Head of Product Operations

Overview

We are seeking an exceptional Head of Product Operations to serve as the operational engine of our Product organization. Reporting directly to the Chief Product Officer, the Head of Product Operations will design, implement, and scale the systems, processes, and analytics that enable Product, Engineering and Design to execute with velocity, alignment, and measurable impact. This role combines operational leadership, data-driven rigor, and cross-functional orchestration to transform strategy into outcomes—acting as the COO of the Product function.

The Head of Product Operations will own the end-to-end Product Operating System, from roadmap governance and resource optimization to performance analytics and organizational health. This is a high-leverage leadership opportunity for someone who thrives at the intersection of strategy, execution, and scale.

This role is onsite and based at Shift4’s Tampa, FL location.  Relocation assistance may be available. 

Responsibilities

Product Operating System & Strategic Alignment

• Design and maintain the Product Operating System: establish and enforce consistent cadences for quarterly planning, roadmap prioritization, KPI reviews, and executive reporting.


• Translate CPO strategy into operational reality: break down priorities into initiatives, milestones, owners, and success metrics.


• Govern OKR/KPI alignment: ensure every product line’s objectives roll up to company goals; flag and resolve misalignments early.


• Drive cross-functional synchronization across Product, Engineering, Design, and GTM teams to eliminate silos and accelerate delivery.

Strategic Initiative Execution & Program Management

• Lead execution of high-impact initiatives (e.g., AI platform integration, core system consolidation, go-to-market launches).


• Serve as initiative air traffic controller: track progress in real time, remove blockers, escalate risks, and ensure on-time, on-scope delivery with measurable ROI.


• Orchestrate decision-making forums: prepare data-backed pre-reads, facilitate alignment, and drive action-item closure.

Communication, Standards & Organizational Effectiveness

• Operationalize internal communication: ensure consistent, high-signal information flow across product leadership, exec team, and the broader organization.


• Own executive artifacts: deliver polished board updates, product strategy briefs, and roadmap summaries with clarity, narrative coherence, and visual excellence.


• Scale operational playbooks: enforce standards for Hot Lists, RCA reviews, product requirement docs, and roadmap governance.


• Reinforce product culture: embed principles of speed, ownership, customer obsession, and data-driven decision-making.

Resource Optimization & Organizational Health

• Lead headcount planning, allocation, and rebalancing across product portfolios in partnership with Finance and People Ops.


• Monitor and improve org health metrics: hiring velocity, attrition, productivity signals, span of control, and promotion velocity.


• Co-own talent strategy: partner on performance calibration, succession planning, and leadership development for product managers.

Performance Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Define and govern Tier 1–3 product KPIs; ensure every initiative launches with leading indicators and success criteria.


• Build and maintain Strategic Initiatives dashboards tracking objectives, milestones, risks, and outcomes.


• Institutionalize learning: lead post-mortems, launch retrospectives, and cross-portfolio lookbacks to drive iteration and prevent repeat failures.

Leadership Partnership & Operational Leverage

• Act as a trusted extension of the CPO: filter inbound requests, prepare decision briefs, and protect leadership bandwidth for high-impact work.


• Represent Product Leadership in key forums, ensuring continuity of strategy and decision quality.


• Proactively surface risks, opportunities, and operational gaps before they escalate.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in a Head of Product Operations role or similar, combining systems thinking with relentless execution and scaling product organizations. 


• Experience building operating rhythms from scratch and thriving in high-stakes, fast-moving environments


• Proven experience within product operations, turning ambiguity into structure without slowing innovation.


• Ability to act as a force multiplier, enabling product leaders to focus on vision while you own the "how."


• Ability to build trust at every level: execs rely on your judgment, PMs value your clarity, engineers respect your rigor.


• Possess a vision of bringing operational excellence that accelerates velocity, not bureaucracy.


• Obsessed with follow-through, anticipation, and measurable outcomes.
  
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We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.