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Ready to innovate and contribute to our path to $10B? Here, you'll collaborate with passionate teams, tackle real-world challenges, and see your impact in how customers transform and grow. If you're ready to bring curiosity, creativity, and drive to every moment, NetApp is where your journey begins.
Director, Business Operations and CIO Chief of Staff
Morrisville, North Carolina, United StatesJob Summary
The Director of Business Operations and CIO Chief of Staff serve as a strategic advisor and operational leader for the CIO organization. This role ensures alignment between IT strategy and business objectives, drives operational excellence, and fosters a high performing, engaged IT workforce. The position oversees critical functions such as IT vendor management, financial stewardship, communication strategy, IT program & portfolio management, and talent development, while acting as a trusted partner and a multiplier to the CIO in managing priorities and organizational effectiveness.
Core Competencies
• Leadership & Influence: Ability to inspire, guide, and align teams toward shared goals.
• Operational Excellence: Expertise in process optimization and governance.
• People Development: Commitment to building talent and fostering growth.
• Strategic Thinking: Connects enterprise strategy to technology and operational levers.
• Execution Excellence: Builds processes and governance; drives accountability and outcomes.
• Financial Acumen: Budgeting, cost optimization, investment analysis, and value tracking.
• Change Leadership: Influences without authority; leads through transformation and ambiguity.
• Communication: Executive storytelling; crisp synthesis; board-ready materials.
• Decision Quality: Data-driven prioritization; structured problem-solving; risk-aware judgment.
• Relationship Building: Trusted advisor; collaborative; integrates diverse perspectives.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Planning & Alignment
• Act as a trusted advisor to the CIO, managing priorities, follow-ups, and strategic initiatives.
• Serve as a liaison between the CIO and internal/external stakeholders to ensure seamless communication and execution.
• Act as an extension of the CIO in select forums and escalate decisions to unblock progress.
• Drive IT strategic planning cycles; translate CIO priorities into measurable KPIs/OKRs and operational plans.
• Manage CIO’s operating rhythm (staff meetings, QBRs, performance reviews, governance forums).
• Prepare briefings, executive materials and narratives, and decision memos; ensure the CIO is equipped with data-driven insights.
• Operationalize the IT strategy, enable its successful implementation and adoption across the organization.
Program & Portfolio Management
• Strategic Alignment - Ensure IT programs and projects align with organizational goals and priorities. Drive portfolio decisions based on business value and strategic impact.
• Governance & Oversight - Establish and enforce standards, frameworks, and processes for program delivery. Monitor compliance and provide executive-level reporting.
• Resource Optimization - Manage allocation of financial, human, and technical resources across initiatives. Optimize resource utilization to maximize ROI.
• Risk Management - Identify and assess risks across programs and portfolios. Develop mitigation strategies and contingency plans.
• Performance & Benefits Realization - Track KPIs, milestones, and deliverables to ensure successful outcomes. Measure and report on benefits realization to validate business value.
Key Responsibilites Continued
IT Financial Management
• Develop and manage IT budgets, forecasts, and financial reporting.
• Monitor IT spend, identify cost-saving opportunities, and ensure alignment with business priorities.
• Partner with Finance to manage forecasts and actuals to ensure quarterly annual financial targets are met.
• Prepare and present financial dashboards and reports for CIO and leadership.
• Act as a trusted advisor on financial strategy, trends, and equip the CIO with financial insights to make informed strategic decisions.
Vendor Management
• Establish and maintain strategic relationships with IT vendors and service providers.
• Negotiate contracts, SLAs, and pricing to maximize value and minimize risk.
• Monitor vendor performance and compliance with contractual obligations.
• Manage delivery partner governance, including Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), performance surveys, and continuous process improvement initiatives to enhance service quality and alignment with business objectives.
Software Asset Management
• Implement and maintain SAM processes to ensure compliance with licensing agreements.
• Optimize software usage and reduce unnecessary costs through proactive license management.
• Conduct audits and manage renewals to mitigate compliance risks.
• Assist in vendor audit processes to ensure compliance and mitigate financial, operational, and contractual risks for IT and the organization.
• Implement and oversee IT software asset utilization across the entire portfolio, ensuring effective Software Asset Management (SAM) through the ServiceNow SAM Pro platform.
Key Responsibilites Continued
Operational Excellence
• Establish and monitor OKRs/KPIs for IT operations, ensuring efficiency and continuous improvement.
• Implement governance frameworks for IT processes, risk management, and compliance.
• Coordinate cross-functional initiatives to streamline workflows and enhance service delivery.
Communication & Engagement
• Develop internal/external communications for technology initiatives; promote transparency and recognition.
• Build a high-performing, inclusive culture across IT, drive org health, engagement, and talent programs.
• Coordinate executive hiring priorities and succession planning across key IT leadership roles.
• Develop and execute IT communication strategies to ensure clarity, transparency, and alignment across the organization.
• Lead employee engagement programs to foster a collaborative and inclusive culture.
• Manage IT Rewards and Recognition programs to celebrate achievements and reinforce organizational values.
Talent Development & People Leadership
• Drive IT team development initiatives, including training programs and career progression frameworks.
• Oversee mentorship programs to build leadership capabilities and strengthen succession planning.
• Address organizational matter ensuring alignment with HR policies and organizational culture.
