Vice President, Unified Operations

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

The Vice President of Unified Operations is a strategic executive role responsible for delivering the Global Data Systems platform as one integrated operation — One Platform, One Team, One Bill. As GDS transitions from Managed Service Provider to Managed Intelligence Provider (MIP), this leader owns the unified delivery, monitoring, and lifecycle engine that makes our strategic technology partners’ platforms work as one across the five platform layers: Workforce Apps, Voice & Collaboration, Cloud & Data Center, Network & Telecom, and Secure Infrastructure.

This leader carries P&L accountability for the platform with emphasis on recurring revenue (ARR), gross-margin performance, and a rising software-and-services mix — not one-time CapEx. The VP operationalizes the Sell ? Enable ? Run/Expand lifecycle, embeds Governance & Assurance as the layer that protects every other, and turns AI — spanning workforce productivity assistants, cloud AI, and private, on-premises AI — into governed, measurable customer outcomes. Internally, the VP champions GDS’s own consolidation onto a modern, AI-enabled business platform, running the business the way we ask our customers to run theirs.

The role bridges Sales, Solutions Engineering, Service Fulfillment, and Customer Success so that every touchpoint across the platform is optimized for speed, quality, governance, and outcomes.

The VP upholds the GDS brand promise on every engagement: Compliance First, Governance Always, Outcomes That Matter.

The essential functions include, but are not limited to, the following:

Unified Platform Delivery (One Team, One Bill)

• Own end-to-end delivery of the vertically integrated MIP platform across all five layers, providing 24/7 support and monitoring with one accountable team and one simple bill.

• Preserve the durable GDS advantage — integrated delivery, integrated economics, and integrated governance — that competitors cannot match at the individual-SKU level.

• Operationalize the Assessment ? Thin-slice pilot ? Full deployment motion so GDS wins by demonstrating outcomes, not asserting them.

P&L and Recurring-Revenue Realization

• Own platform P&L with emphasis on recurring ARR, gross margin, and a growing software-and-services mix (an industry benchmark trajectory of 60% toward 80%).

• Weight delivery and expansion toward recurring ARR over one-time CapEx; support token-based / consumption billing across AI and cloud services so revenue compounds as customer usage grows.

• Drive net revenue retention through renewal, attach, and expansion in partnership with Customer Success.

Lifecycle Ownership (Sell,Enable, Run/Expand)

• Partner with the Sales organization on the Sell motion; own the Enable stage (deployment, training, change management) and the Run/Expand stage (renewal, attach, adoption) end-to-end.

• Hit the attach and adoption targets that define the MIP: network-as-a-service attach on network refreshes, AI-assistant active-use on modern workplace deals, Governance attach on every deal, and multi-pillar delivery.

• Stand up and coach the delivery-side specialist and adoption-coach roles that own AI-assistant active-use rates, network-as-a-service health, and governance reviews.

Governance & Assurance (the layer that protects all others)

• Embed Governance & Assurance across identity, endpoints, data protection, and compliance as an automatic layer on every engagement — never a separate, optional sale.

• Own audit-readiness across the customer’s AI, cloud, and network estate; make compliance provable on demand.

Operational AI & Continuous Improvement

• Lead GDS’s internal consolidation of the legacy estate onto a modern, AI-enabled business platform — cloud CRM/ERP, AI assistants, and analytics — using the prospect-to-billing ROI case as the self-funding first win.

• Translate platform and adoption telemetry (AI-adoption dashboards, attach rates, delivery KPIs) into action the way a seller reads a pipeline report.

• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and data-driven decision-making across all delivery teams.

• Present periodic performance, delivery, and adoption metrics to the Executive Team and other leadership.

Partner Co-Delivery

• Align delivery with our strategic technology partners’ co-sell / co-delivery motions; build and maintain the certified bench across our core partner technologies.

• Support partner platform conversions and consumption commitments on the delivery side, in coordination with Sales and the partner teams.

General

• Serve as executive sponsor for key accounts, ensuring satisfaction, retention, and reference-ability.

• Define and monitor KPIs across delivery teams to ensure alignment with company goals and the five-pillar strategy.

• Maintain knowledge of emerging AI, cloud, and network technologies and trends in operations management.

• Identify training needs and ensure proper training is developed and provided.

• Meet with customers as necessary to maintain our working relationships.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• 10+ years of leadership experience in managed services, cloud, or technology operations, with a track record of moving up-market into outcomes-based delivery.

• Proven P&L ownership with emphasis on recurring revenue (ARR), gross margin, and software-and-services mix.

• Experience delivering modern workplace, cloud, AI, and network-as-a-service solutions through leading technology partners, including familiarity with co-sell / co-delivery and partner economics (MDF, certifications).

• Demonstrated success operationalizing recurring-revenue motions — network-as-a-service / subscription delivery, adoption and active-use, renewal and expansion.

• Experience embedding governance, compliance, and audit-readiness into service delivery.

• Experience implementing AI and automation in operational workflows (AI assistants, analytics, and cloud CRM / ERP tooling).

• Strong analytical skills and comfort with data-driven decision-making.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management abilities.

Preferred Attributes

• Executive presence with an outcomes-first, customer-first mindset.

• Ability to lead through influence across matrixed delivery, sales, and partner teams.

• Familiarity with MSP / MIP metrics and Service Leadership benchmarks (network-as-a-service attach, AI-assistant attach, net revenue retention, software-and-services mix).

• Familiarity with a modern cloud operating stack — CRM / ERP, analytics, AI assistants, identity, endpoint, and data-protection tooling — and as-a-service infrastructure platforms.

• Familiarity with MEDDPICC and lifecycle-based delivery frameworks (Discover ? Assess ? Design ? Deliver ? Operate ? Optimize).

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an Employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the Employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The Employee is also regularly required to stand; walk; sit; and use hands to finger, handle or feel objects or controls. The Employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and to sit. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. The Employee is regularly exposed to risk of radiation (from computers), as a great deal of the workday is spent working on spreadsheets or inputting data into the computer system. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Some travel may be required to fulfill the duties of the position.

Note:

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.