[Hiring] Senior Manager, Product Operations @Data Direct Networks

Role Description

The Senior Manager, Product Operations is a high-impact leadership role responsible for transforming how DDN’s product and R&D organization operates at scale. This individual will lead strategic planning processes, drive cross-functional initiatives from conception to execution, and build the operational infrastructure that enables product and engineering leaders to make faster, better-informed decisions.

This is both a strategic and hands-on role — you will set direction, influence roadmap investment decisions, and personally lead the programs and processes that define how the product organization runs.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Business Rhythm:
  • Own and orchestrate the annual and quarterly strategic planning cycle for the Product and R&D organization, including goal-setting (OKRs/MBOs), investment prioritization, and portfolio review.
  • Partner with CPO, VP Product, VP Engineering, and Finance to develop multi-year product investment strategies and resource allocation frameworks.
  • Translate business strategy into actionable operating plans; maintain a live view of strategic commitments, resource coverage, and trade-offs.
  • Lead preparation of quarterly business reviews (QBRs), board deck inputs, and executive strategy off-sites.
• Leading Strategic Initiatives:
  • Identify, scope, and personally drive high-priority cross-functional initiatives that cut across Product, Engineering, Finance, Sales, and Customer Success.
  • Design the operating model for strategic programs: define charters, assign DRIs, establish decision rights, and govern execution through structured reviews.
  • Lead organizational effectiveness initiatives: process redesign, tooling modernization, and ways-of-working improvements that measurably increase team output.
  • Act as a trusted strategic advisor to product and engineering leaders, surfacing insights, challenging assumptions, and driving clarity on prioritization.
• Product Operations & Operational Excellence:
  • Enhance product operations function: product launch readiness, go-to-market coordination, release management, and feedback loop integration.
  • Define and track a product and R&D performance scorecard — covering velocity, quality, time-to-market, and investment efficiency — with monthly reporting to senior leadership.
  • Partner with Finance on headcount planning, vendor spend governance, and ROI analysis for R&D programs.
  • Establish scalable operational playbooks and templates used across the product and engineering teams.
• Leadership & Stakeholder Influence:
  • Build strong working relationships across R&D, Sales, Finance, and Marketing; serve as the connective tissue across organizational boundaries.
  • Communicate program status, strategic progress, and operational health clearly to C-level executives and board stakeholders.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in product operations, strategy & operations, program management, or management consulting within a B2B technology company.
• Demonstrated experience owning and leading strategic planning processes (annual planning, OKRs, portfolio reviews) at a VP or C-level-adjacent scope.
• Proven track record designing and driving cross-functional strategic initiatives from ambiguous starts through measurable outcomes.
• Strong business and financial acumen: comfortable with P&L visibility, headcount planning, and investment frameworks.
• Exceptional executive communication skills — can write a compelling strategy memo, run a QBR, and present to a board.
• Experience managing and developing direct reports and influencing without authority across senior stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in infrastructure software, data storage, HPC, or AI/ML platform companies.
• Experience at a high-growth technology company or in a corporate strategy / management consulting role.
• Familiarity with Agile at scale, SAFe, or lean product development frameworks.
• Experience working with geographically distributed product and engineering teams.

Benefits

• A seat at the table: direct partnership with CPO, VPs, and C-suite on decisions that shape DDN’s product trajectory.
• Scope to build: this role has significant latitude to define how the product operations function grows and evolves.
• Technically meaningful work: DDN’s products underpin AI breakthroughs, scientific discovery, and national security workloads.
• Competitive compensation, equity participation, and comprehensive benefits.
• Salary Range: $195,000 - $240,000

Interview Process

• After submitting your application, one of our recruiters will review your resume. If your application passes this stage, you will be invited to a 30-minute interview during which a member of our team will ask some basic questions.
• If you clear the interview, you will enter the main process, which can consist of up to four interviews in total:
• Coding assessment: Often in a language of your choice.
• Systems design: Translate high-level requirements into a scalable, fault-tolerant service (depending on role).
• Real-time problem-solving: Demonstrate practical skills in a live problem-solving session.
• Meet and greet with the wider team.
• Our goal is to finish the main process in 2-3 weeks at most.

Company Description

DataDirect Networks (DDN) is a global market leader renowned for powering many of the world's most demanding AI data centers, in industries ranging from life sciences and healthcare to financial services, autonomous cars, Government, academia, research, and manufacturing.

Join our dynamic and driven team, where engineering excellence is at the heart of everything we do. We seek individuals who love to challenge themselves and are fueled by curiosity.