Director, Global Professional Services Strategy

Director, Global Professional Services Strategy & OperationsWe're not just building better tech. We're rewriting how data moves and what the world can do with it. With Confluent, data doesn't sit still. Our platform puts information in motion, streaming in near real-time so companies can react faster, build smarter, and deliver experiences as dynamic as the world around them. It takes a certain kind of person to join this team. Those who ask hard questions, give honest feedback, and show up for each other. No egos, no solo acts. Just smart, curious humans pushing toward something bigger, together. One Confluent. One Team. One Data Streaming Platform.We are seeking a Director, Global Professional Services Strategy & Operations to lead the operational backbone and strategic direction for Confluent's Global Professional Services business. This newly created role will partner with the head of Confluent's Global Professional Services (PS) organization and be responsible for ensuring clarity in strategy, organizational design, and operational execution for the PS organization. This role sits within the Global Revenue Strategy & Operations team and partners closely with leaders across the Customer Solutions Group, Sales, Finance, and Product to design and operationalize Confluent's Professional Services strategy. The leadership of the Global PS Strategy & Operations team is an essential part of scaling PS and supporting our Customer Solutions Group and the broader Global Revenue team by making our customers successful. The role will also ensure effective alignment of the PS organization to our corporate and partner strategies.The ideal candidate will have a demonstrable track record of successfully managing matrixed change strategies, influencing stakeholders at all levels, and developing and executing a results-oriented plan within a high-growth global environment. A background in scaling a services business, and managing a P&L, as well as having done so for a world-class, successful, global, multi-tenant SaaS business is essential. This position reports to the Director of CSG Strategy & Operations, and will have management responsibility for establishing and growing Confluent's PS Strategy and managing the Operations team.What You Will Do:Define and drive the multi-year Global PS strategy, organizational design, and operating plan, ensuring maximum alignment and strategic impact across the company, Customer Success Group (CSG), and Partner ecosystem.Influence and design compensation and incentive programs that reinforce desired behaviors and maximize the Global Revenue Team's organizational performance.Own, implement, and govern the PS Operational Framework and core operating cadences for the Global Business, including Quarterly Business Reviews, forecast processes, pipeline reviews, and performance governance.Ensure compliance by overseeing governance for Statements of Work, managing global audit support, and maintaining applicable SOX controls.Partner with Finance to lead the global target-setting process and ensure timely, effective management of the budget, headcount, and coverage model across the PS P&L.Establish and maintain world-class functional reporting and analysis, delivering actionable insights that inform PS strategy, design decisions, and partner engagement.Architect and define the PS systems roadmap, architecture, and rationalization plan for all PS tools, ensuring optimal process integration and alignment with the broader cross-functional organizations (e.g., CSG, Sales).Lead a global team of PS operations professionals, fostering a culture of high accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.Act as the key operational thought partner and cultivate strong, strategic relationships with senior leaders across Finance, Sales, Product, Marketing, and People Operations to drive alignment and execution of strategic initiatives.What You Will Bring:10+ years' relevant experience, inclusive of enterprise software sales businesses, strong functional domain experience, SaaS CS strategy & operations, and change management.Deep understanding of the professional services business; prior leadership for a leading, world-class, high growth, global SaaS business a plus.Strong financial acumen with expertise in forecasting, backlog management, margin analysis, and revenue recognition.Exceptional and demonstrable track record of developing business and program strategy, execution, change management, and cross functional stakeholder engagement to deliver results.Deep expertise in systems, process optimization, and operational reporting.The ability to build and manage high performance teams.Strong executive presence, communication (verbal, written, presentation) and facilitation skills with experience engaging and partnering at all levels internally and with key external stakeholders.What Gives You an Edge:You are both strategic and hands-oncomfortable designing GTM models but also diving deep into operational details.You thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment where priorities shift quickly.You have a bias for action, a passion for operational excellence, and a commitment to enabling Confluent's growth through services and partners.Proficiency with Salesforce, Tableau (or similar BI tools), and GTM planning systems.Ready to build what's next? Let's get in motion.Come As You Are. Belonging isn't a perk here. It's the baseline. We work across time zones and backgrounds, knowing the best ideas come from different perspectives. And we make space for everyone to lead, grow, and challenge what's possible. We're proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Employment decisions are based on job-related criteria, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other classification protected by law.