Vice President Operations

About the Company

My client, a subsidiary of a major publicly traded gaming and entertainment organization, is the leading provider of technology for Historical Horse Racing (HHR) in the United States. Its proprietary platform powers one of the most flexible, secure, and content-rich HHR ecosystems in the market, processing billions in wagers annually in partnership with top-tier gaming manufacturers and operators nationwide.

The Role

The Vice President of Operations is a key member of the Executive Leadership Team and a strategic partner to the President. This role owns the company’s end-to-end operational execution, ensuring scalable, compliant, and high-performance delivery across Gaming Operations, Technical Operations, and IT Operations.

This is a senior leadership role for an operations executive with deep experience in regulated, technology-driven environments who can balance strategic vision with hands-on execution.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Set and execute operational strategy aligned with growth, compliance, and reliability objectives
• Define, document, and optimize operational processes across all functions
• Establish KPIs and reporting frameworks to drive continuous improvement
• Ensure operational scalability, efficiency, and service excellence

Gaming Operations

• Oversee regulatory compliance, licensing, installations, logistics, and field service
• Facilities oversight and customer support reporting

Technical Operations

• Lead all customer implementations including project planning, hardware specification, system builds, testing, installation, training, and go-live support
• Oversee complex issue triage and cross-functional coordination
• Drive continuous improvement in manufacturing and integration processes
• Partner closely with product and engineering teams

IT Operations

• Own enterprise IT infrastructure, networking, cybersecurity, and system uptime
• Lead IT modernization to support growth and regulatory requirements
• Oversee internal systems selection, deployment, and management
• Provide consulting support for customer network architecture

Executive Partnership & Leadership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President and Executive Leadership Team
• Contribute to strategic planning, innovation initiatives, and cross-functional execution
• Build, mentor, and lead high-performing, multidisciplinary teams

Qualifications

Required

• 10 years of senior operations leadership experience in gaming, technology, or other highly regulated industries
• Proven experience managing complex, multi-disciplinary operations (technical, IT, logistics, compliance)
• Strong people leadership and team-building background
• Experience implementing process improvement frameworks (Lean, Six Sigma, etc.)
• Strong understanding of regulatory and compliance environments
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Operations, or related field

Preferred

• MBA or advanced technical degree
• Experience scaling operations during rapid growth or post-acquisition environments
• Familiarity with gaming platforms, HHR systems, or distributed gaming technology

Core Competencies

• Strategic, data-driven decision making
• Operational rigor and execution excellence
• Collaborative, transparent leadership style
• Ability to lead under pressure while maintaining long-term focus