Director, AI for Operations (San Diego)

Company DescriptionIt all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone—freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow— helping 85% of the Fortune 500 work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started.Join us to put AI to work for people.Job DescriptionAbout the Role:We are seeking a highly strategic and technically fluent AI for Operations Director to lead our AI for Operations portfolio within the AI Acceleration organization. This leader will be responsible for defining and executing the AI strategy supporting Global Operations & Planning (GO&P), Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, Planning, Strategy, Incentive Compensation, Workforce Planning, and Business Operations teams. The role combines people leadership, AI solution delivery, stakeholder management, and technical oversight to accelerate the adoption of AI across operational workflows. You will lead a team of AI Engineers while partnering closely with Data Engineers, Program Managers, Digital Technology, Business Operations leaders, and executive stakeholders to identify opportunities, prioritize investments, and build scalable AI-powered solutions that improve how we operate globally. The ideal candidate understands both business operations and modern AI technologies. They can translate complex operational challenges into scalable AI solutions while building high-performing engineering teams capable of delivering measurable business outcomes. Your work will directly impact productivity, decision quality, planning accuracy, operational efficiency, and employee experience across some of ServiceNow's most critical business functions. By aligning AI capabilities with business priorities, you will help accelerate ServiceNow’s journey toward becoming a $30B+ business. Key Responsibilities:Lead and develop a team of AI Engineers responsible for designing, developing, deploying, and maintaining AI-powered solutions for Operations teams. Own the AI for Operations portfolio, including roadmap planning, prioritization, resource allocation, stakeholder alignment, and business value realization. Partner with GO&P, Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, Planning, Strategy, Workforce Planning, and Business Operations leaders to identify high-impact AI opportunities. Drive the design and deployment of agentic AI solutions, copilots, workflow automation, knowledge systems, predictive analytics, and operational intelligence capabilities. Establish technical standards, engineering best practices, governance frameworks, and responsible AI guidelines across the Operations AI portfolio. Collaborate closely with Data Engineers to ensure scalable, secure, and compliant data foundations for AI solutions. Manage project intake, prioritization, portfolio health, and capacity planning across AI Engineering resources. Define and track success metrics tied to business outcomes. Ie: Productivity gains, cycle-time reduction, forecast accuracy, process automation, and user adoption. Partner with Adoption Leads and Enablement teams to ensure successful rollout and sustained value realization of AI solutions. Evaluate emerging technologies, vendors, and platforms to continuously improve our AI ecosystem and delivery capabilities. Communicate progress, risks, investment recommendations, and business impact to senior leadership and executive stakeholders. A Day in the Life:Your day might begin with a portfolio review of active AI initiatives, assessing delivery status, resource allocation, and business impact across multiple Operations functions. Mid-morning, you facilitate a prioritization session with Revenue Operations and Planning leaders to evaluate new AI opportunities and align on the highest-value investments for the upcoming quarter. Later, you review solution architecture proposals from AI Engineers, providing guidance on scalability, governance, and integration with enterprise platforms. In the afternoon, you meet with executive stakeholders to present portfolio performance, adoption metrics, business outcomes, and strategic recommendations for future investments. You close the day coaching members of your AI Engineering team, removing roadblocks, and ensuring delivery teams remain focused on the initiatives that create the greatest impact for the business. Ideal Candidate Profile:Proven leader who can build, develop, and inspire high-performing technical teams. Deep understanding of operational business processes and how AI can transform them. Experienced in translating executive priorities into actionable technical roadmaps. Comfortable operating at both strategic and technical levels. Strong systems thinker capable of identifying scalable opportunities across complex organizations. Exceptional collaborator who can influence across functions, levels, and geographies. Curious, autonomous, data-driven, and outcome-oriented. Passionate about responsible AI and measurable business impact. QualificationsExperience:8+ years of experience in AI, data, analytics, automation, solutions engineering, operations, consulting, or related fields. 3+ years of people leadership experience managing technical or cross-functional teams. Proven track record leading AI, automation, analytics, or digital transformation initiatives at enterprise scale. Experience managing portfolios, roadmaps, and investment prioritization across multiple stakeholders. Demonstrated success building and deploying AI-powered solutions that drove measurable business outcomes. Experience working within Sales Operations, Revenue Operations, Planning, Strategy, Finance, Customer Success, or related operational functions. Experience operating in highly matrixed global organizations. Technical Expertise:Strong understanding of LLMs, agentic AI architectures, workflow automation, and enterprise AI platforms. Experience with Copilot Studio, Snowflake AI, Databricks, APIs, integrations, and modern cloud architectures. Familiarity with data engineering, governance, security, and compliance requirements. Experience evaluating and scaling both internally developed and third-party AI solutions. Proven experience leveraging AI technologies, including Claude, Copilot, and agentic workflows to improve productivity and business performance. Leadership & Communication:Exceptional executive communication and storytelling skills. Strong program management and prioritization capabilities. Ability to influence without authority across complex organizations. Skilled at navigating ambiguity and driving alignment among senior stakeholders. Proficiency in English is required. Additional languages (e.g., Spanish, French, German) are highly valued. What Success Looks Like:
Within your first 12 months, you will have: Successfully deployed and measured return on AI4Ops 2026 roadmap. Built and operationalized an AI-first operating model across Sales Operations. Increased automation maturity across critical value streams. Improved Sales Operations productivity through AI-enabled workflows and intelligent automation. Increased AI Engineers’ knowledge and autonomy in ServiceNow and 3rd-party AI technology. Helped design a sustainable AI adoption culture supported by governance, training, and continuous improvement. For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $173,200 - $303,100, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.Additional InformationWork PersonasWe approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.Equal Opportunity EmployerServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.  AccommodationsWe strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact View email address on apply.placed-app.com for assistance. Export Control RegulationsFor positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain indiv