Here at Ellucian, we are motivated by a mission ~ the power of education to transform lives and change the world. We are the global market leader in EdTech for Higher Education, serving more than 2,700 customers and reaching over 26 million students in 50+ countries. We are dedicated to helping Higher Ed thrive by transforming their institutions to agile, digitally connected campuses that enable student success.

**Location - REMOTE -Anywhere in the Unites States

• The ideal candidate will have extensive experience as a Vice President, Professional Services, NA, working in a Professional Services organization within a SaaS firm with strong experience overseeing a large team and running a large P&L.

About the opportunity

The Vice President, Professional Services, North America, will bring your strategic vision, excellent enterprise program governance, and leadership skills to Ellucian and make a difference! At Ellucian, we deliver a broad portfolio of technology solutions that help higher education institutions navigate change, achieve greater transparency, and drive efficiencies. Right now, we are seeking a VP of Professional Services to lead our North American organization providing leadership and project implementation oversight associated with implementing our solutions to achieve success for our Higher Education clients.

The VP of Professional Services is responsible for thought leadership and setting the strategic direction for the North American Delivery organization. The VP, Professional Services, is ultimately accountable for successfully delivering Professional Services engagements within North America – ensuring the achievement of financial targets (revenue, profitability), project quality metrics, positive customer experience, and effective employee engagement. Finally, the VP, Professional Services, North America, must have an open mindset, ready to support Ellucian’s transformation and modernization to SaaS as we continue to be the higher education industry leader.

Where you will make an impact

• North American P&L
• Backlog Management
• Delivery quality
• Project Health
• Customer satisfaction (NPS)
• Employee satisfaction
• Regional utilization

• 
  Owns the accuracy of the North American Professional Services financial forecasting process (considering the areas of ownership of Prof. Services – i.e., excludes Sales bookings / driven by the Sales organization)
• Building a positive working relationship with Sales, Pre-sales, Action Line (Support), Cloud Operations, Managed Services teams, and the Office of the COO – operating under the “One-team” approach motto across Ellucian enhancing customer service excellence
• Responsible for change management activities within the Field Delivery Organization in North America that enable transformation and team growth. Accountable for ensuring that change management activities are aligned with the strategic goals of Ellucian
• Focus on proactive communications, cascading messages through regional leadership
• Work through Delivery Directors and Managers to provide coaching and mentoring support to project resources (especially project managers) as appropriate.
• Be involved in the Professional Services Operations
• Monitor regional delivery KPIs – e.g., supply & demand, backlog, project profitability, PM utilization, project health, skills development of the team
• Establish and monitor delivery compliance and assurance metrics and measurements underpinning project health
• Foster a culture of skills development and employee career advancement
• Managing the Prof. Services Field Delivery organization
• Owner of the North American Professional Services P&L and Customer Satisfaction (NPS)
• Owns financial forecasts concerning the realization of delivery revenue and margin
• Drives consumption of the PS orders (backlog) to accelerate time to value and maximize project profitability
• Ensuring effective execution of service delivery and achievement of customers’ desired outcomes
• Project quality assurance: ensuring effective execution of service delivery by employing standardized processes and project best practices
• Assess risks, define mitigation plans, manage the demand, and anticipate resources bottlenecks
• Establish early-warning project management & risk management practices
• Provide critical issue management and be a proactive leader in project escalations, implementing measures to prevent future escalations
• Driving the vision and execution of Professional Services across North America
• Evolve the Field Delivery organization in building solid and long-lasting relationships with our clients, delivering high-value, outcome-based services that result in referenceable clients.
• Evolve the PS Job Family to support existing and future roles/skills
• Motivate, coach, and transform the North American delivery team to an outcomes-based service model delivering high NPS and project profitability.
• Promote the usage of blended delivery (i.e., using Ellucian CoEs in India and Mexico or partners/subcontractors)
• Delivering Projects with Quality (Delivery Excellence)
• Proactively engage with the North American Professional Services organization consulting practices to ensure timely delivery to contract and customer satisfaction / NPS.
• Resolve escalations impeding customer success
• Monitor the health status of each delivery region and ensure risks from across the areas are proactively managed.
• Actively participate in providing resolutions by working with the Regional PS Teams, Sales, Cloud, Customer Success, and Action Line (Tech Support), among others, so timely resolution/response may be achieved.
• Driving regional success by mentoring and coaching as needed and raising the bar on North American regional delivery
• Ensuring regions are leveraging repeatable, standard practices/processes
• Understand the Professional Services marketplace and deliver best practices in driving new implementation approaches throughout the organization
• Work collaboratively with the Services team to develop and improve strategies, policies, and procedures; support and promote the use of delivery methodologies and associated best practices
• Proactively address performance concerns with delivery leaders; provide performance evaluation input for delivery resources promptly
• Foster a community of practice
• Developing our teams

What you will bring

• A minimum of 20 years of professional experience, including personnel management, technical leadership, and P&L ownership
• Demonstrable experience in interfacing commercially and technically with partner organizations, outsourcing companies, and global coordination of remote resources and contractors
• Demonstrable experience in resource planning and optimization; revenue recognition and EBITDA budgeting, and action planning resulting from actively managing budgets, costs, and performance
• Consulting or leadership position in a Professional Service Organization of a SaaS software company is required with specific experience in moving applications from on-prem to Cloud/SaaS
• Ability to develop value and ROI for clients around various software and services solutions in the context of SaaS
• Vital Project Management and Operations experience in running Prof. Services in software companies
• Extensive experience in implementing large systems like ERPs, CRMs, Billing, HR, Logistics, or Custom Business Applications
• Strong business acumen and an ability to see the big picture and vision for the higher education market and Ellucian
• Ability to work cross-functionally across a matrixed organization

• Results focus and ability to get things done
• Ability to work in a high-volume environment; very fast-paced and demanding in terms of workload
• Takes ownership to ensure positive customer outcomes
• Understands customer priorities and acts with urgency by taking initiative
• Provides the best talent with the right tools and competencies related to the delivery of large projects
• Upholds the company standard to exhibit integrity consistently and is seen as a direct, truthful individual; can present the unvarnished truth in an appropriate, timely, and helpful manner.
• Promotes a one-team approach across all organizational boundaries
• Demonstrated leadership qualities, including a proven track record of gaining the respect of others
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills; ability to communicate effectively with peers, direct and other teams around the world
• Capable of thriving in an open doors culture not driven by hierarchy
• Ability to quickly summarize and communicate complex information to multiple audiences. Must also be able to structure and facilitate meetings
• Strong work ethic and meticulous attention to detail
• Ready for travel. Expected 50% (i.e.: customer meetings, events, training, etc.)
• Ability to work remote from home. (Job location: anywhere in the United States)

What makes #Ellucianlife

• Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision
• Flexible time off
• Thrive Flex Program that allows you to contribute towards your health, financial or learning interests
• 401k w/ match & Bright Plan - to help you save for the future
• Maternity & Paternity Leave
• Charitable leave – 40 hours/year
• Telemedicine
• Wellness
  • Ginger (mental health)
  • Wellbeats (virtual fitness classes)
• Rethink – caregiver support
• Diversity and inclusion programs that provide access to 11 internal employee resource groups
• Tuition Reimbursement Assistance
• Professional development opportunities

#LI-MR1

#LI-REMOTE

Additional Information: