Director, APEX M&A Operations

ServiceNow•Santa Clara, CA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role is described as the mini-COO of ServiceNow's integration portfolio, working closely with the Sr. Director of Strategic Operations. The position owns the integration business end-to-end, from shaping how acquired companies are integrated into ServiceNow and building playbooks for streamlined future integrations, to identifying and resolving critical process areas. It also involves partnering with leadership to drive strategic priorities of the COO Office and being accountable for integration outcomes. This is a business ownership role, not a program management role, requiring decision-making, driving clarity, and holding the portfolio accountable. The individual will operate at the intersection of strategy and execution, setting direction with the IMO steerco and ensuring the organization delivers against it. The role requires fluency in both strategic discussions and detailed execution, with the ability to advise the President & COO on integration strategy and resolve cross-functional escalations. Strong business judgment, high executive presence, and the credibility to drive decisions across a matrixed organization without direct authority are essential. This role reports to the Senior. Director, APEX IMO.

Requirements

Experience operating at the executive interface — managed VP and C-suite relationships, navigated political complexity, and driven alignment across matrixed organizations where you had no direct authority.
Deep understanding of how large companies make decisions and move: know how to work the formal and informal systems, when to escalate and when to resolve, and how to get things done in a complex enterprise.
Track record as a business owner — accountable for outcomes, made hard calls, and built something meaningful, not just supported someone else who did.
M&A integration experience: understand the full lifecycle and what drives or destroys value post-close; can connect integration execution to the broader COO strategic agenda.
Executive presence and communication: operate credibly with ELT audiences, produce materials that require minimal revision, and know when to push and when to listen.
Strong people leadership: develop others, build trust quickly, and expand the capacity of every team you join.
High adaptability and resilience — this environment moves fast and shifts direction; bring others along rather than getting disrupted.
12+ years in management consulting, corporate strategy, chief of staff, or senior strategic operations roles — with a demonstrated track record of driving organizational change and executive alignment, not just delivering programs.
Bachelor's degree required.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end accountability for integration outcomes across the APEX portfolio from close through end-state integration.
Define success for each integration: set business objectives, establish success metrics, and hold workstream owners accountable to results.
Drive the integration strategy in partnership with the IMO leader, including decisions on scope, sequencing, resourcing, and trade-offs.
Serve as the primary business decision-maker on integration questions that span functions; escalate only what requires executive resolution.
Identify risks before they become problems — exercise business judgment to distinguish between noise and issues that threaten integration value.
Serve as a senior operator for the COO Office's strategic agenda — driving executive alignment, organizational change, and cross-functional momentum.
Own the relationships and working rhythms that connect the COO Office to the rest of the company: ELT engagements, VP-level stakeholder relationships, and informal influence networks.
Lead the COO's participation in company-wide strategic cadences — summer strategy, annual planning, leadership offsites, and QBRs — ensuring the COO agenda is well-represented, well-prepared, and lands with impact.
Drive organizational change and alignment on the COO's highest-priority cross-functional initiatives — identifying where the organization is stuck, building coalitions to move it, and holding progress accountable without creating bureaucracy.
Identify, shape, and launch new strategic opportunities for the COO team.
Prepare and own executive-facing materials for Amit, Anne, and ELT audiences.
Build the COO team's strength and institutional capability — identify gaps, develop talent, and create conditions where the team consistently punches above its weight.
Lead and develop direct reports including the Sr. Staff PgM; ensure the team is focused, growing, and working on the right things.
Represent the COO Office in cross-functional forums — carry the credibility and judgment to speak for the team in high-stakes settings.
Step into hands-on execution when there is a gap — know when to lead from the front and when to delegate.