Greenhouse ·
contractSenior Director, R&D Planning & Operations
Okta · San Francisco, California
Okta is a company specializing in identity and access management, providing infrastructure to secure human and AI identities. This contract role for a Senior Director of R&D Planning & Operations involves managing the financial and workforce operating engine for a large-scale R&D organization of over 2,000 employees, including the Okta Platform and Auth0. The position requires a seasoned operations leader to oversee budget governance, workforce strategy, headcount planning, and vendor operations. Day-to-day responsibilities include translating executive strategy into actionable budget and hiring plans, managing capitalized software compliance, optimizing AI token spend, and partnering with engineering leadership to track performance against OKRs. The role demands significant expertise in engineering finance, cost modeling, and organizational scaling. It is suited for an experienced professional capable of driving fiscal discipline, managing complex P&L frameworks, and leveraging data platforms to provide cost visibility across technical teams. Candidates must be located near the San Francisco, Seattle, or Chicago offices and are expected to work on-site multiple days per week.
Secure Every Identity, from AI to Human Identity is the key to unlocking the potential of AI. Okta secures AI by building the trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to safely embrace this new era. This work requires a relentless drive to solve complex challenges with real-world stakes. We are looking for builders and owners who operate with speed and urgency and execute with excellence. This is an opportunity to do career-defining work. We're all in on this mission. If you are too, let's talk. We are looking for a seasoned operations leader to run the financial and workforce operating engine for Okta's Product & Technology organization — a 2,000+ person R&D function spanning the Okta Platform (ORD) and Auth0. The team is accountable for the budget and workforce strategy components of the R&D Operating Plan, program spend and budget governance, financial compliance including Capitalized Software and R&D tax credit capture, vendor operations, and headcount governance in partnership with Recruiting. The team also runs the annual goal-setting process and the operating cadence that tracks R&D performance against those goals. This is a role that demands real depth in engineering finance operations alongside the organizational judgment to translate executive strategy into a defensible budget and a credible hiring plan. This role sits within Okta's R&D ("ORD") organization, reporting to the Head of Strategy & Operations and Chief of Staff to the President of Okta R&D. This role is hub-based: it sits in San Francisco, Seattle or Chicago, and candidates must live within commutable distance of one of those offices. We expect this leader to work from the office multiple days each week. Job Duties / What This Role Entails Own the budget and workforce strategy components of the R&D Operating Plan, translating corporate strategy and the long-range plan into a fully resourced annual plan across ORD and Auth0. Direct R&D budget governance for a 2,000+ person organization — program spend oversight, variance reporting, fiscal discipline, and executive-level budget reviews with the President of Okta R&D and Finance leadership. Own and evolve the P&L framework for R&D lines of business, arming executive leadership with the cost and investment data behind portfolio decisions. Model, govern and optimize AI token spend across the P&T organization — establish the cost baseline and forecasting model, build the framework for measuring return on that spend, and partner with engineering leaders to drive efficiency as consumption scales. Lead engineering cost modeling, and partner with FP&A and Deal Desk on account-specific margin analysis to support pricing, packaging and large-deal decisions. Own financial compliance for R&D, including Capitalized Software entries and maximizing US/Canada R&D tax credit capture. Build and own the P&T expense data platform on Snowflake to enable clean line-of-business cost distribution and self-service cost visibility for engineering leaders. Set the fiscal year workforce strategy in partnership with Recruiting leadership — headcount governance, real-time allocation tracking, backfills, organizational growth mapping, and location strategy. Own the contingent workforce program end to end, including contractor and agency lifecycle, capacity and spend. Own vendor operations for R&D — third-party relationships, capacity management, contract renewals, and performance SLAs. Continuously refine the financial and workforce operating processes to eliminate friction and ensure the organization scales efficiently as it grows. Partner with Product and Engineering leadership to develop the fiscal year goals and OKRs for the R&D organization, and run the program cadence — monthly and quarterly reviews — that gauges performance against them. Set the standard for AI-first operations — apply AI to financial analysis, dashboard generation and workflow automation, and build a team for which AI fluency is core to how the work gets done rather than an experiment on the side. Build, mentor and develop the operations team as a source of durable advantage for Okta R&D, including hiring and developing Director-level leaders. This is a team leadership role with five direct reports. Qualifications / Who You Are (Must Have) 12+ years of work experience, including 6+ years leading business operations, R&D / engineering operations, or FP&A functions within a technology company. Demonstrated ownership of an engineering or R&D budget at scale — annual planning, in-year governance, variance management, and executive budget review. Proven ownership of workforce planning and headcount governance in close partnership with Recruiting and Finance. Experience managing a vendor portfolio, including contract negotiation and renewal, SLA management, and capacity planning. Hands-on experience with Capitalized Software accounting and R&D tax credit programs in the US and/or Canada. Strong understanding of B2B SaaS business mo
| Role | Senior Director, R&D Planning & Operations |
|---|---|
| Company | Okta |
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| Type | contract |
| Compensation | Not disclosed |
| Posted | 2026-10-16 |
| Deadline | Rolling |
Typical process for this type of role
A general guide — the exact steps for this specific listing may vary; check the original posting for details.
- 1ApplicationSubmit your resume through the apply link.
- 2ScreeningRecruiter reviews your background against the role.
- 3AssessmentA technical test, assignment, or coding round, depending on the role.
- 4Interview(s)One or more rounds with the hiring team.
- 5OfferOffer letter with compensation and start date.
Before you apply
0/4About Okta
Okta, Inc. is an Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) company founded in 2009 and based in San Francisco. The company provides identity and access management solutions for workforces, customers, and AI agents. Its offerings include the Okta Platform for governance and the Auth0 Platform for authentication. Okta’s services are designed to secure human and machine identities, helping organizations manage access across their digital ecosystems. The company serves a diverse client base, including major government agencies and two-thirds of the Fortune 100, supporting thousands of organizations globally in securing their business operations and digital infrastructure.
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