New

Senior Director, Cloud and Data Services

Vaco
$200,000.00 - $225,000.00 / yr
United States, North Carolina, Durham
Jan 07, 2026
Job Summary The Senior Director of Cloud and Data Services will lead a newly established business unit focused on delivering modern computing, storage, and data solutions to organizations in research, education, healthcare, and the public sector. This role is responsible for shaping and executing the strategic vision for cloud and data services, with an emphasis on creating innovative, customer-facing and internal offerings. It combines technical expertise with product management, business development, operational excellence, and team leadership to deliver enterprise-class solutions that meet evolving market demands. Key Responsibilities Service Development & Innovation Drive the creation of new cloud and data services, including: Private cloud solutions leveraging on-premise infrastructure. Public cloud offerings through partnerships with major providers. Hybrid cloud solutions integrating public and private capabilities. Data services powered by these cloud platforms. Establish and manage a full service development lifecycle: ideation, prototyping, testing, and deployment. Build business cases and ROI analyses for new offerings. Develop pricing models and go-to-market strategies. Stay ahead of emerging technologies and assess their potential for new services. Create a technology evaluation framework for vendor and solution assessment. Oversee proof-of-concept implementations for promising technologies. Maintain a service portfolio roadmap aligned with market trends and customer needs. Strategic Planning & Operational Excellence Develop and implement strategies for cloud and data services, including capacity planning, technology roadmaps, and delivery frameworks. Design service catalogs, operational procedures, and governance models. Define and maintain SLAs and OLAs. Lead initiatives for data center optimization, consolidation, and modernization. Implement business resilience and risk mitigation practices. Establish ITIL-based or similar service management practices and continuous improvement programs. Oversee incident, problem, and change management processes. Monitor and optimize service performance metrics and KPIs. Drive automation for service delivery and management. Manage financial aspects including pricing, cost control, forecasting, and budgeting. Customer Engagement & Service Management Collaborate with sales and marketing teams to identify key customers and understand their needs. Gather requirements for new services and establish feedback loops for improvement. Define addressable markets and revenue projections. Create onboarding and migration frameworks. Implement customer success metrics and monitoring systems. Infrastructure Management Oversee planning, design, implementation, and operation of on-premise data center infrastructure, including power, cooling, network, and security. Manage capacity planning and resource optimization. Drive automation and orchestration initiatives. Oversee cloud-based computing solutions supporting service offerings. Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT, or related field (or equivalent experience). 5+ years in service development and product management. 5+ years in leadership roles managing technical teams. Strong understanding of data center technologies and best practices. Experience with ITIL framework and service management principles. Financial acumen in budgeting, forecasting, and P&L management. Technical Expertise Cloud infrastructure and hybrid environments. Data analysis and management. Virtualization technologies. Data security and compliance. Automation and orchestration platforms. Network architecture and security. Service design and development methodologies. Data center infrastructure and monitoring tools. Preferred Qualifications Experience in data center operations and sustainability practices. Familiarity with AI/ML frameworks and platforms. Professional certifications (e.g., CDCP, CDCS). Experience with agile methodologies and product management certifications. Leadership Competencies Ability to inspire and motivate teams, foster collaboration, and recruit top talent. Skilled in leading organizational transformations and adapting to market changes. Strong communication skills for diverse audiences. Analytical and critical thinking for complex challenges. Emotional intelligence and relationship management. Vaco by Highspring values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. EEO Notice Vaco by Highspring is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by federal, state or local law. Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact HR@vaco.com . Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal. By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco by Highspring the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications. You also agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco by Highspring about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application. In exchange, Vaco by Highspring agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal. Privacy Notice Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries ("we," "our," or "Vaco by Highspring") respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies. California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here. Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here. Residents of all other states may access our policies here. Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here. Residents of countries governed by GDPR may access our policies here. Pay Transparency Notice Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to: the individual's skill sets, experience and training; licensure and certification requirements; office location and other geographic considerations; other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses.