Head of R&D Operations

We’re hiring a Head of R&D Operations for a highly strategic role reporting directly to our Chief Product Officer (CPO). In this role, you will be the chief architect of our internal R&D systems, designing an efficient environment where our teams can focus on innovation rather than navigating ambiguity. You will treat our internal processes and operating rhythms as a high-value product which is the operational foundation of our growing R&D organization.

This role is based in our San Francisco office with an office-centric hybrid schedule. The standard in-office days are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Most Asanas have the option to work from home on Wednesdays. Working from home on Fridays depends on the type of work you do and the teams with which you partner. If you're interviewing for this role, your recruiter will share more about the in-office requirements.

What You’ll Achieve

As the Head of R&D Operations, you will oversee a diverse team and drive operational excellence across key pillars:

• Lead and mentor our domain-specific Engineering TPMs. You will guide the team in driving complex engineering initiatives, framework migrations, and championing our internal adoption of AI development tooling.
• Treat the Product Development Lifecycle as a product. You will optimize our core tooling—leveraging Asana and emerging AI tools—to accelerate PM workflows, elevate the PM experience, and enable PMs to maximize their velocity.
• Establish and oversee scalable systems for qualitative market feedback, guiding the teams that manage Voice of Customer, design partners, and Beta programs to ensure product teams build outcome-driven solutions.
• Oversee the New Product Introduction (NPI) program and other cross-organizational efforts. You will establish clear launch frameworks and readiness criteria from early development through post-launch, ensuring that R&D execution seamlessly translates into operational reality across all Go-To-Market teams.
  
  

About you:

• 10+ years of experience in Product Operations, Technical Program Management, or Strategy & Operations within a high-growth B2B SaaS environment.
• Proven track record of managing diverse teams of managers and individual contributors, with a talent for mentoring and developing high-performing operations professionals.
• You've built and scaled new processes or incubations before and operate with urgency, resourcefulness, and creativity, pushing through ambiguity.
• You understand the interconnectedness of R&D and Go-To-Market functions. You have strong experience owning and driving New Product Introduction (NPI) frameworks, agile planning cycles, and operationalizing cross-functional product launches.
• You are deeply curious about emerging technologies and eager to leverage AI and automation to elevate internal workflows and developer productivity.
• Demonstrates curiosity about AI tools and emerging technologies, with a willingness to learn and leverage them to enhance productivity, collaboration, or decision-making.
  
  

At Asana, we're committed to building teams that include a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, as this is critical to helping us achieve our mission. If you're interested in this role and don't meet every listed requirement, we still encourage you to apply.

What We’ll Offer

Our comprehensive compensation package plays a big part in how we recognize you for the impact you have on our path to achieving our mission. We believe that compensation should be reflective of the value you create relative to the market value of your role. To ensure pay is fair and not impacted by biases, we're committed to looking at market value which is why we check ourselves and conduct a yearly pay equity audit.

For this role, the estimated base salary range is between $269,000 - $316,000. The actual base salary will vary based on various factors, including market and individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process. The listed range above is a guideline, and the base salary range for this role may be modified.

In addition to base salary, your compensation package may include additional components such as equity, sales incentive pay (for most sales roles), and benefits. If you're interviewing for this role, speak with your recruiter to learn more about the total compensation and benefits for this role.

We strive to provide equitable and competitive benefits packages that support our employees worldwide and include:

• Mental health, wellness & fitness benefits
• Career coaching & support
• Inclusive family building benefits
• Long-term savings or retirement plans
• In-office culinary options to cater to your dietary preferences
  
  

These are just some of the benefits we offer, and benefits may vary based on role, country, and local regulations. If you're interviewing for this role, speak with your recruiter to learn more about the total compensation and benefits for this role.

About Us

Asana is a leading platform for human + AI collaboration. Millions of teams around the world rely on Asana to achieve their most important goals, faster. Asana has been named to Fortune's Best Workplaces for 7+ years and recognized by Fast Company, Forbes, and Gartner for excellence in workplace culture and innovation. We offer an exceptional office-centric culture while adopting the best elements of hybrid models to ensure that every one of our global team members can work together effortlessly. With 13+ offices all over the world, we are always looking for individuals who care about building technology that drives positive change in the world and a culture where everyone feels that they belong.

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