Product Operations Director

Company Description

Zayo provides mission-critical bandwidth to the world’s most impactful companies, fueling the innovations that are transforming our society. Zayo’s 141,000-mile network in North America and Europe includes extensive metro connectivity to thousands of buildings and data centers. Zayo’s communications infrastructure solutions include dark fiber, private data networks, wavelengths, Ethernet, and dedicated Internet access. Zayo serves wireless and wireline carriers, media, tech, content, finance, healthcare and other large enterprises.

Zayo is seeking a strategic and results-driven Product Operations Director to join our leadership team. Reporting directly to the Chief Product Officer (CPO), the Product Operations Director will be responsible for driving the operational efficiency and effectiveness of our product development processes. The Product Operations Director is critical in aligning cross-functional teams, optimizing workflows, and ensuring that our product operations scale with the business. Works closely with senior leadership, product managers, engineering, design, and other stakeholders to streamline processes, improve product delivery timelines, and ensure the seamless execution of product initiatives.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Process Optimization:

• Lead the development and implementation of scalable, efficient product operations processes that support the entire product lifecycle, from ideation to delivery and post-launch evaluation.

• Identify and eliminate operational inefficiencies across teams, providing leadership in process improvements, automation, and best practices.

• Define and execute the strategy for product operations in alignment with the broader company and product vision.

Cross-Functional Alignment & Collaboration:

• Serve as the primary liaison between product, engineering, design, marketing, sales, and other teams to ensure alignment on product goals, timelines, and resources.

• Foster strong communication and collaboration across teams, ensuring smooth coordination and timely execution of product initiatives.

• Drive operational consistency across departments to align with company-wide objectives and deliverables.

• Cultivate strong relationships across the product organization, ensuring alignment and continuous support for product teams.

Data-Driven Decision Making & Reporting:

• Develop and manage dashboards, reports, and performance metrics to track and optimize key operational processes and product performance.

• Provide regular, actionable insights to the CPO and other stakeholders based on data analysis, ensuring product teams can make informed decisions.

• Maintain transparency and provide regular status updates to leadership on product progress, risks, and operational challenges.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement:

• Champion the continuous improvement of product development workflows, ensuring the adoption of best practices, tools, and methodologies to enhance efficiency.

• Lead the execution of product operations initiatives, such as process redesigns, tool optimizations, and resource management strategies.

• Build and sustain a culture of operational excellence within the product organization, ensuring teams have the support and resources needed to succeed.

Product Lifecycle Management & Support:

• Oversee the planning, coordination, and execution of product launches, ensuring smooth delivery and post-launch support.

• Assist product managers and cross-functional teams in managing dependencies, timelines, and risks across the product portfolio.

• Support the prioritization of operational initiatives to ensure key milestones are achieved throughout the product lifecycle.

Tools & Systems Management:

• Lead the selection, implementation, and management of product management tools and systems that improve operational efficiency and cross-functional collaboration.

• Continuously evaluate and improve the tools used across the product organization, ensuring teams have the resources they need to work efficiently and effectively.

Risk Management & Problem Solving:

• Proactively identify operational risks and challenges, working cross-functionally to mitigate them before they impact the product timeline or quality.

• Serve as a problem-solver for operational bottlenecks, providing effective solutions and ensuring minimal disruption to product development.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field (Master’s or MBA preferred).

• Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in product operations, product management, or related roles, with at least three (3) years in a leadership capacity.

• Deep understanding of product development processes, agile methodologies, and operational best practices.

• Proven ability to optimize workflows, manage complex projects, and lead cross-functional teams.

• Strong data-driven mindset with experience in analyzing and reporting on operational metrics to drive decision-making.

• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with senior leadership and diverse teams.

• Expertise in product management tools (e.g., Jira, Aha!, Confluence) and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) is highly desirable.

• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

• Experience in scaling product operations at a high-growth technology company

• Familiarity with project management methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban).

• Experience managing or working with large, distributed teams across multiple time zones.

• Visionary and strategic thinker with the ability to execute operational plans efficiently.

• Detail-oriented, with a strong ability to prioritize and manage multiple initiatives.

• Strong sense of ownership and accountability in driving product success.

• Adaptable, with a proactive approach to identifying opportunities for improvement.

Base Salary Range: $133,000 - $190,000 USD/annually, commensurate with experience.

Benefits, Rewards & Wellness

• Excellent Health, Dental & Vision Insurance

• Retirement 401(k) Savings Plan

• Fitness membership discounts

• Generous paid time off policy including paid parental leave

Zayo provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, provincial or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.