Job Requirements
• 8+ years of experience in IT leadership, technology strategy, management consulting, or enterprise transformation roles.
• Proven experience in IT operations, business management, or IT leadership roles.
• Strong understanding of IT financial management, vendor governance, software asset management, financial management, corporate communication, and employee engagement.
• Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, executive presence, and highly organizational.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional global teams, drive engagement, and manage complex projects without the direct reporting structure.
• Strategic thinker with a results-oriented mindset and ability to influence at all levels.
• Proficient in the everyday use of AI productivity tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, generative AI platforms) to streamline workflows and enhance operational efficiency.
Education
Bachelor's degree in related field of IT, Engineering or Business Operations; or equivalent combination of additional experience as stated above.
Compensation:
The target salary range for this position is $190,000-245,000. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off (PTO), various Leave options, Performance-Based Incentives, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU’s), with all offerings subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. Benefits may vary by country and region, and further details will be provided as part of the recruitment process.
At NetApp, we embrace a hybrid working environment designed to strengthen connection, collaboration, and culture for all employees. This means that most roles will have some level of in-office and/or in-person expectations, which will be shared during the recruitment process.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
NetApp is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information, pregnancy, protected veteran status, and any other protected classification.
Why You'll Thrive at NetApp
At NetApp, you won't wait for the perfect moment—you'll make it. The early planning, the extra thought, the bold idea that turns good into great: That's how our people operate and how we continue to push the boundaries of data infrastructure.
NetApp is the trusted partner for organizations transforming data into opportunity. As the only enterprise-grade storage service natively embedded in Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft Azure, we empower customers to run everything from traditional workloads to enterprise AI with unmatched performance, resilience, and security.
Our culture
We celebrate mold breakers, bold thinkers, and problem solvers. We reward initiative, impact, and ownership. We provide flexibility so you can balance professional ambition with your personal life. Here, differences are not just welcomed—they drive everything we do.
If you're ready to innovate, rise to the challenge, and own every moment - make your next move your best one. Apply now.
Submitting an application
To ensure a streamlined and fair hiring process for all candidates, our team only reviews applications submitted through our company website. This practice allows us to track, assess, and respond to applicants efficiently. Emailing our employees, recruiters, or Human Resources personnel directly will not influence your application.
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Equal Opportunity Employer*
NetApp is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information, pregnancy, protected veteran status and any other protected classification. We pledge to take every reasonable step to ensure that our applicants and employees are respected, treated fairly and with dignity. See the EEO poster, Know your rights poster, and NetApp EEO policy. NetApp makes reasonable accommodations, consistent with applicable laws, for religious purposes and for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified applicant or employee with a disability, who can perform the essential job functions unless undue hardship would result.
State-specific postings/notices to applicants regarding contract compliance can be found here in English and here in Spanish, and fair employment practice information can be found here.
Reasonable Accommodations
At NetApp, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible workplace where individuals with disabilities can thrive. In alignment with our values, NetApp provides reasonable accommodations and adjustments where possible to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities, in accordance with employment rights and regulations relevant to their country of employment, to ensure equal access to employment opportunities and job performance.
Applicants who would like to request an accommodation or adjustment are encouraged to Contact Us. Each request will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with applicable laws and our commitment to equity and belonging within our culture, values and business practices. Requests will be handled confidentially and respectfully, and we will work collaboratively to identify effective solutions.
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We care about your privacy and, therefore, ask that you read our Candidate Privacy Notice before you submit any personal information to us.
NetApp does not carry out any solely automated decision making (i.e. the process of making a decision by automated means without any human involvement) in determining your suitability or eligibility for specific roles.
However, the processing of your personal information is carried out with the aid of manual and automated tools. In particular, NetApp may use an automated employment evaluation tool or similar tool as one of several tools, actions, and/or steps to assist with NetApp’s review of candidate applications for various hiring needs. Currently, when addressing certain hiring needs, NetApp uses the Eightfold tool which can provide an initial ranking of a candidate’s skills and experience, based on information provided by the applicant in the application and/or supporting documentation, in comparison to the NetApp designated key requirements of a specific role. Additionally, the tool may be used to help review and/or rank internal employees seeking promotion or other internal mobility. However, our talent acquisition team or our recruiters will ultimately select the candidates for further consideration, following human review of any automated evaluation results and associated underlying documentation (or lack thereof) submitted with the candidates’ application.
An independent audit of the Eightfold Matching Model tool can be found at https://eightfold.ai/nyc-eightfoldmatching-model.
Candidates may request an alternative selection process which will not be subject to the Eightfold matching tool or to any electronic automated employment evaluation by contacting NetApp at careers@netapp.com. To bypass the Eightfold matching tool or any electronic automated employment evaluation, you must include a resume and job ID with your email to careers@netapp.com and you must include in the subject line of your email: Data Privacy Request. Candidates who have questions or want to request additional information on the source of data, type of data, and/or collection of data related to the candidate review process should contact NetApp at careers@netapp.com
Submitting an application
To ensure a streamlined and fair hiring process for all candidates, our team reviews applications submitted through our company website only. This practice allows us to track, assess, and respond to applicants efficiently. Emailing our employees, recruiters, or Human Resources personnel directly will not influence your application.