Director, Professional Services

Director, Professional Services About the Role We're looking for a Director of Professional Services to lead the team that delivers Kuali's implementations, platform migrations, and consulting engagements across our higher education customer base. As Director of Professional Services, you'll own the Services P&L, build the operating structure that lets our delivery team scale, and carry accountability for the multi-year program to migrate customers from legacy products onto the Kuali Unified Platform. You'll move across projects, fill gaps directly when needed, and own escalations. This role is remote. Who are we? Kuali builds software solutions for higher education. We help our customers — colleges & universities — focus on providing a fantastic education to students by decreasing their administrative costs. We work in a competitive space, ripe for innovation, with users ready to be delighted. We are poised for high growth. Our Culture As a company, we are guided by our cultural values: Iterate to evolve Cultivate openness Act with accountability Assume the best Practice humility Deliver amazing experiences Drive outcomes At Kuali, we learn from and teach each other, we practice transparency and empathy, we delight in delivering value to our customers, and we WIN! We’ve embraced distributed work for years—it’s part of who we are. Many of our employees work remotely across the U.S., from Massachusetts to Seattle, while others collaborate in person at our office locations. We’re intentional about creating a healthy, connected culture no matter where you work. What you’ll be responsible for Own the Services P&L — revenue, margin, utilization, and realization rates Own Services pricing across engagement types, including rate structure, package pricing, and pricing consistency across the upgrade program Establish delivery tiers across the engagement spectrum, from low-touch and lower-cost to white-glove, spanning both service levels and engagement types Seed and model the PM function — carry the PM role on complex engagements while building the practice Evolve the delivery model so PM, SME, and configurator work are clearly scoped, supporting smoother utilization and better use of senior expertise Strengthen SOW discipline, including scoping standards, change order processes, and amendment workflows that protect margin Manage resource allocation across a mixed team of SMEs and CSEs, balancing availability, utilization targets, and project needs Partner with CSM and Support to ensure clean customer handoffs and shared accountability for outcomes Develop and report on a Services metrics dashboard covering utilization, realization, margin by project type, and pipeline Lead delivery of the Kuali upgrade program across multiple product tracks (Research, Academic Operations, Ready), including capacity and sequencing across the customer base Own the commercial construct and delivery standards for upgrade engagements — scoping, pricing, and margin consistency across the program Partner with Product, Engineering, and CSM on customer readiness and go-live support AI-Native Expectation Kuali is investing in AI-assisted configuration and data migration tooling. We need a Services leader who understands what that means operationally: how AI-generated configurations change SME review time, where human judgment remains essential, and how to build delivery estimates and staffing models that reflect this shift. This isn't about using AI to write emails. It's about leading a delivery function where AI is beginning to change the unit economics of the work itself. About you You align with Kuali's values: You model curiosity, openness, accountability, and a commitment to delivering amazing experiences. You're a resourceful executor: You take broad vision, collaborate on strategic priorities, and own the steps required to make it real, from planning to hands-on implementation. You're calm under pressure: You can handle shifting priorities, ambiguity, and fast-changing situations with resilience. You're collaborative and influential: You build trust quickly and communicate clearly across all levels of the organization. You're organized and detail-oriented: You can manage multiple projects at once without losing sight of the big picture. You thrive in remote environments: You know how to create alignment and connection across distributed teams. You roll up your sleeves: You're comfortable being the 'doer of last resort' in a resource-constrained environment. You have broad experience: You've independently led multi-disciplinary projects in resource-constrained environments where the buck stopped with you. Ideal candidates have experience with: 8+ years in professional services, implementation, or consulting, with at least 4 years in a leadership role Demonstrated track record of improving services margins and delivery efficiency in a SaaS or software environment Strong project management fundamentals — you don't need to be a PMP, but you need to be the person in the room who knows how to run a project Operating in a SOW-based revenue model, where scoping, change orders, revenue recognition, and utilization management are familiar territory Leading a team of domain experts without needing to be the domain expert yourself AI tooling as it applies to services delivery: automation of repeatable tasks, quality review of AI-generated outputs, and workforce model implications Higher education, ERP, or Academic Operations, and/or Research Administration Perks The opportunity to work to together with smart, passionate people to build a high growth, highly profitable SaaS company Flexible remote work with no expectation of returning to an office setting A truly exceptional benefits package, including 100% company-paid medical and dental insurance 100% 401(k) matching up to 4% Paid Maternity/Parental leave Flexible PTO — no accrual limits, no ‘use it or lose it.’ Just work with your manager to make sure the team’s covered, and take the time you need to recharge. Encouragement and support for ongoing learning and skill development Recognition platform to celebrate contributions with meaningful incentives Company retreats to connect, recharge, and collaborate Kuali has been voted a top place to work for 9 years by the Salt Lake Tribune. In 2024 TIME Magazine honored us by naming Kuali to their list of the World’s Top EdTech Companies , ranking us #99 overall and #37 in the US. At Kuali, we value and respect individuals from all backgrounds, recognizing that a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives fuels our success as a company and enriches our collective human experience.