Director, Business Planning & Operations

Director, Business Planning & Operations

San Mateo, CA (Hybrid)

Role Overview

The Director, Business Planning & Operations plays a meaningful role in helping leaders understand, communicate, and act on the state of the business. This role brings strong business sense, good judgment, and connective insight across a complex, fast paced organization.

Fundamentally, this role focuses on advising and connecting within the business. The Director collaborates with leaders across the organization, offering insights and feedback on business updates and executive documents to ensure communication is clear and effective. Simultaneously, this position actively links appropriate individuals, groups, and viewpoints to tackle business questions, solve emerging problems, and prompt timely responses.

To succeed, you must influence people without authority, foster positive relationships, give direct but diplomatic feedback, and take initiative when clarity or momentum is lacking. The role involves balancing scheduled duties with many unplanned demands. It requires adapting to ambiguity, switching contexts quickly, and staying attuned to business priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain a strong understanding of business performance, priorities, risks, and emerging “hot topics,” bringing clarity and perspective to leadership discussions.

• Collaborate with leaders throughout the organization by reviewing executive-facing materials like PowerPoint decks and business updates. Provide clear, practical feedback that fits the audience and situation.

• Act as a connector across functions—proactively identifying when quick action is required, determining who needs to be involved, and facilitating alignment and next steps.

• Build and sustain strong, positive relationships across the division and with key cross-functional partners.

Planning, Business Rhythm & People Leadership

• Lead and manage a team responsible for the division’s annual planning and business management cadence, ensuring consistency, quality, and accountability.

• Drive rigor and coherence across planning, performance management, and execution rhythms, helping leaders connect priorities to outcomes.

• Accountable for the processes and practices related to work management and prioritization for the division, ensuring execution is aligned to strategic priorities.

• Lead all aspects of and coordinate key planning processes, including Mid-Range Planning (MRP), long-term planning, Budget, and Operating Plans.

• Provide clear direction, mentoring, and development to team members, encouraging a high-performing, trusted, and collaborative team culture.

Cross-Functional Enablement

• Build and facilitate forums that enable cross-functional information sharing, driving alignment, transparency, and effective exchange of insights.

• Identify themes, risks, and opportunities across the division and ensure they are visible and well understood at the appropriate leadership levels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or equivalent experience preferred.

• More than 15 years of experience in business operations, business management, strategy, analytics, FP&A, sales planning, or similar roles within complex, matrixed organizations.