R&D Programs & Operations Lead

ROLLER; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Assistance program

Parental leave

Job summary

ROLLER is seeking an R&D Programs & Operations Lead in Sydney to drive operational excellence across the Product department. You’ll report to the Chief Product Officer and partner with the VP of Engineering to streamline planning, cadences, and cross-team communications, ensuring the department runs like a well-oiled machine.

You’ll coordinate strategic initiatives, facilitate effective collaboration, and own governance around roadmaps and programs.

Qualifications

• Proven experience taking products to market and managing full lifecycle.
• Expertise in events, program, or project management in startup/scale-up environments.
• Experience in organizational change management and communications.
• Ability to prioritize, manage and track multiple projects concurrently.
• Attention to detail with commitment to excellence in all work aspects.

Responsibilities

• Guide Department Operations from start to finish and establish cadences.
• Own annual and quarterly planning end-to-end and track initiatives.
• Define how Product operates: framework, gates, forums, and processes.
• Refine department strategies as ROLLER grows and evolves.
• Coordinate cross-functional communication and ensure timely escalations.

Skills

Product lifecycle

Events management

Program management

Change management

Communication

Project tracking

Attention to detail

Self-motivation

Relationship building

Ambiguity handling

Job description

ROLLER isn't your average SaaS company. We operate globally across 30+ countries, powering millions of real-world experiences in the leisure and attractions industry. What we build doesn't just live on a screen. It shows up in busy venues, peak weekends, and unforgettable moments for guests.

Our mission is simple but ambitious: help operators run better businesses while creating great guest experiences. That means solving complex, real-world problems across ticketing, point of sale, self-service, memberships, kiosks, and digital waivers, all at meaningful scale.

Just as importantly, it's the people. We're a team of 300+ smart, grounded, and genuinely passionate humans working across the globe. We care about quality, ownership, and doing work we're proud of, without taking ourselves too seriously.

We're growing fast, aiming high, and building something that matters. If you want to work on real problems, with real customers, alongside people who care deeply about their craft and impact, ROLLER is a great place to do it.

About the Role

Are you ready to be the driving force behind operational excellence? Join us as our R&D Programs & Operations Lead, where you'll be the wheel that keeps our departmentrolling smoothly. Reporting directly to our Chief Product Officer and partnering closely with our VP of Engineering, you'll be responsible for fine-tuning how we operate as a department and in unison with other departments. You'll take the operational load off our leaders, from planning cycles and all-hands meetings to cross-team communication, so they can focus on building great products and great teams.

Your main goal? To ensure the Product department runs like a well-oiled machine, with processes that are both efficient and effective, laying the groundwork for operational success.

In this role, you'll be the maestro of departmental cadences, communications, and goal tracking. You'll coordinate strategic initiatives, steering them towards triumphant outcomes by facilitating seamless communication between project owners. Simply put, you'll be the go‑to person for anything operational within the department that needs attention.

Leveraging your expertise in program and project management, administration, relationship‑building, and storytelling, you'll collaborate with cross-functional teams and working groups. Together, we'll aim to achieve the level of operational efficiency, cooperation, and collaboration that our teams need to hit our company and department goals.

This role is required in Sydney to facilitate close collaboration with our Chief Product Officer who is based there.

What You'll Do

Guide Department Operations:

• Lead operations from start to finish.
• Establish robust cadences and administrative frameworks.
• Spearhead tracking initiatives and own annual and quarterly planning end to end.
• Design and maintain how Product works: development framework and gates, forum structure, etc.
• Refine Department strategies as ROLLER expands.
• Orchestrate and streamline meeting frameworks with clear objectives, purposes, and agendas.
• Provide continuity and cover for the Chief Product Officer and VP of Engineering, holding context and actions across absences.
• Continuously enhance the Department's operational rhythm.

Ensure Effective Communication:

• Manage seamless collaboration among teams and partners.
• Uphold communication best practices and thorough documentation.
• Share comprehensive context and promptly address concerns.
• Own what the business hears from Product and when: roadmap publication, company‑wide broadcasts and the narrative that connects the plan to company goals.
• Support Board and strategic customer communications.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders in other departments and work with them on shared initiatives.
• Ensure timely escalation to appropriate stakeholders for resolution.
• Coordinate and monitor timelines, milestones, and statuses.
• Flag impediments promptly and keep programs/projects on course.
• Break down assignments into manageable tasks for trackability and successful delivery.

Serve as the Department's Cohesive Force:

• Orchestrate Department‑wide events and company‑wide occasions.
• Organize and execute celebrations and milestones.
• Ensure recognition of the Department's hard work, boosting morale and camaraderie.

Forecast and Anticipate Opportunities:

• Collaborate with Department Leadership and People Business Partners.
• Anticipate and forecast emerging opportunities.
• Devise and implement proactive solutions.
• Continuously scan for areas of improvement, ensuring agility and readiness for success.

About You

• Proven experience in taking products to market, with a deep understanding of the entire product lifecycle and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to ensure product delivery.
• Demonstrated expertise in Events, Program, or Project Management, ideally within the dynamic realm of start-ups or scale-up tech environments.
• Proven experience in Organizational Change Management & Communications, showcasing your ability to navigate and facilitate transitions seamlessly.
• A track record of effectively prioritizing, managing, and tracking multiple projects concurrently, thriving in the autonomy of a fast-paced, high-growth setting.
• An innate attention to detail coupled with an unwavering commitment to maintaining the highest standards of excellence in every aspect of your work.
• Genuine self‑motivation, coupled with a relentless drive to continually learn, evolve, and pioneer in a role that is primed for growth and specialization.
• Exemplary integrity and trustworthiness,paired with the humility and openness to challenge one's own assumptions in pursuit of continuous improvement.
• Exceptional relationship‑building skills, enabling you to quickly establish rapport and expand internal networks with ease.
• The ability to navigate ambiguity with confidence; comfortable operating in uncertain situations where information may be incomplete and priorities can shift rapidly. Your aptitude for bringing clarity to such scenarios will be invaluable in driving success.

We believe AI is a career-defining inflection point. ROLLER is a fast adopter of new technology like AI, and every team member is empowered to own their learning and use the latest tools to supercharge their impact. We're looking for candidates with the proficiency and curiosity to embrace AI and technology - not just as a technical skill, but as a core competency to help us achieve big goals.

You get to work on a category-leading product that customers love in a fun, high-growth industry - check out Capterra and G2 reviews.

Team member Assistance Program to proactively support our team's health and wellbeing - accecc to coaching, education modules, weekly webinars, and more.

16 weeks Paid Parental Leave for primary carers and 4 weeks paid Parental Leave for secondary carers.

Work with a driven, fun, and switched-on team that likes to raise the bar in all we do.

Voluntary Self-Identification

As set forth in ROLLER’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.