Vice President, Professional Services

The Vice President of Professional Services will be instrumental in defining and executing the strategic direction of our new company’s global professional services organization. This senior leadership role is critical for driving operational excellence, financial performance, and customer satisfaction. The successful candidate will develop and oversee the implementation of strategies aimed at boosting profitability, optimizing delivery times, and enhancing collaborative efforts across departments and with partners. Leading a diverse global team of full-time and On-Demand professionals, the Vice President will strike an effective balance between continuous improvement initiatives and the achievement of key performance objectives.

A proven background in agile project management, complex software implementations, and leadership within the PS of the enterprise software industry is essential. This position requires a results-oriented leader who possesses a hands-on approach and the ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. Emphasizing strong personal accountability for customer experiences and a dedication to operational excellence, the Vice President of Professional Services will inspire and guide their team to surpass expectations, fostering a culture of transparency, direct communication, and collective success.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Vision: Craft and execute a clear, compelling professional services strategy that aligns with our ambitious growth plans, focusing on delivery quality and operational scalability.
• Operational Excellence & Financial Performance: Drive operational efficiency and financial performance, focusing on professional services utilization, margin improvement, and cost control. Implement metrics and KPIs to track performance and continuously improve.
• World-Class Project Management Office (PMO): Build and lead a world-class PMO capable of delivering complex software projects with excellence. Enhance project management methodologies to increase efficiency, delivery quality, and customer satisfaction.
• Revenue Growth & Backlog Quality: Aggressively pursue revenue targets while cultivating a high-quality backlog that ensures sustained growth. Develop strategies to expand service offerings and enter new markets.
• Forecasting & Capacity Planning: Implement robust forecasting and capacity planning processes to ensure the professional services organization can meet demand while optimizing resource utilization and maintaining flexibility to adapt to changing conditions.
• Time to Value: Spearhead initiatives to reduce time to value for customers through streamlined processes and enhanced service delivery methodologies. Focus on building strong customer relationships and ensuring the highest levels of satisfaction to drive repeat business and referrals.
• Acquisition Integration & Team Building: Play a pivotal role in the integration of acquired companies, ensuring that professional services teams are effectively merged and aligned with our culture and operational practices. Attract, develop, and retain top talent to build a cohesive, high-performing team.

Competencies

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Financial Acumen – Strong understanding of financial metrics in a Private Equity environment, with a focus on maximizing PS utilization and profit margin
• Resource Utilization – Ability to optimize resource allocation and placement to maximize productivity and billable utilization
• Project Management Leadership – Skill in establishing and guiding a project management team, ensuring projects are delivered effectively, on time, and within budget
• Forecasting – Ability to accurately forecast revenue, expenses, and client go-lives in the short-term and long-term
• Communication – Strong ability to communicate complex ideas effectively across different levels of the organization; crisp verbal communication and comfort with large audiences
• Cross-functional leadership– Able to work effectively with various teams and departments, at all levels of the organization from analysts, through to peers and ELT members in driving programs and outcomes
• Team Leadership and Talent Development- Exceptional leadership skills in recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent, fostering a culture of high performance, continuous learning, and accountability.
• Adaptability and Change Management: Competence in leading organizational change, effectively acquisitions and system integrations, while maintaining team focus and morale.

Qualifications

Minimum qualifications:

• 10+ years of professional services software experience
• Five (5) years of professional service management experience with teams of increasing size and scope (> 50 FTE)
• Track record in growing service revenues with complex projects, while continuing to improve operational excellence and managing a full P&L
• Demonstrated success driving strong services revenue growth and profitability at scale (between $10M – $15M PS Revenue)
• Proven track record of close collaboration selling and managing large-scale, services/projects
• Experience in implementing large complex enterprise-wide (multi-department) software and/or technology solutions (i.e., ERP, HCM, CRM, etc.) for clients
• Experience working in matrixed and complex organizations and an appreciation of how the dynamics of growth affect corporate culture and in-place processes and systems
• Experience in creating innovative, scalable training, including virtual labs and online solutions
• Experience in both on-prem and cloud-based implementation
• Demonstrated track record for maintaining high billable utilization (70%) and margin (40%)
• Experience with acquisition integrations