Portfolio Operations & Governance Lead

It all started in sunny San Diego, California in 2004 when a visionary engineer, Fred Luddy, saw the potential to transform how we work. Fast forward to today — ServiceNow stands as a global market leader, bringing innovative AI-enhanced technology to over 8,100 customers, including 85% of the Fortune 500®. Our intelligent cloud-based platform seamlessly connects people, systems, and processes to empower organizations to find smarter, faster, and better ways to work. But this is just the beginning of our journey. Join us as we pursue our purpose to make the world work better for everyone.

The Portfolio Operations & Governance Lead position comes with the opportunity to play a key role in establishing operational excellence and sustainable ways of working across the Infrastructure & Automation (I&A) organization at ServiceNow. This role will serve as the standards and frameworks architect for the organization, responsible for defining and maintaining the systems, documentation, and measurement approaches that enable transparency, consistency, and efficiency across all I&A initiatives.

An ideal candidate will blend process architecture expertise, analytical rigor, attention to detail, and cross-functional collaboration skills to ensure the organization operates with clear governance structures, measurable progress, and scalable best practices. This role involves a range of key responsibilities, all aimed at creating operational infrastructure and organizational clarity in how I&A delivers value to the business. As such, the candidate must balance standardization with flexibility, combining methodical execution with pragmatic problem-solving to support the organization's evolving needs. 

What you get to do in this role: 

Establish, document, and continuously improve the operational frameworks and governance structures that enable I&A to deliver with consistency, visibility, and excellence. Drive transparency through metrics, dashboards, and knowledge management while architecting the templates and standards that scale best practices across teams. 

• Define and document repeatable frameworks that establish consistent standards for intake processes, decision-making protocols, prioritization criteria, and execution methodologies across the I&A organization
• Develop and socialize organizational KPIs, establishing measurement frameworks that matter, designing reporting structures, and maintaining progress tracking against targets to provide real-time organizational health visibility
• Build templates and standards libraries for ways of working and best practices – including requirement documentation standards, UAT playbooks, risk assessment frameworks, change management protocols, and delivery methodology toolkits
• Support executive presentations by maintaining the latest versions of critical materials, ensuring accuracy and consistency in organizational status reporting, and preparing materials for leadership reviews and governance forums
• Support I&A dashboards and portfolio analytics by defining data requirements, establishing measurement standards, collaborating with analytics teams, and ensuring metrics are accurate, meaningful, and actionable
• Manage and maintain SharePoint pages, architecting and curating the internal I&A knowledge hub that serves as the single source of truth for frameworks, templates, standards, organizational structure, team information, and key resources
• Define and maintain roles and responsibilities across I&A teams, creating and updating RACI matrices, documenting functional boundaries, organizational structure, and ensuring clarity on decision rights and escalation paths
• Demonstrate flexibility in adjusting priorities and focus areas as organizational needs shift, proactively identifying gaps in governance infrastructure and taking ownership of solutions. 
• Act as the go-to resource for questions about "how we work" and organizational structure – serving as the institutional knowledge keeper and ensuring new team members can quickly onboard to I&A standards and processes
• Partner closely with Portfolio Strategy & Execution leadership to translate strategic direction into operational standards, governance guardrails, and execution frameworks
• Facilitate continuous improvement by gathering feedback from teams, identifying friction points in current processes and documentation, and iterating on frameworks to improve efficiency and effectiveness
• Own the governance calendar and cadence, ensuring regular touchpoints for framework reviews, standards updates, and knowledge sharing occur consistently

To be successful in this role you have:

• Experience in leveraging or critically thinking about how to integrate AI into work processes, decision-making, or problem-solving. This may include using AI-powered tools, automating workflows, analyzing AI-driven insights, or exploring AI's potential impact on the function or industry
• 5+ years of experience in organizational design, process architecture, business operations, knowledge management, or governance roles within technology organizations or consulting environments
• Proven expertise in framework and standards design, with a track record of building scalable governance models, documentation libraries, and organizational playbooks that drive consistency across distributed teams
• Strong analytical and metrics design capabilities: Experience defining KPIs, designing measurement frameworks, building reporting structures, and translating data into actionable insights for leadership and operational teams
• Exceptional documentation and knowledge architecture skills: Ability to create clear, comprehensive, and user-friendly documentation systems that become the foundation for organizational standards and ways of working
• Technical proficiency with collaboration and productivity tools (SharePoint, Confluence, PowerPoint, Excel, Tableau/Power BI, visualization platforms)
• Experience in cross-functional environments: Demonstrated ability to work effectively across business systems, delivery teams, and leadership stakeholders with varying priorities and perspectives
• Strong communication and socialization skills: Ability to translate complex processes into accessible guidance, build consensus around standards, and influence without direct authority
• Detail-oriented with a systems-thinking mindset: Balances precision and thoroughness with understanding of how governance components fit into the bigger organizational picture
• Adaptable and resilient: Comfortable operating in ambiguity and shifting priorities while maintaining focus on delivering tangible governance infrastructure and organizational clarity. 
• Stakeholder engagement experience: Proven ability to build trust and credibility across levels, from operational teams to executive leadership

Additional desired qualifications: 

• Familiarity with ServiceNow platforms and Go-to-Market operations, or similar enterprise technology environments
• Experience supporting large-scale transformation or modernization initiatives through governance and standards work 
• BA/BS degree or equivalent work experience

 

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $112,200 - $196,400, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or nationality, ancestry, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements. 

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [email protected] for assistance. 

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities. 

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