Managing Director, COO, Technology

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Summary

Ares is seeking a senior technology executive to serve as Managing Director, COO – Technology, reporting to the CIO and Head of Technology. This role will lead the COO Technology Office, a critical horizontal function within the Ares Technology organization responsible for driving operational excellence, execution rigor, and enterprise-wide enablement across technology, data, and AI.

The COO – Technology will operate as the right hand to the CIO, ensuring that strategy is translated into execution across a global organization spanning the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This leader will oversee business management, enterprise program management, automation and AI governance, and end-user experience functions, enabling scalable growth, disciplined delivery, and a world-class employee technology experience.

This role is both strategic and operational, requiring a leader who can build and run global teams, establish enterprise-grade processes, and partner across business and technology leadership to drive outcomes at scale.

Reports to:
Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Head of Technology

Leads:
Global COO Technology Office including:

• Business Management
• Enterprise Program Management Office (EPMO)
• Automation COE and AI Governance
• Service Desk, Employee Experience, and Workplace Engineering

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

Technology Business Management

• Lead the business management function for Technology, including financial planning, budgeting, vendor management, and resource allocation.
• Serve as the central point for communication and storytelling of the Technology organization’s strategy, priorities, and outcomes across the firm.
• Translate complex technology initiatives into clear, compelling narratives tailored for different audiences, including executive leadership, board-level stakeholders, and firmwide audiences.
• Partner closely with Finance to align technology investments with firm priorities, ensuring clear visibility into ROI, cost drivers, and value realization.
• Drive internal communication strategies that reinforce culture, celebrate successes, and ensure alignment across geographically distributed teams.

Enterprise Program Management (EPMO)

• Build and lead a modern, enterprise-grade program management function grounded in Agile delivery principles, engineering discipline, and transparent execution.
• Establish standardized delivery frameworks leveraging Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) and modern tooling (e.g., JIRA) to drive best practices across the software development lifecycle, including sprint planning, backlog management, release management, and engineering productivity metrics.
• Establish and govern time tracking and timesheet disciplines across the organization, ensuring accurate mapping of effort to initiatives, products, and cost centers.
• Partner closely with Finance to align project delivery with budgeting, forecasting, and capital allocation processes, creating a seamless link between delivery execution and financial outcomes.

Automation COE & AI Governance

• Establish and lead the Automation Center of Excellence, driving adoption of automation, AI, and productivity-enhancing technologies across the enterprise.
• Define and implement AI governance frameworks, ensuring responsible, secure, and compliant AI enablement across the firm.
• Partner closely with Data & AI leadership to scale AI capabilities while maintaining strong governance, risk management, and control standards.
• Identify and drive high-impact automation opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce operational risk, and enhance scalability.

Employee Experience, Service Desk & Workplace Engineering

• Own the end-to-end employee technology experience, ensuring seamless, high-quality support across all user touchpoints.
• Lead global service desk operations, production support, and user experience functions.
• Oversee workplace engineering, including end-user computing, collaboration tools, and digital workplace platforms.
• Drive continuous improvement in user satisfaction, productivity, and technology adoption.

Global Leadership & Organizational Excellence

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing global team across multiple regions (Americas, Europe, Asia).
• Foster a culture of accountability, execution excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a key member of the Technology leadership team, contributing to overall strategy, planning, and governance.
• Act as a connector across vertical business-facing technology teams and horizontal platform teams.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.

Experience & Background

• 20+ years of experience in technology leadership, operations, CAO or COO-type roles within large, global, and complex organizations.
• Proven experience leading enterprise program management and large-scale transformation initiatives.
• Experience operating at a senior executive level, partnering with CIOs, business leaders, and functional heads.
• Demonstrated success building and scaling global teams across multiple regions.

Technical & Strategic Expertise

• Deep expertise in program management frameworks, governance models, and execution on scale.
• Experience with automation, AI enablement, and governance in regulated environments.
• Strong financial acumen and experience managing large technology budgets.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational execution.

Leadership Capabilities

• Exceptional leadership and organizational skills, with the ability to influence across all levels of the organization.
• Strong communication skills, including executive-level storytelling and stakeholder management.
• Proven ability to drive alignment across diverse teams and geographies.
• Results-oriented mindset with a focus on execution and accountability

Reporting Relationships

Compensation

$350,000 - $400,000

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.