VP – IT Operations

Grocery Outlet Career; Emeryville (CA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Bonus Program

Equity

401(k) Profit Sharing

Base Salary Range: $220,000-$250,000

Job summary

Grocery Outlet is seeking a VP of IT Operations to lead strategy, delivery, and continuous improvement of core IT ops—Infrastructure, Network, Service Desk, and Store Technology. You’ll drive cloud modernization, automation, and ITIL-driven service management to support stores, warehouses, and corporate teams.

You will report to the SVP/CIO and build a product-oriented, scalable operations model with a strong emphasis on uptime, performance, and vendor governance.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in IT infrastructure, service delivery, or enterprise operations.
• 5+ years in senior leadership roles with strategic and operational accountability.
• Retail technology experience (POS, store infrastructure) strongly preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of experience and education; advanced degree or MBA preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a 3–5-year vision for IT Operations aligned with enterprise goals and transformation programs.
• Translate enterprise objectives into roadmaps across infrastructure, service management, and store systems.
• Serve as a strategic partner to executive leaders, enabling operational readiness for business growth.
• Evolve traditional infrastructure and support into a product-aligned, service-oriented model.
• Lead enterprise-wide infrastructure services, including cloud, data center, network, end-user computing, and retail systems.
• Oversee store Point-of-Sale platforms, hosting infrastructure, and corporate application operations.
• Ensure 24 × 7 service availability and performance for all production environments, including peak retail periods.
• Drive platform observability, resilience, and standardization across store and enterprise technologies.
• Build and mature ITIL-aligned practices (incident, change, problem, configuration).
• Lead service desk transformation, knowledge management, and shift-left/self-service automation.
• Champion proactive incident management and RCA practices to reduce unplanned downtime.
• Establish and monitor operational KPIs including MTTR, SLA compliance, and customer satisfaction.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team across infrastructure, service delivery, and retail systems.
• Build skills in cloud operations, automation, SRE, and field support.
• Establish clear performance goals, succession plans, and learning pathways.
• Manage strategic vendor and MSP relationships with outcome-based SLAs and governance.
• Own OpEx and CapEx budgets for infrastructure and operations; ensure alignment with business value.
• Drive efficiency through consolidation, automation, and vendor optimization.
• Partner with Finance and the PMO to forecast resource needs and support program delivery.
• Provide executive transparency into project readiness, spend, and ROI.

Skills

IT Leadership

Cloud Expertise (AWS/Azure/GCP)

SRE / ITSM

Budgeting & Forecasting

Vendor Management

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

ITIL

SRE tooling

Job description

Our BT team’s mission is to push the boundaries of technology with the intention of going above and beyond to aid stores and customers and deliver timely solutions to benefit all members of Grocery Outlet. Our team consists of problem solvers and go-getters who are dedicated to being service-oriented and solving important problems.

About the Role:

As the VP of IT Operations, you will lead the strategy, delivery, and continuous improvement of Grocery Outlet’s core IT operations functions—Infrastructure, Network, Service Desk, and Store Technology. Your mission is to ensure seamless, scalable, and reliable technology services that power the company’s stores, warehouses, and corporate teams. You will play a critical role in driving operational maturity across infrastructure platforms, enabling innovation while delivering consistent uptime and performance. This includes leading cloud modernization, SRE adoption, automation, and the integration of service management frameworks to support our growing retail footprint. You will collaborate closely with Business Solutions, Security, and Data & Development teams to ensure that technology operations are aligned with business priorities and deliver measurable outcomes. VP of IT Operations will report to the SVP, Chief Information Officer.

Responsibilities Include:

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Define and execute a 3–5-year vision for IT Operations aligned with enterprise goals and transformation programs
• Translate enterprise objectives into roadmaps across infrastructure, service management, and store systems
• Serve as a strategic partner to executive leaders, enabling operational readiness for business growth
• Evolve traditional infrastructure and support into a product-aligned, service-oriented model

Core Infrastructure & Technology Operations

• Lead enterprise-wide infrastructure services, including cloud, data center, network, end-user computing, and retail systems
• Oversee store Point-of-Sale platforms, hosting infrastructure, and corporate application operations
• Ensure 24 × 7 service availability and performance for all production environments, including peak retail periods
• Drive platform observability, resilience, and standardization across store and enterprise technologies

Service Management & Operational Excellence

• Build and mature ITIL-aligned practices (incident, change, problem, configuration)
• Lead service desk transformation, knowledge management, and shift-left/self-service automation
• Champion proactive incident management and RCA practices to reduce unplanned downtime
• Establish and monitor operational KPIs including MTTR, SLA compliance, and customer satisfaction
• Lead and develop a high-performing team across infrastructure, service delivery, and retail systems
• Build skills in cloud operations, automation, SRE, and field support
• Establish clear performance goals, succession plans, and learning pathways
• Manage strategic vendor and MSP relationships with outcome-based SLAs and governance
• Own OpEx and CapEx budgets for infrastructure and operations; ensure alignment with business value
• Drive efficiency through consolidation, automation, and vendor optimization
• Partner with Finance and the PMO to forecast resource needs and support program delivery
• Provide executive transparency into project readiness, spend, and ROI

About The Pay:

• Base Salary Range: $220,000 - $250,000 Annually
• Annual Bonus Program
• Equity
• 401(k) Profit Sharing
• Final compensation will be determined based upon experience and skills and may vary based on location.

About You:

• 10+ years in IT infrastructure, service delivery, or enterprise operations
• 5+ years in senior leadership roles with strategic and operational accountability
• Retail technology experience (POS, store infrastructure) strongly preferred
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of experience and education; advanced degree or MBA preferred
• Hands-on, outcomes-oriented operations leader with deep infrastructure knowledge and a passion for delivering reliable, customer-focused services.
• You thrive in complex, fast-paced environments, and you bring discipline, structure, and strategy to everything you touch.
• You lead with empathy, think at enterprise scale, and deliver technology that just works.
• Strategic and operational thinker who drives alignment across people, process, and technology
• Skilled communicator with the ability to translate technical issues into business impact
• Proven team builder and mentor; fosters a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous learning
• Effective in vendor negotiations, contract management, and partner collaboration
• Able to operate with urgency while building long-term stability
• High integrity, strong business judgment, and customer-centric mindset
• Deep understanding of hybrid cloud operations (AWS/Azure/GCP) and platform engineering
• Demonstrated success implementing SRE, automation, and ITSM/ITIL practices at scale
• Experience managing large vendor ecosystems and support teams across multiple locations
• Strong command of budgeting, forecasting, and multi-year investment planning

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.