Director, Engineering Operations – Project Enablement

We are seeking an experienced Director, Engineering Operations – Project Enablement to lead the organization responsible for enabling engineering teams to successfully launch and implement semiconductor development programs.

This leader will define and complete the strategy, operating model, and governance for Project Enablement across Solution Engineering Organization. The organization is responsible for engineering project startup, operational readiness, engineering infrastructure enablement, IP governance, and compliance, ensuring teams have the tools, access, and processes needed to deliver successfully.

Leading a distributed team of engineering operations professionals, the Director will work closely with Engineering, IT, Legal, Regulatory Affairs, Sourcing, Human Resources, Security, and external partners. They will build scalable operational capabilities that consistently improve engineering efficiency and uphold high standards of governance and compliance.

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring critical thinking, interpersonal leadership, and the ability to influence across multiple engineering and business functions!

Responsibilities:

Leadership & Strategy

• Lead, develop, and grow a global team responsible for Project Enablement and Engineering Operations.
• Define the vision, strategy, and operating model for Project Enablement, aligned with engineering and business priorities.
• Build organizational capability through hiring, mentor support, succession planning, and ongoing improvement.
• Develop a culture of accountability, teamwork, innovation, and customer focus.

Project Enablement & Operational Excellence

• Oversee engineering project startup and operational readiness, ensuring projects are enabled efficiently, consistently, and in compliance with company policies.
• Drive standardization, automation, and continuous improvement across project enablement, engineering operations, and governance processes.
• Partner with engineering leadership to anticipate future operational needs and continuously improve the engineering experience.

Governance & Risk Management

• Establish governance frameworks that standardize project onboarding, reporting, compliance, and operational execution.
• Provide oversight of export compliance, third-party IP governance, contractor and vendor enablement, and engineering data protection.
• Partner with cross-functional organizations to proactively manage operational risk while enabling engineering velocity.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Build trusted partnerships across Engineering, IT, Legal, Trade Compliance, Procurement, HR, Finance, Security, and external partners.
• Influence strategic decisions, align priorities across organizations, and remove barriers to successful program execution.
• Represent the Project Enablement organization with senior leadership and communicate operational health, risks, and strategic initiatives!

Operational Performance

• Define and track key performance indicators for operational efficiency, quality, compliance, and customer satisfaction.
• Use data and analytics to drive decision making, investment priorities, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure the organization scales effectively to support Arm's growing engineering portfolio.

Required Skills and Experience :

• 15+ years of experience in Engineering Operations, Technical Program Management, Engineering Infrastructure, or related leadership roles within the semiconductor or technology industry.
• Shown experience leading and developing high-performing global teams, including hiring, coaching, mentoring, and interpersonal development.
• Strong understanding of semiconductor (ASIC/SoC) development workflows, engineering infrastructure, and engineering collaboration environments.
• Extensive experience with project enablement, engineering operations, export compliance, third-party IP governance, and contractor/vendor management.
• Demonstrated success building scalable operating models, governance frameworks, and enterprise-wide operational improvements.
• Experience driving automation, operational analytics, and process optimization using tools such as Power BI, Python, or similar technologies.
• Strong executive communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills with the ability to lead across sophisticated, matrixed organizations.

“Nice To Have” Skills and Experience :

• Experience leading Engineering Operations or Project Enablement organizations within a global semiconductor company.
• Experience managing geographically distributed teams.
• Experience leading enterprise-wide aut