VP, Operations Transformation

dentsu•Charlotte, NY

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

AI is reshaping how businesses operate, and Merkle is building a team to apply AI to the real, complex problems at the heart of how a large professional services organization runs. This role sits at the intersection of strategic leadership, AI expertise, and operational depth, with the full backing of the COO. The individual will define where AI can have the most impact, build the team and solutions, and demonstrate the possibilities of AI-driven operations. This is an opportunity for someone energized by hard problems, who wants to lead a new team, and who believes AI is most powerful when connected to a deep understanding of how work gets done.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in operations, AI-driven solution development, or a related leadership role with a track record of delivery.
Hands-on experience building with LLMs, including prompt engineering, agentic workflows, API integration, and AI application architecture.
Experience shipping AI-powered tools in a production environment.
Experience with the full solution lifecycle, from scoping and data requirements to deployment and iteration.
Ability to articulate a vision for AI-enabled operations and inspire others to participate.
Deep curiosity about how businesses operate, with strong questioning and listening skills.
Meaningful technical understanding of AI, including how large language models work, designing effective workflows, and evaluating build feasibility.
Experience leading distributed or offshore teams and creating alignment across time zones.
Balance of strategic thinking and a bias toward delivery; intolerance for research without output.
Clear and credible communication skills at all levels, from technical teams to senior leadership.
Skilled executive communicator with experience presenting to senior leadership (C-suite and cross-functional executives).
Ability to frame complex operational or technical work to make business cases clear and earn investment.
Comfort with ambiguity and defining paths in undefined roles.

Nice To Haves

Background in digital marketing, agency operations, or professional services.
Experience working within a large, matrixed organization.
Familiarity with financial planning, resource management, or project delivery tooling.
Machine learning or data engineering experience.
Experience with Python, SQL, or equivalent (ability to read code, debug workflows, and have credible technical conversations).
Familiarity with AI governance, data privacy considerations, or responsible AI practices.

Responsibilities

Develop a clear, compelling point of view on how AI should transform operations at Merkle and gain buy-in from leadership, stakeholders, and the team.
Identify high-leverage opportunities across finance, staffing, project delivery, and sales operations, sequencing work for fast value delivery and long-term impact.
Inspire a distributed team of AI practitioners and analysts by providing clarity, direction, and a compelling mission.
Anticipate future business needs by deeply understanding operational workflows, pain points, and manual decision-making processes.
Partner with finance, HR, resource management, and delivery leadership to build relationships and understanding, not just gather requirements.
Clearly define problems before directing the team toward solutions.
Balance strategic thinking with a bias for delivery, moving forward when sufficient information is gathered.
Direct a team of AI-native business analysts, a technical architect, a machine learning engineer, and a data and modeling specialist to deliver adopted and used AI-powered solutions.
Set clear expectations for output, focusing on working solutions rather than prototypes or research decks.
Utilize tools like Claude and other AI platforms as foundational elements of the team's work.
Collaborate with technical team members to ensure solutions are scalable and maintainable.
Own the results of projects, ensuring clear, measurable improvements are driven.
Report to the COO with honesty and clarity on progress, challenges, and next steps.
Continuously seek opportunities to reduce manual effort, improve decision quality, and increase business agility.
Oversee a small operational support function to ensure solutions, processes, and tools remain current and effective.
Ensure the business has a consistent point of contact for operational help, process questions, tool updates, and emerging needs.
Build a culture of maintenance and ownership within the team, recognizing that great work extends beyond launch.
Identify and address solutions that are no longer fit for purpose, making decisions to update, replace, or retire them.
Lead a lean, high-impact team including a senior business analyst, technical architect, machine learning engineer, data and modeling specialist, and AI-native business analysts.
Oversee a small operational support function responsible for maintenance, process currency, and business support.
Have a meaningful say in the new team's structure, operations, and initial priorities.