VP – Head of R&D Cloud Operations

Responsibilities:

• Spearhead the transition from manual monitoring to AIOps, leveraging machine learning models to predict capacity bottlenecks, automate incident response, and optimize workload placement across hybrid environments.
• Deep-dive into engineering workflows to eliminate manual toil. You will own the roadmap for automating the PLM/NPI process, ensuring that environment provisioning, security scanning, and cost-tagging are integrated into the CI/CD pipeline.
• Lead the migration of legacy operations into a "Platform Engineering" model, where infrastructure is treated as a product and internal developers have self-service access to AI-optimized cloud resources.
• Move beyond basic budgeting to solve complex "cost-per-workload" problems. You will analyze architectural choices to drive efficiency in GPU utilization, storage tiering, and cross-cloud data egress.
• Build and maintain sophisticated models to forecast AWS, Azure, and VMware capacity. You don't just report numbers; you understand the underlying engineering roadmap to anticipate "burst" needs for AI training or large-scale deployments.
• Partner with vendors (AWS, Azure, NVIDIA, VMware) not just for procurement, but to influence their product roadmaps to meet our specific architectural needs.
• You are expected to "go deep" into technical designs. You will evaluate engineering proposals for feasibility, cost, and alignment with modern standards, participating in architectural reviews for SAN/NAS designs, networking models, and IAM structures.
• Design and enforce standards for Terraform, CloudFormation, and Ansible usage. You will ensure that "Policy as Code" is embedded into the governance framework to automate compliance and security reviews.
• Define and operate high-stakes planning cadences (QBRs, budget cycles) using data-rich dashboards that track real-time capacity utilization, spend velocity, and delivery risks.
• Build and mentor a team that is as comfortable with a spreadsheet as they are with a CLI. Foster a culture where portfolio managers understand the code and architecture they are supporting.
• Act as the "translator-in-chief" between Engineering, Finance, and the C-suite, turning technical debt and infrastructure requirements into clear business outcomes.

Qualifications:

• Deep familiarity with AWS, Azure, and VMware (vSphere/ESXi). You should understand core services at a granular level, including networking latency, security group logic, and storage IOPS.
• Strong experience with Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform) and CI/CD workflows. You must be comfortable reading and evaluating scripts in Python, Bash, or PowerShell to ensure automation quality.
• Familiarity with the infrastructure requirements for AI workloads (GPU clusters, high-speed interconnects) and how to manage the unique cost profiles of AI/ML services.
• Mastery of financial modeling and data visualization to turn raw cloud telemetry into actionable strategic insights.

Experience & Leadership

• 15+ years in technology operations, engineering strategy, or cloud-first product management.
• Proven track record of operational transformation specifically taking a traditional "ticket-based" ops team and moving them toward an "automated/self-service" model.
• Exceptional ability to dive into a failing project or a budget overrun, identify the technical root cause, and drive a solution.
• Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; MBA is highly desirable.

As with all roles, Medidata sets ranges based on a number of factors including function, level, candidate expertise and experience, and geographic location. Pay ranges for candidates in locations other than New York City, may differ based on the local market data in that region.

The salary range for positions that will be physically based in New Jersey is $216,000 - $288,000.

Base pay is one part of the Total Rewards that Medidata provides to compensate and recognize employees for their work. Most sales positions are eligible for a commission on the terms of applicable plan documents, and many of Medidata's non-sales positions are eligible for annual bonuses. Medidata believes that benefits should connect you to the support you need when it matters most and provides benefits, including medical, dental, life and disability insurance, 401(k) matching, family leave, flexible paid time off; and 10 paid holidays per year.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions at Medidata are based on merit, qualifications and abilities. Medidata is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or medical or common conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, familial status, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, veteran status, military service, application for military service, genetic information, receipt of free medical care, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law. Medidata will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.

We will accept applications on an ongoing basis until we fill the position.

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