Description
Role Overview
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Product Engineering will serve as the strategic and operational right hand to the President & CTO, driving the operating system that enables Salesforce to scale engineering excellence across a global organization of 10,000+ engineers. This role is flexible on level, depending on candidate experience, scope, and prior enterprise operating experience.
The COO will bring enterprise-grade rigor, disciplined execution, and cross-cloud integration to one of Salesforce’s most critical technology portfolios, spanning: Platform, C360 Apps, Agentforce, Data Cloud, MuleSoft, Heroku, Tableau, Industries, and Informatica (post-integration).
This leader owns the connective tissue across Product Engineering — ensuring that strategy translates into execution, that execution aligns with priorities, and that the organization moves with the speed, discipline, and clarity required for an AI-first, agentic enterprise.
Key Responsibilities
Operating Model + Governance
Architect and run the operating model for Product Engineering, including cadence, prioritization, cross-org governance, and leadership forums.
Establish disciplined mechanisms for planning, V2MOM execution, quarterly business reviews, engineering performance reviews, and cross-cloud interlocks.
Bring system-level operating rigor that reduces operational drag on the CTO and creates focus and accountability across a large-scale engineering organization.
Execution Engine Leadership
Oversee central Operations / PMO and Engineering Performance functions (e.g., metrics, dashboards, productivity insights, delivery health).
Lead all engineering operations teams and unify operational roles under a single, coherent COO umbrella.
Ensure alignment, sequencing, and tradeoff decisions across Platform, Apps, Agentforce, and Data Cloud dependencies.
Enterprise Integration & Transformation
Drive major transformation programs for Salesforce’s shift to the Agentic Enterprise, including AI-first engineering practices, reliability, and productivity improvements.
Lead strategic integration of Informatica and other inorganic growth plays, ensuring coherent operating mechanisms across newly combined teams.
Scale systems, processes, and leadership routines to meet the needs of a 10K+ engineering workforce.
Cross-Functional Leadership
Serve as the primary integrator across Engineering, Sales, CS, Security, Legal, Finance, Marketing, and Employee Success.
Build strong partnership with Finance for OPEX/HC management, resource planning, investment frameworks, and productivity levers.
Partner with Employee Success on org design, workforce planning, leadership capability, and engineering talent strategy.
Culture, Leadership, and Communication
Drive clear, consistent communication and narrative alignment across a global engineering organization.
Strengthen leadership pipelines, operational discipline, and decision-making quality throughout Product Engineering.
Model the behaviors of an execution-first, customer-obsessed, agentic culture.
Qualifications
Core Requirements:
15+ years in enterprise software, with deep experience in engineering, product, or large-scale technical operations.
Proven success leading complex transformations in matrixed, global technology environments.
Demonstrated expertise in operations, product/program management, organizational governance, and enterprise execution.
Strong financial acumen and ability to manage HC, OPEX, productivity targets, and investment frameworks.
Exceptional communication, influence, and executive presence.
Preferred Experience:
Experience operating as a C-suite or near–C-suite enterprise operator in a multi-billion-dollar, global technology organization.
Demonstrated ability to lead at 10K+ engineering scale with direct ownership of operating models, cross-functional governance, and enterprise-wide transformation programs.
Credibility to serve as a proxy for the CTO in cross-company forums and executive decision bodies.
For roles in San Francisco and Los Angeles: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Salesforce will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.