Gap Inc.

Head of Engineering Operations

Dallas-Coppell/Vari Full time

About the Role

As the Senior Director of Engineering Operations, you will serve as a key strategic advisor and operational leader to the Head of Engineering. This role is responsible for driving enterprise-wide engineering operational excellence across a diverse portfolio of initiatives—including platform modernization, compliance, infrastructure transformation, and agile delivery enablement. You will lead Engineering Technical Operations with a focus on system resilience, scalability, and continuous improvement, while shaping the operational strategy and governance frameworks that support long-term technology evolution.

You will also be accountable for cross-functional alignment, executive-level decision support, and transformation leadership across Engineering, Product, Infosec, and Architecture. This role demands a high level of technical fluency, organizational influence, and leadership maturity to guide the engineering organization through transformation and growth.

What You'll Do

Enterprise Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

  • Define and drive the strategic roadmap for engineering operations in alignment with enterprise technology goals.

  • Oversee execution of high-impact programs across infrastructure, tooling, and compliance, ensuring delivery excellence and measurable outcomes.

  • Lead cross-functional governance forums to manage dependencies, risks, and escalations across Engineering, Product, Infosec, and Architecture.

  • Influence vendor strategy and external partnerships to support transformation and operational maturity.

Engineering Operations & Technical Excellence

  • Provide executive oversight of Engineering Technical Operations, including systems architecture, infrastructure health, and service delivery.

  • Establish and evolve operational KPIs, SLAs, and continuous improvement frameworks across engineering teams.

  • Champion technical hygiene initiatives including tech debt reduction, PCI compliance, and vulnerability remediation.

  • Build and scale communities of practice for Scrum Masters and TPMs to elevate agile maturity and delivery velocity.

Organizational Design & Talent Strategy

  • Partner with HR, Finance, and Engineering leadership on org design, workforce planning, and talent development.

  • Lead succession planning and strategic hiring across engineering operations as well as driving alignment on performance calibration principles across engineering in partnership with HR and leadership.

  • Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and operational excellence.

Executive Engagement & Decision Enablement

  • Prepare executive briefings, strategic recommendations, and board-level updates.

  • Drive alignment on resource allocation, budget planning, and investment prioritization.

  • Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on operational risk, transformation readiness, and organizational health.

Transformation & Change Leadership

  • Lead change management efforts for SDLC transformation, agile adoption, and tooling modernization.

  • Develop and execute communication strategies to drive stakeholder engagement and transparency.

  • Align engineering operations with enterprise transformation goals, ensuring seamless execution and adoption.

Who You Are

  • 18+ years of experience in engineering operations, technology strategy, or enterprise program leadership.

  • Proven track record of leading large-scale operational transformations in complex, matrixed environments.

  • Deep technical fluency in infrastructure, security, compliance, and agile delivery.

  • Exceptional leadership presence with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.

  • Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and communication skills.

  • Expertise in tools such as Jira, ServiceNow, Confluence, and enterprise portfolio management platforms.