Director, Commercial Operations in London

The Director, Commercial Operations is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping and executing the operational backbone of Optimizely’s commercial engine. This individual will own and evolve the end-to-end commercial operations function — spanning pricing governance, SKU lifecycle management, CPQ platform integrity, Deals and Renewals Desk leadership, and partner channel operations. Reporting into the VP of Revenue Operations, the Director will serve as a critical integrator across Sales, Finance, Customer Success, Product, and IT, ensuring that commercial systems, processes, and people are aligned to deliver predictable, scalable revenue outcomes.

Job Responsibilities

• Commercial Releases
  • Own and govern the Commercial Release Framework, setting release classification standards and ensuring appropriate runway timelines are defined, communicated, and adhered to across all commercial launches.
  • Serve as the primary integration point between Product, Finance, and Go-to-Market teams, translating commercial release plans into operational readiness requirements for CPQ, SKU governance, billing, and Deals Desk execution.
  • Guide and hold accountable downstream operational teams on release-specific impacts, ensuring teams are enabled, systems are updated, and exceptions are managed ahead of go-live.
  • Drive cross-functional release governance, chairing or co-chairing commercial readiness reviews, maintaining the release planning framework, and escalating risks where runway, system integrity, or stakeholder alignment is at risk prior to launch.
• Pricing Operations & Governance
  • Define and own the commercial pricing operations framework, ensuring pricing accuracy, consistency, and compliance across all systems and channels.
  • Partner with Finance and Sales leadership to develop, evolve, and govern pricing structures in support of go-to-market strategy.
  • Establish and maintain a pricing governance model, including exception management, escalation pathways, and audit cadences.
  • Drive continuous improvement in pricing data quality, monitoring for anomalies and systemic compliance risks.
• CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) Ownership
  • Hold strategic and operational ownership of the CPQ platform, including architecture, configuration, quality assurance, and roadmap alignment.
  • Serve as the senior escalation point and commercial authority for CPQ-related issues raised by field sales, Deals Desk, and partner teams.
  • Govern UAT and change management processes for all CPQ enhancements, integrations, and releases.
  • Work cross-functionally with IT and system owners to drive CPQ continuous improvement, ensuring the platform scales with business growth.
• SKU Governance & Catalogue Management
  • Lead and own the product SKU catalogue strategy, ensuring data integrity and synchronisation across CPQ, CRM, NetSuite, and downstream billing systems.
  • Govern the full SKU lifecycle — from creation and launch through active management, deprecation, and deactivation — with clear policies, documentation, and cross-functional communication.
  • Drive SKU rationalisation initiatives, reducing catalogue complexity while maintaining commercial flexibility and system stability.
  • Partner with Product, Finance, and IT to resolve systemic catalogue issues, including renewal logic, auto-provisioner alignment, and sync failures between platforms.
• End-of-Life (EOL) Product Management
  • Lead the strategic and operational coordination of end-of-life product programmes for SKU Governance.
  • Define and enforce EOL governance standards for Pricing Operations, Desk and IT teams.
• Commercial Desk Leadership (Deals & Renewals)
  • Provide consolidated leadership and direction for the Commercial Desk and Renewals Desk functions, owning team performance, operational standards, and strategic alignment.
  • Set and monitor SLAs, capacity frameworks, and quality benchmarks for Desk operations, ensuring consistent commercial delivery.
  • Develop scalable enablement programmes — including onboarding, training, and process documentation — to uplift Desk capability and reduce operational dependency.
  • Serve as a senior commercial advisor on complex, high-value, or escalated deal and renewal scenarios, working closely with Sales leadership and Finance.

Knowledge and Experience

• 8+ years of progressive experience in commercial operations, revenue operations, or a closely related function, with at least 3 years in a senior or people-management capacity.
• Demonstrated experience owning CPQ platforms and CRM systems at an operational and strategic level.
• Proven track record of leading SKU governance, pricing operations, or product lifecycle programmes in a SaaS or technology business.
• Strong cross-functional leadership experience, working across Sales, Finance, Product, IT, and Customer Success at pace.
• Experience managing or consolidating operational teams (Deals Desk, Renewals Desk, or equivalent).
• Exceptional analytical and systems-thinking capability, able to diagnose root causes and drive durable solutions across complex, interconnected commercial infrastructure.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills; comfortable operating at Director and VP level across functions.
• High commercial acumen — able to connect operational decisions to revenue outcomes, margin impact, and customer experience.
• Clear, structured communicator with the ability to translate operational complexity into executive-ready narratives and documentation.
• Process-oriented and quality-driven, with a track record of building scalable frameworks and governance structures.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or a related quantitative field. An MBA is a plus.

Optimizely is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Optimizely is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.