Senior Director, EPD Operations

About the role

The Senior Director of Engineering, Product and Design Operations will report directly to the CTO and is responsible for building and scaling the operating system for our EPD organization. This leader will unify Engineering Operations and Product Operations into a single, high-leverage function that drives delivery predictability, portfolio visibility, and execution excellence.

Responsibilities

• Partner with CTO, CIO/CISO and EPD leadership to develop and execute the department's vision and roadmap, aligning with company strategy.
• Analyze trends and translate strategy into operational plans, proactively addressing scaling bottlenecks.
• Support executive and board-level planning/reporting.
• Update for scale and implement the end-to-end EPD operating model.
• Establish scalable planning frameworks (annual, quarterly, sprint), execution rhythms, and decision-making governance.
• Build cross-functional connectivity (Product, Engineering, Design, Marketing, and GTM).
• Improve delivery predictability, velocity, and quality via portfolio, capacity, and dependency management.
• Remove systemic execution friction.
• Assess and improve department structure, processes, and systems to boost scalability and operational excellence.
• Mature product lifecycle management and implement engineering effectiveness frameworks (DORA, flow metrics, reliability KPIs).
• Establish best practices for release, incident, and change management.
• Support technical planning for infrastructure/AI systems.
• Cultivate senior leader relationships to ensure strategic alignment, optimize resources, and drive collective outcomes.
• Lead key strategic growth and efficiency initiatives.
• Represent the department in senior leadership forums.
• Build processes and implement necessary tooling (PLM, roadmap, capacity models) that are scalable.
• Lead and sustain organizational change initiatives, transitioning from startup scrappiness to operational rigor.
• Lead a high-performing EPD Operations organization.
• Coach and mentor direct reports, evaluate talent, and implement development plans.
• Drive a high-performance culture reflecting company values, fostering psychological safety, ownership, and agility.
• Champion employee experience initiatives.
• Partner with Finance to oversee the departmental budget, ensuring efficient resource allocation and cost control.
• Monitor financial performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Establish and manage KPIs aligned with organizational objectives.
• Develop real-time visibility into roadmap progress, delivery health, risks, and outcomes.
• Implement KPI frameworks across product, engineering, and operations.
• Design clear, low-bureaucracy dashboards and reporting systems for leadership insight into trade-offs and resource allocation.
• Track performance and hold teams accountable for business outcomes.
• Establish strong relationships across Engineering, Product, Design, and cross-functional partners.
• Assess the current operating model (planning, roadmapping, tooling, metrics).
• Identify systemic delivery bottlenecks and visibility gaps.
• Evaluate current EngOps and ProdOps capabilities.
• Documented planning and execution cadence.
• Clear operating model for unified Eng/Product Ops.
• Early wins in predictability and transparency.
• Roll out operating rhythm across all EPD teams.
• Formalize dependency management and risk escalation.
• Improve roadmap confidence and delivery predictability.
• Align portfolio allocation tightly to company objectives.
• Finalize org structure and hiring plan.
• Full functioning EPD operating system.
• Measurable improvement in delivery visibility and confidence.
• Board-ready reporting framework.
• 12-month operational maturity roadmap.

Qualifications

• Experience: 8+ years of experience in Engineering Operations, Product Operations, Technical Program Management, or similar leadership roles.
• At least 5 years in a leadership role, preferably within the SaaS or cybersecurity industry.
• Bonus points to candidates that have led a company through IPO as an Operations Leader.
• Proven track record of delivering success enabling multi-team, complex, infrastructure-heavy delivery and building operational systems from scratch in a scaling company.
• Data-driven with the ability to translate metrics into decisions.
• Executive presence and ability to influence senior technical leaders.
• Strong business acumen with expertise in AI, security infrastructure, developer platforms, or highly technical environments strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success enabling multi-team, complex, infrastructure-heavy delivery.
• Exceptional analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to develop and execute strategic plans that drive measurable results.
• Extensive experience in operational excellence, including process and system optimization, scalability, and the development and management of performance metrics.
• Prominent success in collaborating effectively cross-functionally with senior leaders (including C-Suite) and teams.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the proven ability to influence across the company, using expertise, executive presence, strategic insights, and diverse influence strategies.
• Experience in successfully leading and sustaining transformational initiatives in fast-paced, complex, and dynamic environments.
• Strong history of building, developing and scaling high-performing teams.

