or sensitive information. The employee must comply with CData’s Information Classification and Management Policy, HIPAA-related safeguards where applicable, access-control requirements, data-handling procedures, and incident-reporting obligations. Benefits & Perks / What you’ll Get: As part of our comprehensive benefits offerings, we provide Medical, Dental, and Vision plans with company-paid insurance premiums Health Saving Account offering with company contribution to help mitigate increasing health costs Flexible Savings Account and Dependent Care FSA Generous 20-day PTO and 11 paid holidays 401k with 100% company match up to 6% of contribution A remote-friendly, high-trust culture that empowers collaboration, celebrates curiosity, and encourages innovation Work closely with your manager to define professional development and learning opportunities that match your career goals About CData Software, Inc. CData is the data layer between AI and ROI—delivering the connectivity, context, and control that make enterprise AI more accurate. One platform for live access and data replication across 350+ sources, semantic intelligence that ensures context-aware responses, and built-in governance for every AI-to-data interaction. Powering AI and analytics workloads for Anthropic, Databricks, Microsoft, Google, Palantir, and more than 10,000 customers worldwide. Behind that impact is a global team of passionate problem-solvers, engineers, and innovators who are redefining what’s possible in data connectivity. Headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, CData has over 500 team members, with offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. We take pride not just in what we build, but in how we build it: together, with curiosity, creativity, and a shared drive to push boundaries.