Product Operations Director, Samba TV
$130-170k
Data & measurement for smarts TVs
Be an early applicant
Data & measurement for smarts TVs
201-500 employees
Be an early applicant
$130-170k
201-500 employees
Company mission
To create data at the heart of TV, powering a more scientific approach to advertising and a better viewing experience for everyone.
Role
Who you are
- 10+ years of experience in product operations, program management, or strategy consulting at high-growth technology companies
- Proven track record of driving operational transformation and scaling product organizations through rapid growth
- Direct experience working with C-level executives and board members as a trusted strategic advisor
- Deep understanding of modern product development methodologies including Agile, Lean, and continuous delivery practices
- Strategic thinking ability that connects big picture vision to operational details
- World-class program management skills for complex cross-functional initiatives with multiple stakeholders
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with ability to craft compelling narratives and influence without authority
- Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills to synthesize complex data into clear insights and recommendations
- Systems thinking approach to design and optimize complex operational frameworks that balance efficiency with flexibility
- Executive presence with confidence and credibility to represent the product organization in high-stakes situations
- Proficiency with modern product management tools (Jira, Productboard, Confluence, Miro, Slack) and data visualization platforms (Tableau, Looker, Databricks)
- Strong understanding of technical architecture, APIs, and system integrations
- MBA or advanced degree in relevant field (preferred)
- Experience in media/ad tech businesses (preferred)
- Background in management consulting, particularly in technology or operations practices (preferred)
- Experience with AI/ML products and understanding of data platform architectures (preferred)
- Track record of building product operations functions from scratch (preferred)
- Intellectual curiosity with growth mindset and passion for continuous learning
- High emotional intelligence with ability to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics
- Comfort with ambiguity and ability to bring structure to undefined problems
- Strong bias for action balanced with thoughtful analysis
- Natural collaborator who builds trust quickly and maintains strong relationships
- Self-awareness and humility combined with confidence to challenge the status quo
What the job involves
- We are seeking an exceptional Director of Product Operations to serve as the operational backbone and strategic force multiplier for our Chief Product Officer and the entire Product Organization
- This critical leadership role will drive operational excellence across our product portfolio while ensuring seamless execution of our product strategy from ideation through launch and beyond
- The Director of Product Operations will act as the connective tissue between Product, Engineering, Data Science, Sales, Marketing, and other key stakeholders—orchestrating cross-functional alignment, establishing scalable processes, and enabling our product teams to deliver maximum customer and business impact
- This is a unique opportunity to shape how our product organization operates at scale while directly influencing our company's strategic direction
- Strategic Program Management & Organizational Excellence
- Serve as strategic partner to the CPO, providing analytical insights, operational leverage, and execution leadership to drive product organization's strategic initiatives
- Collaborate with technical PMO in Engineering to ensure seamless coordination while maintaining clear ownership of product-side operations
- Design and implement scalable operational frameworks that enable the organization to operate with clarity, speed, and accountability
- Lead quarterly and annual planning processes to facilitate strategic alignment across all product lines with clear prioritization of initiatives
- Drive development and communication of product strategy throughout the organization, translating complex technical and business concepts for diverse audiences
- Launch Planning & Cross-Functional Orchestration
- Own the product launch framework and process, coordinating across Product, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success to ensure flawless execution
- Lead war rooms for critical launches, serving as central command for cross-functional coordination and rapid decision-making
- Create feedback loops between launch outcomes and product strategy to ensure continuous improvement in launch effectiveness
- Inter-Departmental Communication & Alignment
- Act as chief liaison between Product Organization and other departments, ensuring clear, consistent, and timely communication of product plans, changes, and outcomes
- Design and facilitate regular forums for cross-functional alignment including steering committees, business reviews, and strategic planning sessions
- Establish feedback mechanisms that bring market, customer, and operational insights back to product teams in actionable formats
- Strategic Research & Vision Development
- Partner with CPO to develop and articulate product vision, translating strategic intent into operational reality
- Lead special projects and strategic initiatives that shape the future direction of the product organization
- Synthesize complex data from multiple sources to provide actionable insights for executive decision-making
- Performance Management & Analytics
- Define and track key performance indicators across the product portfolio, creating visibility into product health, team performance, and strategic progress
- Build and maintain executive dashboards providing real-time insights into product metrics, operational efficiency, and business impact
- Lead operational reviews that assess performance, identify bottlenecks, and drive corrective actions
Our take
Samba TV is improving the TV viewing experience by employing analytics to better personalise adverts and recommendations. With a scientific and algorithmic approach to how smart TVs work, the company enables TV businesses to better capture and serve consumers - an offering which has attracted the likes of Disney.
In recent years, Samba TV has focused on making artificial intelligence and machine learning central to its offerings, in part through the acquisition of Disruptel. This has enabled heightened content recognition and non-intrusive ad unit development, both of which enable it to deliver more value.
Moving forwards, Samba continues to partner and integrate with a wide range of companies to expand its product offering and market reach. Its 2022 expansion into Australia suggests that the company has its sights set on becoming a global force to be reckoned with.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-7% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Apr 2018
$7.5m
EARLY VC
Jun 2017
$30m
SERIES B
Total funding: $45.7m
Company benefits
- Health & Wellness
- Health Coverage
- Volunteer Days
- Stock Options
- Unlimited PTO
- Team & Company Events
Company HQ
China Basin, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Ashwin Navin
(Co-Founder & CEO)Previously co-founded i/o ventures and BitTorrent, serving there as President. Experience as an Analyst for Epoch Partners, Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs.
David Harrison
(CTO Emeritius)Previously served as Senior Engineer for BitTorrent, and has experience as a Research Engineer for EECS at UC Berkeley and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
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