VP Cloud Engineering & Operations

The Vice President of Cloud Engineering & Operations is a strategic technology leader responsible for shaping and executing Gartner’s global cloud infrastructure strategy across AWS, Azure, GCP, private cloud, and on-premises environments. Reporting to the GVP of Enterprise Technology Ops, this role ensures Gartner’s cloud platforms are scalable, secure, and highly resilient, supporting enterprise digital transformation goals. The VP drives operational excellence through automation and continuous improvement, maximizing uptime, performance, and efficiency across a hybrid cloud landscape. Serving as the cloud subject-matter expert, they provide data-driven insights and performance reports, linking cloud initiatives to business outcomes. The ideal candidate is an experienced global leader with deep technical expertise in cloud engineering (multi-cloud and DevOps) and a proven ability to implement secure CI/CD strategies. This individual excels at team leadership and cross-functional collaboration, fostering innovation and ensuring cloud services meet the evolving needs of the business.  

Key Responsibilities 

Cloud Strategy & Architecture 

• Define and drive Gartner’s cloud strategy spanning AWS, Azure, GCP, and private/on-prem environments. Ensure the cloud architecture is aligned with enterprise objectives and digital initiatives, delivering scalable and resilient infrastructure services across the globe. Set the vision for hybrid cloud integration and continuously evolve the cloud roadmap to meet future business needs and technology trends.  

Cloud Operations & Reliability 

•  Oversee 24×7 cloud operations and ensure high availability and performance across all platforms. Implement automation, monitoring (observability), and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) best practices to maximize uptime and quickly resolve incidents. Drive continuous improvement in operational processes (change management, incident response) to en hance system reliability, security, and efficiency.  

FinOps & Cost Management 

•  Lead cloud financial management (FinOps)  to optimize resource usage and cloud spend. Establish governance for cost control, including budgeting, forecasting, and chargeback practices. Use analytics to monitor cloud consumption and identify opportunities for cost savings (e.g. rightsizing, reservations) without compromising performance. Communicate cloud costs and value delivered to stakeholders, ensuring transparency and accountability.  

Security & Compliance 

• Ensure robust security and compliance across all cloud and data center operations. Partner with Cybersecurity and Compliance teams to enforce policies, protect sensitive data, and mitigate risks. Champion a “secure by design” DevOps approach, integrating security into CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code processes. Oversee compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements in the cloud, and implement strong disaster recovery and backup strategies to safeguard the business.  

Team Leadership & Collaboration 

• Lead and mentor a high-performing global team of cloud engineers, architects, and operations professionals. Provide clear direction and objectives, and foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning. Manage and develop direct reports (including multiple directors), building leadership depth and technical talent across regions. Collaborate cross-functionally with IT peers, Security, Application Development, and business units to ensure cloud solutions meet enterprise needs and to drive joint initiatives. Serve as an escalation point for major issues and a champion for operational excellence and customer service.  

Required Qualifications 

•  10+ years of IT infrastructure/cloud engineering experience, including significant senior leadership roles in large, global enterprises. Proven track record of managing complex, hybrid cloud environments at scale and leading large teams to deliver reliable services. 

• Deep technical expertise in multi-cloud and hybrid infrastructure – hands-on proficiency with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud platforms, as well as private cloud/data center environments. Strong knowledge of virtualization, networking, storage, and other foundational infrastructure domains.  

• Strong DevOps and automation skills – experience with Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and CI/CD pipelines for cloud deployments. Demonstrated ability to implement secure, automated build/deployment processes and apply SRE principles to im prove reliability.  

• Innovative mindset with AI/ML exposure – familiarity with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence; experience enabling the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) or AI-driven solutions in an enterprise setting is a plus, demonstrating the ability to leverage innovation for operational improvement.

• Acumen and FinOps experience – adept at managing large cloud budgets and driving cost optimization initiatives. Able to analyze usage patterns and implement governance (e.g., cost allocation, capacity planning) to ensure cost-effective operations. 

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management – proven ability to engage with C-level executives and present technology strategies and status in business terms. Strong influence and negotiation skills to drive decisions and alignment across cross-functional teams.  

• Educational background and certifications – Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (Master’s preferred). Relevant indus try certifications (e.g., cloud provider architect certs, ITIL, PMP/PgMP, or DevOps/SRE certifications) are highly desirable.