Senior Director, DevOps Product Management and Strategy

Royal Bank of Canada; Toronto; On-site; CAD 240,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal Bank of Canada in Toronto seeks a Senior Director of DevOps Product Management and Strategy to lead a multi-year transformation of how RBC builds software, with a focus on AI-enabled SDLC and developer productivity.

You will define strategy, manage cross-functional teams, build business cases, and establish partnerships to scale pilots into enterprise-wide capabilities across the technology organization.

Qualifications

• Must have 10+ years in product management or related leadership roles.
• Proven experience leading enterprise transformation and multi-year technology strategies.
• Excellent executive communication and ability to translate complexity into business value.
• Deep knowledge of DevOps, CI/CD, containerization, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Experience assessing markets, benchmarking, and technology trend analysis.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own the 3-5 year DevOps transformation strategy aligned with RBC objectives.
• Define the vision for AI-enabled SDLC practices and standardization approaches.
• Lead portfolio planning, investments, and build-vs-buy decisions for DevOps capabilities.
• Define and execute product strategy and roadmap for DevOps platforms and services.
• Lead cross-functional teams to deliver DevOps products that boost developer productivity.
• Champion AI and automation integration into DevOps workflows.
• Build business cases and ROI models for DevOps investments for executives.
• Oversee governance, security, and risk management in regulated environments.

Skills

Product management leadership

Executive communication

Strategic planning

DevOps knowledge

AI/ML in DevOps

ROI & business case development

Influence without authority

Portfolio management

Vendor partnerships

Education

Master's degree (MBA/CS/Engineering)

Job description

What is the Opportunity?

The Senior Director of DevOps Product Management and Strategy is a transformation-focused strategic leadership role that will shape RBC's future as a technology-led financial services leader. This position uniquely combines strategic vision, product management discipline, and organizational change leadership to drive the adoption of AI-enabled DevOps practices across our enterprise. You will lead the multi-year transformation of how RBC develops and delivers technology, focusing on AI-integrated SDLC frameworks, harness engineering practices, and developer productivity optimization. This role requires both strategic thinking-setting 3-5 year vision and making critical technology investment decisions-and execution excellence, delivering innovative DevOps products and platforms that enable thousands of developers. This is an opportunity to influence technology strategy at the highest levels while building and scaling proven approaches from pilot programs to enterprise-wide adoption, fundamentally changing how RBC builds software.

What will you do?

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and own the 3-5 year DevOps transformation strategy aligned with enterprise technology and business objectives
• Define the strategic vision for AI-enabled SDLC practices, determining which technologies, frameworks, and approaches RBC will standardize on, including harness engineering and specification-driven development
• Lead strategic planning cycles including portfolio prioritization, investment allocation, and build-vs-buy decisions for DevOps capabilities
• Conduct market intelligence and competitive analysis to position RBC as a technology leader and inform strategic technology choices
• Partner with enterprise architecture and technology strategy teams to ensure DevOps strategy supports long-term business goals and enables business outcomes
• Drive innovation strategy by establishing experimentation frameworks, pilot-to-scale pathways, and balancing innovation with operational excellence
• Develop strategic partnerships with technology vendors, industry groups, and external advisors to accelerate capability development

Product Management & Execution

• Define and execute the product strategy and roadmap for DevOps platforms, tools, and services across the T&O organization
• Lead cross-functional teams to deliver innovative DevOps products that enhance developer productivity and operational efficiency
• Champion the integration of AI and automation technologies into DevOps and SDLC workflows to optimize processes and reduce manual effort
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, and business stakeholders to gather requirements and prioritize product features
• Manage product lifecycle from conception through delivery, ensuring alignment with business objectives and customer needs
• Build and maintain relationships with internal customers, gathering feedback to continuously improve product offerings
• Develop business cases and ROI models for DevOps investments, demonstrating value delivery to executive leadership

Leadership & Culture

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the DevOps product organization
• Stay current with DevOps industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to inform product strategy
• Oversee budget and resource prioritization for DevOps product initiatives

What do you need to succeed?

Must Have

• 10+ years of product management or related leadership experience with 5+ years managing product teams and driving cross-functional initiatives
• Proven experience leading enterprise transformation in complex organizations and developing multi-year technology strategies
• Exceptional executive communication skills with ability to influence senior technology leaders and translate technical complexity into business value
• Strong track record building strategic relationships with technology clients and presenting to executive audiences
• Deep knowledge of DevOps principles, CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Understanding of AI/ML applications in DevOps and automation
• Experience conducting market analysis, competitive benchmarking, and technology trend assessment
• Strong business acumen with proven ability to build business cases, measure ROI, and make strategic decisions including portfolio rationalization and build-vs-buy analysis
• Deep understanding of governance frameworks, security compliance, and risk management in regulated environments
• Experience with agile product development methodologies
• Ability to navigate complex organizational structures and influence without direct authority

Nice to Have

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
• Experience with strategic planning frameworks (Wardley Mapping, OKRs, Technology Radar)
• Management consulting background focused on technology strategy or transformation
• Familiarity with AI development harnesses (Claude, Copilot, Windsurf) and