VP, Operations

DEPT®; Illinois; On-site; USD 240,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare, Dental, and Vision

401k plan, plus matching

PTO

Paid Company Holidays

Parental Leave

Job summary

DEPT® in the US is seeking a VP, Operations (AMER) to drive strategic operations, optimize platforms, and scale processes across the US and LATAM. You will partner with Creative, Media, Technology, Strategy, Client Services, Finance, and HR to build a high‑performing, integrated operational ecosystem.

Lead the AMER vision, translate strategy into plans and benchmarks, create governance models, balance work across regions, and monitor delivery KPIs.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in operations across creative, digital, marketing, or technology-led agencies.
• Proven success optimizing processes and platforms across multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience leading operations in multi-market environments, ideally across North and Latin America.
• Strong understanding of project management systems, AI-enabled workflows, and operational platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change, drive adoption, and enhance efficiency at scale.
• Excellent communication, leadership, collaboration, and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the AMER operational vision, roadmap, and priorities, ensuring alignment with global operations and regional business goals.
• Translate organizational strategy into clear operational plans, frameworks, and performance benchmarks.
• Serve as a senior advisor to regional leadership on operational readiness, scaling needs, and capability development.
• Architect and implement standardized processes across creative, marketing, media, and technology workflows to improve consistency, efficiency, and delivery quality.
• Establish governance models that ensure teams follow best-practice operations, compliance standards, and cross-regional consistency.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to identify operational friction points and introduce new methods, tools, or automations.
• Build models for balancing work across the US and LATAM, ensuring efficient use of specialized talent and nearshore resources.
• Maintain visibility into team performance, delivery patterns, and operational KPI trends.
• Partner with client leadership to understand account needs, delivery demands, and operational gaps.
• Work closely with Creative, Media, Technology, and Production leaders to improve end-to-end delivery workflows.
• Collaborate with Finance and HR on staffing, utilization, profitability, talent planning, and training.
• Ensure operational practices scale across US and LATAM locations in a culturally aware, regionally flexible way.
• Foster a culture of operational excellence, accountability, transparency, and continuous learning.

Skills

Operations leadership

Process optimization

Cross-functional collaboration

Multi-market experience

Project management systems

AI-enabled workflows

Change management

Communication skills

Strategic planning

Job description

WHY DEPT®?

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

THE ROLE:

The VP, Operations (AMER) is a strategic and operational leader responsible for driving process excellence, platform efficiency, and operational scalability across the US and LATAM regions. This role ensures the agency operates with consistency, speed, and quality by optimizing workflows, enhancing core platforms, strengthening cross-functional coordination, and enabling teams to deliver outstanding work efficiently. The VP partners closely with Creative, Media, Technology, Strategy, Client Services, Finance, and HR to create a high-performing, integrated operational ecosystem.

What You’ll Do

Operational Strategy & Leadership

• Lead the AMER operational vision, roadmap, and priorities, ensuring alignment with global operations and regional business goals.
• Translate organizational strategy into clear operational plans, frameworks, and performance benchmarks.
• Serve as a senior advisor to regional leadership on operational readiness, scaling needs, and capability development.

Process Optimization & Governance

• Architect and implement standardized processes across creative, marketing, media, and technology workflows to improve consistency, efficiency, and delivery quality.
• Establish governance models that ensure teams follow best-practice operations, compliance standards, and cross-regional consistency.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to identify operational friction points and introduce new methods, tools, or automations.

Resourcing, Capacity & Performance Management

• Build models for balancing work across the US and LATAM, ensuring efficient use of specialized talent and nearshore resources.
• Maintain visibility into team performance, delivery patterns, and operational KPI trends.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with client leadership to understand account needs, delivery demands, and operational gaps.
• Work closely with Creative, Media, Technology, and Production leaders to improve end-to-end delivery workflows.
• Collaborate with Finance and HR on staffing, utilization, profitability, talent planning, and training.

Regional Operations & Cultural Alignment

• Ensure operational practices scale across US and LATAM locations in a culturally aware, regionally flexible way.
• Foster a culture of operational excellence, accountability, transparency, and continuous learning.
• Support office management, risk mitigation, business continuity, and compliance processes across the region.

What You Bring

• 12+ years of experience in operations across creative, digital, marketing, or technology-led agencies.
• Proven success optimizing processes and platforms across multi-disciplinary teams (creative, media, tech, production).
• Experience leading operations in multi-market environments, ideally across North and Latin America.
• Strong understanding of project management systems, AI-enabled workflows, and operational platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change, drive adoption, and enhance efficiency at scale.
• Excellent communication, leadership, collaboration, and influencing skills.

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave

WE SUPPORT YOU BEING YOU:

DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We believe our work is its best when our people feel safe and free to be themselves. We’re committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s identity, background, beliefs, lifestyle or disabilities. So tell us about any accommodations you need. It’s totally confidential and only used to make sure you feel fully supported at every step.

DEPT® participates in E-Verify, meaning your Form I-9 information will be sent to the federal government to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.

We are a B Corp-certified company passionate about purpose-driven work. Our hope is that you can feel good about the contributions DEPT® is making to the world and we always have an open door for your ideas in making the world a better place.

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Coach, eBay, and OpenAI.

Learn more about DEPT®

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

We also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

US Remote Range

The anticipated salary range for this position is listed below. Salary is based on a range of factors that include relevant experience, expertise, physical location, and organizational impact. This is based on a 40-hour workweek and leveling. Keep in mind, we’re flexible.

US Remote Range

$240,000—$275,000 USD