Benefits

• USA-based roles: Annual base salary between $272,000 USD and $408,000 USD, plus immediate participation in 1Password's benefits program (health, dental, 401k and many others), utilization of our generous paid time off, an equity grant and, where applicable, participation in our incentive programs.
• Canada-based roles: Annual base salary between $254,000 CAD and $381,000 CAD, plus immediate participation in 1Password’s generous benefits program (health, dental, RRSP and many others), utilization of our generous paid time off, an equity grant and, where applicable, participation in our incentive programs.

Pay

USA-based roles: Annual base salary between $272,000 USD and $408,000 USD, plus immediate participation in 1Password's benefits program (health, dental, 401k and many others), utilization of our generous paid time off, an equity grant and, where applicable, participation in our incentive programs.
Canada-based roles: Annual base salary between $254,000 CAD and $381,000 CAD, plus immediate participation in 1Password’s generous benefits program (health, dental, RRSP and many others), utilization of our generous paid time off, an equity grant and, where applicable, participation in our incentive programs.

Schedule

This is a remote opportunity within Canada and the US.

How We’re Using AI Today

Our Engineering, Product, and Design teams are thoughtfully integrating AI across the full software and product development lifecycle to move faster without sacrificing quality or security. In practice, that looks like engineers using AI-assisted coding tools to accelerate reviews and catch bugs earlier, product managers synthesizing user research at scale, and designers rapidly prototyping and iterating with AI-generated mockups. We approach AI the same way we approach security: with clear principles, human accountability at every consequential decision point, and rigorous evaluation before anything ships to customers.

What We're Looking For

Experience: 8+ years of experience in Engineering Operations, Product Operations, Technical Program Management, or similar leadership roles. At least 5 years in a leadership role, preferably within the SaaS or cybersecurity industry. Bonus points to candidates that have led a company through IPO as an Operations Leader. Proven track record of delivering success enabling multi-team, complex, infrastructure-heavy delivery and building operational systems from scratch in a scaling company. Data-driven with the ability to translate metrics into decisions. Executive presence and ability to influence senior technical leaders. Strong business acumen with expertise in AI, security infrastructure, developer platforms, or highly technical environments strongly preferred. Demonstrated success enabling multi-team, complex, infrastructure-heavy delivery. Exceptional analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to develop and execute strategic plans that drive measurable results. Extensive experience in operational excellence, including process and system optimization, scalability, and the development and management of performance metrics. Prominent success in collaborating effectively cross-functionally with senior leaders (including C-Suite) and teams. Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the proven ability to influence across the company, using expertise, executive presence, strategic insights, and diverse influence strategies. Experience in successfully leading and sustaining transformational initiatives in fast-paced, complex, and dynamic environments. Strong history of building, developing and scaling high-performing teams.

How We Work With AI

We are committed to leveraging cutting-edge technology—including AI—to achieve our mission. We also understand that thinking critically about AI in its current forms will help us create better solutions for our customers and ourselves with its future forms, which will help us continue to close the gap between security and privacy and achieve our mission. We want team members at all levels to take the approach of actively learning AI best practices, identifying opportunities to apply AI in meaningful ways, and driving innovative solutions in their daily work. Embracing the future of AI isn't just encouraged—it's an essential part of how we will be successful at 1Password. This approach extends to our hiring process—candidates are welcome to use AI tools responsibly and thoughtfully during the application process.

At 1Password, we approach each individual's compensation with a promise of fair market value and internal equity commensurate with experience and specific skill set.

Our Culture

We prioritize collaboration, clear and transparent communication, receptiveness to feedback, and alignment with our core values: keep it simple, lead with honesty, and put people first. You’ll be part of a team that challenges the status quo, and is excited to experiment and iterate in search of the best solution. That said, 1Password is not for everyone. Our work is demanding, we strive for excellence, and the pace is fast. We need people who are keen to take on challenging problems, who seek feedback to grow, and who are driven to make an impact. If you're looking for a place where you can settle into a comfortable routine, this might not be the right fit for you. We’re looking for individuals who are proven experts in their fields, as well as those who are highly adaptable, can thrive in ambiguity and through change, are curious, and above all deliver results.

Our Approach to Remote Work

We believe in the power of remote work, but recognize that in-person connection is important to help us achieve our mission. While we are a remote-first company, travel for in-person engagement is a part of almost all roles, and we require our employees to be ready and willing to take part. Frequency will depend on roles.