Job Description

Skillsoft is seeking an experiencedVP, Infrastructure and Operations (I&O)to lead the delivery of a secure, reliable, and cost‑effective technology foundation that enables enterprise applications, data platforms, and day‑to‑day business operations. In this role, you will have the opportunity to lead Infrastructure & Operations (I&O) and be accountable for end-to-end IT operations, including infrastructure, cloud platforms, team member productivity tooling, service management, and cyber security - ensuring high availability, performance, and modern user experience.

The ideal candidate brings experience, knowledge, and future vision to drive the continued evolution of the I&O function taking advantage of rapid technology advancements including AI, while remaining aligned to company strategy.

As a key member of the senior IT leadership team this role contributes to the development and execution of the enterprise-wide IT strategy and is responsible for ensuring I&O strategy is fully aligned, positioning Infrastructure & Operations to deliver compelling business value.

Key Responsibilities

• Sets the mission, vision, and strategy of the I&O organization to maximize the success of business and IT enterprise initiatives.
• Introduces innovative, differentiating infrastructure and operations capabilities that improve business outcomes and enhance employee productivity.
• Works with the IT senior leadership team and PMO on the service portfolio and governance required to prioritize resources to deliver strategic priorities and drive technical debt remediation.
• Develops and controls the annual I&O budget to ensure alignment with enterprise and IT strategic objectives and delivery within plan; drives FinOps discipline, continuous cost optimization, and measurable results across infrastructure and operations, including cloud spend, M365 licensing, and vendor and contract management in support of strategic sourcing.
• Defines, develops, and manages a comprehensive and integrated IT Service Management (ITSM) landscape, based on best-practice processes, disciplines, and related toolsets.
• Collaborates with the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to ensure I&O contributes to, embraces, and applies security strategy while meeting operational security service levels.
• Ensure a secure and compliant enterprise, operationalize CISO security policies enterprise wide, maintain SOC/SOX control compliance for responsible controls, and lead vulnerability management practices. Supports periodic reviews by audit teams and external certifications.
• Leads and develops a globally distributed team to improve I&O efficiency, nurture team development and to help team members realize their potential.
• Improves IT resilience by executing strategies that strengthen reliability, recoverability, and disaster recovery readiness, while modernizing global connectivity through capabilities such as SD-WAN and SASE/SSE.
• Keeps track of trends, provides direction on emerging technologies, and advances the I&O roadmap through AI-driven automation, AIOps, Copilot and agent deployment, and AI-native operating models that improve service delivery and business outcomes.
• Drives the adoption of service improvements through a programmatic approach to continuous improvement and automation, including scaled operational automation and measurable impact tracking, and shares results broadly.
• Serves on IT planning and policymaking committees; drives the development and adoption of enterprise technology standards, governance processes and performance metrics. Establish and monitor effective controls for the processes and functions performed by I&O teams.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Experienced leader with 12+ years of progressive leadership, results–driven IT experience, ideally in a large public software company with a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• 4+ years as a Senior Transformational Leader with experience driving modernization of Infrastructure and technology services, and adoption of Agile ways of working
• Highly resilient, comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment, ensuring an effective balance between internally and externally facing activities.
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communications skills, with an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively while tailoring communication style to diverse audiences globally
• Ability to set clear and challenging goals while committing the organization to improved performance; tenacious and accountable in follow through and driving results.
• Strong people leader who manages with empathy, passion for people development across the team