Senior Director, Strategy & Operations
Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn't a buzzword it's a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.
Ready to level-up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce.
The Chief Data Officer's (CDO) organization (Data Solutions) is at the epicenter of Salesforce's data-driven transformation to build the agentic enterprise and enable effective decision making for the enterprise. We are looking for a Senior Director, Strategy & Operations, to serve as the business operations leader for this critical organization. This role is a strategic partner to the CDO, effectively acting as the Chief of Staff for the entire organization. You will be responsible for translating the CDO's vision into an operational reality, ensuring the organization runs with world-class efficiency, financial discipline, and strategic alignment. Your leadership will be essential in managing a significant annual budget and enabling the CDO organization to scale, innovate, and deliver exceptional value to Salesforce and its customers. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role for a proven operational leader who can balance strategy with tactical execution.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the CDO organization's annual V2MOM (Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, Measures) strategic planning process, ensuring tight alignment with overall company goals.
- Design and manage the framework for tracking progress against V2MOM measures and organizational KPIs, reporting on business impact and value delivery to executive leadership.
- Drive operational accountability for consistent, repeatable updates to V2MOM status from executives in the CDO org and peer groups with shared delivery goals.
- Direct the end-to-end financial management of the CDO organization, including the strategic planning and stewardship of a $XXXM+ annual budget across workforce and program spend.
- Lead annual financial planning, quarterly forecasting, and monthly variance analysis in close partnership with the Finance team.
- Provide strategic recommendations for resource allocation, cost optimization, and investment tradeoffs to maximize ROI.
- Build robust processes for managing initial budget allocation and changes to ensure integrity and transparency for all financial management decisions in the organization.
- Lead strategic organizational design and transformation initiatives for the CDO organization, with a key focus on upskilling for an AI-first era.
- Partner with Employee Success and Recruitment to build and execute a holistic talent strategy that anticipates and closes skill gaps, particularly in data science, AI / ML engineering, and product & software engineering roles.
- Oversee talent management operations, including onboarding, performance management cycles, and employee engagement programs, to foster a culture of innovation and equality.
- Build robust processes and operations to create visibility into workforce capacity and allocations. Partner closely with Technical Program Management organizations to align workforce capacity to allocated programs and products.
- Manage the complete lifecycle of vendor relationships with peer VPs and their leaders, from selection and negotiation to performance management and contract renewals.
- Lead procurement operations for the organization, ensuring compliance with Salesforce procurement policies and achieving optimal value for software, services, and contingent labor.
- Develop and manage the executive communications strategy for the CDO, including content and preparation for C-level reviews, board meetings, customer engagements, and org presentations.
- Craft compelling narratives and data-driven presentations that articulate the CDO's vision and organizational priorities.
- Design and manage the "business rhythm" of the organization, including leadership team meetings, business reviews (QBRs), and operational check-ins.
- Act as a trusted advisor and proxy for the CDO, handling complex operational challenges to ensure the organization runs smoothly.
- Lead high-priority, cross-functional special projects on behalf of the CDO, pulling together virtual teams to drive execution for critical new opportunities.
Required Qualifications
12+ years of experience in business operations, strategy, finance, or a "Chief of Staff" role within a fast-paced, large-scale technology company.Demonstrated experience managing a large, complex P&L or budget (e.g., $100M+ annually) with a high degree of financial acumen and accountability.Proven operational expertise in workforce planning, vendor management, and procurement processes.Experience leading strategic planning (e.g., V2MOM, OKR setting) and driving organizational transformation initiatives.Exceptional executive communication skills : Ability to craft and deliver clear, concise, and compelling messages for senior-level audiences (both written and verbal).Superior strategic thinking : A track record of translating high-level strategy into actionable operational plans and executing them flawlessly.Strong leadership and influencing skills : Ability to build trust, navigate a matrixed environment, and influence stakeholders at all levels without direct authority.Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Operations, or a related field.Preferred Qualifications
MBA or other advanced degree.Experience in organizational design focused on technical or AI-driven teams.Experience working directly in or supporting a data, analytics, engineering, or AI organization.Deep knowledge of the Salesforce ecosystem, products, and business model.