Director, APEX M&A Operations, Santa Clara

Company Description

It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone—freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow— helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started.

Join us to put AI to work for people.

Job Description

About the Role

Think of this role as the mini-COO of ServiceNow's integration portfolio working hand-in-hand with the Sr. Director of Strategic Operations. This role owns integration business end-to-end — from shaping how acquired companies are integrated into ServiceNow, building playbooks and consistent practices to streamline future integrations, to identifying, owning and driving to resolution specific process areas critical to the outcome of integration, in addition to partnering with the team and leadership to drive the strategic priorities of the COO Office and being accountable for whether integration outcomes are actually achieved.

This is a business ownership role, not a program management role. The person in this seat makes decisions, drives clarity, and holds the portfolio accountable. They operate at the intersection of strategy and execution — setting direction with the IMO steerco, and ensuring the organization delivers against it. This role will own the outcomes, sometimes managing a process day-to-day, sometimes overseeing direct or indirect team members or

You will need to be equally fluent in the boardroom and in the weeds — able to advise the President & COO on integration strategy one hour and resolve a cross-functional escalation the next. This requires someone with strong business judgment, high executive presence, and the credibility to drive decisions across a matrixed organization without direct authority.

This role reports to the Senior. Director, APEX IMO

What You Will Do

Integration Business Ownership

Own end-to-end accountability for integration outcomes across the APEX portfolio from close through end-state integration
Define what success looks like for each integration: set the business objectives, establish success metrics, and hold workstream owners accountable to results
Drive the integration strategy in partnership with the IMO leader — including decisions on scope, sequencing, resourcing, and trade-offs
Serve as the primary business decision-maker on integration questions that span functions; escalate only what requires executive resolution
Identify risks before they become problems — exercise business judgment to distinguish between noise and issues that threaten integration value

COO Strategic Programs & Executive Engagement

Serve as a senior operator for the COO Office's strategic agenda — not managing the OKR program itself, but driving the executive alignment, organizational change, and cross-functional momentum that determines whether COO priorities actually land
Own the relationships and working rhythms that connect the COO Office to the rest of the company: ELT engagements, VP-level stakeholder relationships, and the informal influence networks that move things when formal authority can't
Lead the COO's participation in company-wide strategic cadences — summer strategy, annual planning, leadership offsites, and QBRs — ensuring the COO agenda is well-represented, well-prepared, and lands with impact
Drive organizational change and alignment on the COO's highest-priority cross-functional initiatives — identifying where the organization is stuck, building coalitions to move it, and holding progress accountable without creating bureaucracy
Identify, shape, and launch new strategic opportunities for the COO team — this person expands the team's capacity to take on more, not just execute what's already on the list
Prepare and own executive-facing materials for Amit, Anne, and ELT audiences — these go out with minimal revision; you write at that level natively

COO Team Capability & Organizational Leadership

Build the COO team's strength and institutional capability — identify gaps, develop talent, and create conditions where the team consistently punches above its weight
Lead and develop direct reports including the Sr. Staff PgM; ensure the team is focused, growing, and working on the right things
Represent the COO Office in cross-functional forums — you carry the credibility and judgment to speak for the team in high-stakes settings
Step into hands-on execution when there is a gap — you know when to lead from the front and when to delegate

Qualifications

What You Will Need to Be Successful

Experience operating at the executive interface — you have managed VP and C-suite relationships, navigated political complexity, and driven alignment across matrixed organizations where you had no direct authority
Deep understanding of how large companies make decisions and move: you know how to work the formal and informal systems, when to escalate and when to resolve, and how to get things done in a complex enterprise
Track record as a business owner — you have been accountable for outcomes, made hard calls, and built something meaningful, not just supported someone else who did
M&A integration experience: you understand the full lifecycle and what drives or destroys value post-close; you can connect integration execution to the broader COO strategic agenda
Executive presence and communication: you operate credibly with ELT audiences, produce materials that require minimal revision, and know when to push and when to listen
Strong people leadership: you develop others, build trust quickly, and expand the capacity of every team you join
High adaptability and resilience — this environment moves fast and shifts direction; you bring others along rather than getting disrupted
MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred

Basic Qualifications:

12+ years in management consulting, corporate strategy, chief of staff, or senior strategic operations roles — with a demonstrated track record of driving organizational change and executive alignment, not just delivering programs
Bachelor's degree required

Why This Role

You will run the integration portfolio of one of the fastest-growing enterprise software companies in the world — work with direct visibility to the President & COO that determines whether billions of dollars of acquisition value is realized.
This is a role with real scope, real authority, and real impact. The team is lean and the bar is high. If you want to own something meaningful and grow with it, this is it.

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $180,200 - $315,400, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Additional Information

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or nationality, ancestry, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [email protected] for assistance.

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities.