VP - IT Operations

Grocery Outlet Corp.•Emeryville, CA

43d•$220,000 - $250,000

About The Position

As the VP of IT Operations, you will lead the strategy, delivery, and continuous improvement of Grocery Outlet's core IT operations functions-Infrastructure, Network, Service Desk, and Store Technology. Your mission is to ensure seamless, scalable, and reliable technology services that power the company's stores, warehouses, and corporate teams. You will play a critical role in driving operational maturity across infrastructure platforms, enabling innovation while delivering consistent uptime and performance. This includes leading cloud modernization, SRE adoption, automation, and the integration of service management frameworks to support our growing retail footprint. You will collaborate closely with Business Solutions, Security, and Data & Development teams to ensure that technology operations are aligned with business priorities and deliver measurable outcomes. VP of IT Operations will report to the SVP, Chief Information Officer.

Requirements

10+ years in IT infrastructure, service delivery, or enterprise operations
5+ years in senior leadership roles with strategic and operational accountability
Hands-on, outcomes-oriented operations leader with deep infrastructure knowledge and a passion for delivering reliable, customer-focused services.
You thrive in complex, fast-paced environments, and you bring discipline, structure, and strategy to everything you touch.
You lead with empathy, think at enterprise scale, and deliver technology that just works.
Strategic and operational thinker who drives alignment across people, process, and technology
Skilled communicator with the ability to translate technical issues into business impact
Proven team builder and mentor; fosters a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous learning
Effective in vendor negotiations, contract management, and partner collaboration
Able to operate with urgency while building long-term stability
High integrity, strong business judgment, and customer-centric mindset
Deep understanding of hybrid cloud operations (AWS/Azure/GCP) and platform engineering
Demonstrated success implementing SRE, automation, and ITSM/ITIL practices at scale
Experience managing large vendor ecosystems and support teams across multiple locations
Strong command of budgeting, forecasting, and multi-year investment planning

Nice To Haves

Retail technology experience (POS, store infrastructure) strongly preferred
Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of experience and education; advanced degree or MBA preferred

Responsibilities

Define and execute a 3-5-year vision for IT Operations aligned with enterprise goals and transformation programs
Translate enterprise objectives into roadmaps across infrastructure, service management, and store systems
Serve as a strategic partner to executive leaders, enabling operational readiness for business growth
Evolve traditional infrastructure and support into a product-aligned, service-oriented model
Lead enterprise-wide infrastructure services, including cloud, data center, network, end-user computing, and retail systems
Oversee store Point-of-Sale platforms, hosting infrastructure, and corporate application operations
Ensure 24 × 7 service availability and performance for all production environments, including peak retail periods
Drive platform observability, resilience, and standardization across store and enterprise technologies
Build and mature ITIL-aligned practices (incident, change, problem, configuration)
Lead service desk transformation, knowledge management, and shift-left/self-service automation
Champion proactive incident management and RCA practices to reduce unplanned downtime
Establish and monitor operational KPIs including MTTR, SLA compliance, and customer satisfaction
Lead and develop a high-performing team across infrastructure, service delivery, and retail systems
Build skills in cloud operations, automation, SRE, and field support
Establish clear performance goals, succession plans, and learning pathways
Manage strategic vendor and MSP relationships with outcome-based SLAs and governance
Own OpEx and CapEx budgets for infrastructure and operations; ensure alignment with business value
Drive efficiency through consolidation, automation, and vendor optimization
Partner with Finance and the PMO to forecast resource needs and support program delivery
Provide executive transparency into project readiness, spend, and ROI