About the Role
The VP of Cloud Operations will lead Degreed’s Cloud Operations team, overseeing our infrastructure strategy, cloud architecture, and operational performance. This role requires a proactive leader with a deep technical background, an understanding of modern cloud technologies, and a track record of operational excellence. You will be responsible for ensuring platform stability, scalability, security, and compliance to support our fast-growing client base, driving industry-leading service levels across our platform.
Key Skills
- Extensive Cloud Infrastructure Expertise:
Proven experience with major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and deep knowledge of cloud architecture and multi-cloud strategies.
- High-Availability System Design:
Strong understanding of building and maintaining high-availability systems with experience in distributed architectures and fault-tolerant design.
- Operational Excellence in Cloud Environments:
Skilled in implementing automation, monitoring, and observability tools to streamline processes, reduce incident response times, and enhance reliability.
- Proven Security and Compliance Proficiency:
Expertise in security and compliance standards (ISO 27001, SOC2, GDPR, NIS2, DORA) to meet regulatory and data protection requirements for enterprise clients.
- Cloud Cost Management and Budgeting:
Ability to optimize cloud spend, forecast costs, and manage budget effectively in a rapidly growing SaaS environment.
- Strong Leadership and Team Development Skills:
Experience building, mentoring, and leading a high-performance cloud operations team while fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
- Effective Cross-functional Collaboration:
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a history of effective collaboration with engineering, product, and security teams as well as executive stakeholders.
- Strategic and Operational Balance:
Ability to balance long-term strategy with short-term operational demands, adapting quickly to dynamic priorities in a high-growth environment.
- Hands-on Experience with Containerization and Orchestration:
Proficiency with container technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) for managing, scaling, and deploying services efficiently.
Key Responsibilities
- Cloud Infrastructure Strategy:
Develop and execute the vision for a high-performing cloud infrastructure to ensure stability, scalability, and cost efficiency.
Collaborate with engineering and product teams to shape a multi-cloud strategy aligned with our long-term platform objectives and customer needs.
- Operational Excellence:
Establish and enforce robust SLAs, with a focus on optimizing uptime, latency, and response times.
Leverage automation and monitoring tools to enhance operational processes, improve incident response times, and reduce human intervention.
Drive improvements in observability and incident management to minimize platform downtime and optimize operational efficiency.
- Security and Compliance:
Oversee security and compliance practices to meet or exceed industry standards, including data protection, privacy, and regulatory compliance (e.g., NIS2, DORA).
Collaborate with InfoSec and compliance teams to ensure adherence to policies, especially for high-security industries like finance, healthcare, and government sectors.
- Cost Optimization and Budgeting:
Manage cloud spend effectively, implementing tools and practices to track, forecast, and optimize costs.
Proactively identify opportunities to reduce operational costs while maintaining service quality and performance.
- Leadership and Team Development:
Build and lead a high-performance cloud operations team, investing in talent acquisition, development, and retention.
Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement, providing mentorship and guidance to ensure team alignment with Degreed’s vision and goals.
Key Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in cloud operations, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing large-scale B2B SaaS platforms.
- Proven expertise in cloud technologies (AWS, Azure, GCP) and container orchestration platforms (e.g., Kubernetes).
- Strong background in building and managing high-availability systems, with hands-on experience in implementing monitoring, observability, and incident response tools.
- In-depth knowledge of security and compliance standards relevant to large enterprises (ISO 27001, SOC2, GDPR, NIS2, DORA).
- Demonstrated experience in cost management, budgeting, and optimization within a cloud-based environment.
- Excellent communication skills, with a history of effective collaboration with cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders.
- Strategic thinker with an operational mindset; able to balance long-term vision with short-term demands.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (preferred).
Compensation and Benefits
The pay range for this role is $225,000 - $265,000.
Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to: skill set, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location. This may be different in other locations due to differences in the cost of labor.
We believe your best work happens when you have a complete life balance, and Degreed gives you the support and flexibility to make that happen. Degreed is committed to delivering a comprehensive benefits program that provides the support you need. At the time of this posting, this role is eligible to participate in the following benefits and wellness programs:
- Comprehensive health insurance for you and your family (both PPO and HDHP plans available)
- Dental and vision plans for you and your family
- Employer-paid life insurance, AD&D, short-term disability, and long-term disability
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with up to 4% match
- Company funded HSA and dependent care FSA (pending eligibility)
- Generous Parental Leave
- Unlimited Paid Time Off and 5 sick days per year
- Education benefit: Up to $1,200 per year for anything you want to learn (and we mean anything!)
- One-time Home Office Stipend to make your workspace more comfortable
- Monthly internet and phone stipend
- Monthly wellness stipend through Forma
- Wellness programs focused on your financial, physical, and mental wellbeing
*Degreed reserves the right to modify these benefits at any time, for any reason in accordance with applicable law. Please note the offerings vary based on location.
Global Data Privacy Notice for Job Candidates and Applicants
Depending on your location, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) may regulate the way we manage the data of job applicants. Our full notice outlining how data will be processed as part of the application procedure for applicable locations is available here: Ireland/EU, United Kingdom, and California. By submitting your application, you are agreeing to our use and processing of your data as required.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
