Associate Director, AI and Engineering Operations

Position Summary

We are looking for an Associate Director, AI and Engineering Operations to join Vista’s Value Creation Team (VCT) in the Product and Technology (P&T) Practice. This team serves as a trusted advisor to portfolio company leaders in product, technology, and cybersecurity. As an Associate Director, AI and Engineering Operations, you will work with engineering leaders across our enterprise software portfolio companies to drive significant value creation.

Your primary responsibilities will include collaborating with VCT colleagues, investment team members, and portfolio company executives on value creation initiatives focused on AI and Engineering Operations transformation and adoption. You will define and implement AI and Engineering Operations best practices across the portfolio, which includes deploying code generation tools, developing AI-assisted QA strategies, and optimizing the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) with AI. Furthermore, you will lead portfolio companies through AI and Engineering Operations maturity assessments and create comprehensive roadmaps for AI adoption throughout the entire development lifecycle.

This role offers exposure to investment decision-making, value creation, and transformation, providing practical experience in scaling premier software/technology businesses. Former team members have advanced their careers into larger leadership roles within Vista and joined Vista portfolio companies as engineering leaders. The position is based in San Francisco, CA, Austin, TX, or remote locations and is available for an immediate start. While flexible working arrangements are supported, the best collaboration often occurs at least partly in person. Some travel is required.

Responsibilities

• Partner with portfolio company executives to develop AI and Engineering Operations strategies that accelerate development velocity and improve code quality through AI adoption.
• Assess and implement AI-powered development tools across portfolio companies, including code generation platforms, establishing metrics for adoption rates, productivity gains, and ROI.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with leading AI tool vendors (GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor, Cognition, etc.) and model providers (Anthropic, OpenAI) to secure favorable terms and early access to new capabilities.
• Develop deep expertise in AI code generation tools, including configuration best practices, rollout strategies, and methods for tracking effectiveness and developer satisfaction.
• Design and implement engineering metrics programs using platforms like Jellyfish, LinearB, and DX, establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) that matter, creating action plans when metrics indicate issues, and creating mechanisms to measure AI engineering impact at scale.
• Create scalable AI and Engineering Operations playbooks tailored to different organization sizes and maturity levels.
• Identify and pilot emerging AI technologies across the SDLC, including AI-assisted testing, documentation generation, code review automation, bug backlog remediation, and predictive analytics for development.
• Lead the portfolio's thought leadership in AI and Engineering Operations, staying ahead of trends and establishing Vista companies as early adopters of proven technologies.
• Collaborate with portfolio company executives, investment teams, and operating partners to develop and shape the value creation strategy to achieve the Investment Thesis.

Qualifications

• Passion and curiosity for technology, software, and data, as well as what makes successful technology companies and investors.
• 7+ years of experience in engineering leadership, DevOps, or engineering operations roles, with at least 2 years focused on AI tool usage, adoption, and implementation.
• Hands-on experience implementing and measuring the success of AI code generation tools at scale.
• Deep understanding of engineering metrics platforms and the ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Proven track record of successfully rolling out new engineering tools and processes across multiple teams or organizations.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and evaluating emerging technology solutions.
• Strong technical background with the ability to understand and discuss architectural implications of AI tool adoption, including usage of rules and instructions files.
• Experience with change management and driving adoption of new technologies in engineering organizations.
• Knowledge of compliance and security considerations for AI tool usage in enterprise environments.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% of time.
• Strong communication and project management skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, both in individual and collaborative environments.
• Ability to drive cross-functional analysis, integrating perspectives on technology, business, and finance.
• Ability to bring structure to large, complex questions with limited guidance.
• Ability to multi-task, operate independently, and deliver on tight deadlines.
• Preferred Computer Science or technology-related degree from a top undergraduate institution.

Company Overview

Vista is a global technology investor that specializes in enterprise software. Vista’s private market strategies seek to deliver differentiated returns through a proprietary and systematic approach to value creation developed and refined over the course of 25 years and 650+ transactions. Today, Vista manages a diversified portfolio of software companies that provide mission-critical solutions to millions of customers around the world. As of June 30, 2025, Vista had more than $100 billion in assets under management. Further information is available at vistaequitypartners.com. Follow Vista on LinkedIn, @Vista Equity Partners, and on X, @Vista_Equity.

Key skills/competency

• AI Adoption Strategy
• Engineering Operations
• SDLC Optimization
• Code Generation Tools
• AI-assisted QA
• Engineering Metrics
• Vendor Management
• Change Management
• Enterprise Software
• Value Creation