Director of Operations

About Vantage PartnersHeadquartered in Boston, Vantage Partners is a consulting and training firm that helps companies innovate more quickly, execute with greater discipline, and collaborate more effectively for sustained impact and growth. We serve clients worldwide, working with market leaders in sectors including biopharmaceuticals, healthcare, energy, financial services, technology, and manufacturing. Our founders have served on the faculties of Harvard University, the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and have published award-winning books and articles.At Vantage, we are a team of intellectually fearless and relentlessly resourceful collaborators. Our Culture Code guides our interactions with each other and our clients. We take our work extremely seriously without ever taking ourselves too seriously. Whether we are gathering Thursday afternoons for a weekly snack time gathering offsite for offbeat events to celebrate our annual Fun Day, working together to better our communities as part of Vantage Volunteers, or building skills via regular in-office training sessions, we inspire and support each other to be innovative problem-solvers and stretch our thinking to produce unique insights.Role OverviewVantage Partners is hiring a Director of Operations to redesign and run the firm’s corporate operating model. This leader will report to the firm’s Management Committee and be responsible for the overall process for how work moves end to end through Vantage. This includes how the organization engages in opportunity tracking, project delivery, and closeout / reporting. In addition, the individual will ensure feedback loops are in place to ensure continuous improvement. The goal is to achieve operational simplicity, consistent execution, and reliable visibility into capacity and economics.This is not a coordination role. It is an accountable operator role with the authority and presence to redesign an operating model, implement it, and run it day to day.Areas of OwnershipThe Director of Operations is accountable for how the firm runs.This includes ownership of:End-to-end operating model across consulting, training, and hybrid workStandard ways of working and adoption across teamsSystems of record and operational data integrityCross-functional operating rhythms and decision flowEvaluation, augmentation, and management of firm’s overall technology stack to support the aboveKey ResponsibilitiesCorporate Operating Model Design and ExecutionPartner with leadership to optimize the corporate operating model to support scale, consistency, and performanceTranslate strategy into clear operational structure, workflows, and decision rightsEvolve existing model into a flexible operating plan that can handle ambiguity without devolving into ad hoc workaroundsStandard Ways of WorkingDefine a small set of standard workflows for consulting, training, and hybrid engagementsEstablish what is standard, where flexibility is allowed, and how exceptions are handledReduce duplicate trackers, shadow processes, and one-off workarounds through clear standards and follow-through resource monitoring, capacity, and delivery operationsOptimize capacity and allocation management systems and processes across delivery resources and key rolesEnsure staffing and resourcing processes are consistent, visible, and usable by teamsEnsure scope, effort, and delivery commitments are tracked in disciplined, repeatable waysEstablish a consistent closeout rhythm so lessons and actuals feed back into future scoping and pricingSystems and IT partnershipHelp guide the organization to optimally integrate AI and related best practices in the running of the businessWork closely with IT to define operational requirements for system selection, configuration, integration, access, and data standardsEstablish and maintain clear systems of record for operational decision makingReduce manual reconciliation across systems by clarifying inputs, handoffs, and automation opportunitiesData, Metrics, and Profitability VisibilityDefine the minimum set of operational metrics that leadership can trust for decisionsBuild reporting that supports capacity planning and basic profitability visibility by project, account, and offering, even if not perfect or real timeUse metrics and KPIs to identify risks, measure progress, and drive continuous improvement, consistent with market expectations for operations leadership roles.Exception ManagementCreate a lightweight, explicit path for exceptions to standard processesMake exceptions visible, time-bound, and learnable so the system improves rather than fraysDecision AuthorityThe Director of Operations has the authority to:Set and enforce operational standards and workflowsDecide where flexibility is allowed and where it is notApprove or reject exceptions to standard processesMake day-to-day operational tradeoffs without needing partner-by-partner consensusStrategic priorities and major investments remain with the Management Committee.Measures of SuccessSuccess looks like:Fewer custom processes and fewer side spreadsheetsClear operational ownership and faster, cleaner handoffsData that is trusted enough to use, not routinely worked aroundConsistent staffing and capacity visibilityCloseout that reliably captures actuals and reuses ready artifactsReduced manual reconciliation and rework across operations, finance, and deliveryA new employee can quickly understand how the firm worksRequired Qualifications10+ years in operations leadership in professional services, consulting, training services, or a similarly complex delivery environmentDemonstrated experience in redesigning an operating model and then running itDemonstrated experience partnering closely with IT on systems, integrations, and data standardsHave a perspective and/or experience in leveraging emerging technologies like AI to support efficient and effective operationsStrong systems thinking, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to create structure without overcomplicatingStrong judgment and the ability to hold standards with senior stakeholdersStrong communication skills and a practical, action-oriented operating styleAbility to work on-site in Boston office twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays)Preferred QualificationsExperience with system architecture across CRM and operational platforms, especially Salesforce, HubSpot or comparable systems, consistent with the common requirements in consulting operations rolesExperience owning or improving cross-functional workflows that span sales, delivery, and finance, from initial opportunity through invoicing and closeoutExperience building operational rhythms that improve adoption and reduce exception ratesSalary Range: The annual salary range for this position is $125,000–$200,000, based on experience and skills.Vantage Partners is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local law. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact our team.