Director, Operations- Audiobooks and Gated Content

As audio has expanded from music to podcasts, audiobooks, and beyond - so has a creator’s ability to monetize and distribute their work. From monthly subscriptions to membership apps, creators are finding new ways to grow their audience - and we want to bring all of this content to Spotify. In the coming years, Spotify will redefine what it means for creators to monetize their work, as well as how listeners discover and gain access to that paid content.

The Audiobooks and Gated Content Vertical is responsible for bringing all the world’s paid audio to Spotify and becoming the ubiquitous destination for its consumption. This is a newly formed team within Spotify and this role will play a critical part of establishing and driving our delivery, working rhythms, and culture. This role has a wide remit that combines R+D operations with organizational operations, so exposure and experience leading both subject areas will be critical to success.

What you'll do:

• Lead the operations team for a 150+ person organization
• Manage R+D program managers to drive delivery of large scale, cross-functional, high profile consumer and creator driven programs successfully and on deadline
• Manage a team of operational managers to supervise and be accountable for primary operating models for our growing organization (50+ employees), including defining critical organizational and R+D rhythms, quarterly and annual OKR planning cycles, cross functional processes, as well as culture and community within our org
• Partner with the Vertical’s leadership team to understand core strategies and develop ways of working, resource allocations, and roadmaps for successful delivery
• Lead the operational budget and headcount planning processes to meet strategic growth plans
• Responsible for the execution of the internal communications strategy for the team, and find creative ways to help our teams connect with our mission and goals
• Continue to evolve the people operational support model as our team grows and matures, including rituals, events, onboarding and off-boarding of employees, culture, and belonging initiatives
• Oversee all knowledge sharing, team building and offsite activities to drive community goals within the organization
• Contribute to strategic planning and key decisions as a leader with vision across program management and operations
• Represent the team as the key liaison in coordinating with other internal planning functions, e.g., Spotify Strategy Operations, Finance, HR, TA, DIB, etc.

Who you are:

• An effective operator, with a passion for delivery, efficiency, clarity and team health
• A team leader who thrives in creative, fast-paced, collaborative environments where structure and processes are yours to create
• An experienced people manager with the confidence to manage 4+ direct reports efficiently, thoughtfully, and with a strong coaching mentality
• Technically proficient and comfortable working across a variety of contexts and fields, including engineering, design, product, legal, finance, licensing and critical initiatives
• Someone with a structured vision for program management and operations frameworks and have experience implementing and iterating processes
• You coach and mentor your team to ensure continued dedication while also ensuring a positive, flexible and nimble culture
• A “do-er”, willing to get hands-on solving any problems needed to help the program move forward
• A phenomenal communicator, both verbally and written, and bring clarity and joy to projects
• A leader with humility, transparency, and emotional intelligence - and bring a sense of humor to work
• Someone passionate about audio and what it can do for the creative industry!

Where you'll be:

• We are a distributed workforce enabling our band members to find a work mode that is best for them!
• Where in the world? For this role, it can be within the Americas region in which we have a work location and is within working hours
• Working hours? We operate within the Eastern Standard time zone for collaboration and ask that all be located that time zone
• Prefer an office to work from home instead? Not a problem! We have plenty of options for your working preferences. Find more information about our Work From Anywhere options here.

Spotify is an equal opportunity employer. You are welcome at Spotify for who you are, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or what’s playing in your headphones. Our platform is for everyone, and so is our workplace. The more voices we have represented and amplified in our business, the more we will all thrive, contribute, and be forward-thinking! So bring us your personal experience, your perspectives, and your background. It’s in our differences that we will find the power to keep revolutionizing the way the world listens.

Spotify transformed music listening forever when we launched in 2008. Our mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the chance to enjoy and be passionate about these creators. Everything we do is driven by our love for music and podcasting. Today, we are the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with a community of more than 381 million users.

This role is not eligible for hire in Colorado, USA.

Global COVID and Vaccination Disclosure

Spotify is committed to safety and well-being of our employees, vendors and clients. We are following regional guidelines mandating vaccination and testing requirements, including those requiring vaccinations and testing for in-person roles and event attendance. For NYC, we have mandated that all employees and contractors be fully vaccinated in order to work in our offices and externally with any third-parties.For all other locations, we strongly encourage our employees to get vaccinated and also follow local COVID and safety protocols.